Happy fourth birthday to Central Bylines! Since our founding four years ago, Central Bylines has been amplifying local voices across the region and showcasing these alongside some of the nation’s best writers. As a thriving and intrinsic part of our one-of-a-kind citizen journalism network, we continue to publish local, national and international stories.
It is difficult to acknowledge all the writers who have contributed to the total of nearly 1,300 articles that have appeared on our website so far. We have a number of student writers too, who squeeze in writing for us between their academic assignments. Without all of our writers’ support, we would not exist, and we thank all of them.
Central Bylines would also not exist without our volunteers who edit, proof, source images, upload and post on social media. Their dedication is awesome; they give up their time in the name of citizen journalism, and have helped to create a strong team. That team brought you the articles below and indeed every article that appears.
2020: revisiting our inaugural year
In our first year, we started modestly, with reader numbers well under 100 per article. But articles kept coming in from our volunteer writers.
Here we offer a chance to revisit to some of the major issues of the day, still relevant today.
HS2: Is your train delayed indefinitely? : The construction of Britain’s second high-speed rail line is as divisive as Brexit.
Local media matters : The BBC announced 450 job cuts in regional TV, news and radio.
White feathers for cowardly MPs : Anna Girolami and Garry Lawrence report on the White Feather Project.
Rules of origin and the last Brexit straw : There are only 90 days left until we leave the single market and customs union.
Covid-19: nothing new under the sun : The government’s response to Covid-19 implies that pandemics are new and unexpected but that isn’t the case.
2021: beginning to move beyond Brexit and lockdowns
We now see a good number of articles getting hundreds of reads – people are getting to know us. A large number of articles focused on Brexit, but this selection steers away from it to other matters.
Cruddas and cronyism – Johnson and the Lords : Boris Johnson has been prime minister for twelve months and has appointed 52 new peers.
Radicalism breeds radicalism : Sir John Hayes has stirred up a backlash against the Black Lives Matter movement, encouraging radicalism on the right.
LGBT+ History Month – more relevant than ever : LGBT+ rights are under fire around the world, it is more important than ever to celebrate LGBT+ history.
The cause of living in the past is dying right in front of us : The Labour Party needs a complete transformation if it is ever to govern again.
2022: reader numbers grow with an increased focus on local stories
The selected articles focus on local stories for this year when a few articles were finding readers in the thousands – have we arrived?
Perhaps not quite yet, but the support from all our volunteers and the impressive output of our regular writers made sure we kept on publishing. There’s a little bit of everything in this collection from across the region.
Of special mention is Anne C Holland whose A Cotswold Diary series gave us a glimpse into her life. Anne wrote her first article in February of 2021 and started A Cotswold Diary in December, which ran for 45 episodes until ill-health led to her retirement in 2023.
Where have all the flowers gone? : A successful new distillery in the Cotswolds has led to a big increase in heavy traffic through Ann Holland’s Cotswold village.
Art in the Park : Mark Cunliffe interviews festival director Kate Livingston about the Art in the Park 2022 festival in Royal Leamington Spa.
Birmingham’s first climate festival : Birmingham’s first ever climate festival aims to give marginalised people a platform to speak about climate change.
Out of bounds: Broxtowe MP’s cynical gerrymandering : If deep-blue North Shropshire can flip, then what hope for Darren Henry come the next election?
Alleged rampant misogyny at Melton Borough Council : a Melton council meeting last week erupted into chaos over pictures of half-naked women.
Derby County’s Horror Reality of 2022 : Myles Campbell-Drummond looks into the potential demise of Derby County football club and what it means for fans.
Fear and loathing in Skegvegas : Brexit was all about taking back control of “our borders, money and laws” but the migrant crisis has revealed a painful truth to some of its most ardent supporters.
The staff strikes at Staffordshire and Keele universities : “I’m working a 35 hour week for 18 hours wages” says young academic on the UCU picket line.
2023: reaching a steady maturity
In this year, our reader numbers are growing and we feel much more established as a news and features outlet. We had the highest number of readers for one article, a record that has not yet been broken – over 21,000 reads.
International stories
Brexit and the Ukraine invasion: the public response : It might seem absurd to attempt a comparison of Brexit and the invasion of Ukraine, but there are similarities in how the citizens of each country reacted to the situation.
“God, Guts and Guns”: America’s firearms culture : An examination of American gun culture and why change requires a deeper understanding of the role firearms play in the nation’s history.
The tragic loss of the Erasmus+ scheme : The Erasmus+ scheme has offered life-changing opportunities to students across Europe, yet the UK chose to leave the scheme after Brexit.
Africa’s population set to double by 2050 : A rapidly-growing African population can harness a valuable demographic dividend, but it needs to get its house in order first.
National stories
Pyramid Scheme: the problem with Glastonbury : Why Glastonbury is a nostalgia-washed hellscape of elitist hypocrisy and why I’ve written a musical about it.
Joyland – “the patriarchy hurts everyone” : Joyland is a feminist film that challenges our assumptions: it deserves to be seen.
Open letter to the Today programme : Mike Cashman queries his ejection from the BBC before the Today programme debate.
Make the change – how to support menopause in the workplace : Employers are increasingly recognising the need to support colleagues going through menopause.
Local stories
Jonathan Gullis – an obituary of a short political career : The Rev Anton Mittens provides a thoughtful obituary for the political career of the Stoke-on-Trent North MP.
No more Girl Guides at Glenbrook? Five activity centres to close across the country : In High Peak, local people are devastated that Glenbrook is to be closed and sold off.
Tree-mendous: barrister protests illegal destruction of iconic Wellingborough trees : Activist and barrister Paul Powesland climbs a tree to protest against the destruction of protected trees.
Lincoln Christmas Market is cancelled : Lincoln Christmas Market has become a victim of its own success.
2024: forging ahead and keeping the ship steady
For this current year we present you with a selection of our most-read articles, which reveal the subjects that motivate readers to click and read.
Why is long Covid being ignored? : Sam Williams describes what it’s like to suffer from long Covid and why no one wants to talk about it.
United Kingdom corruption officially at its worst in modern times : Why has the UK just been awarded its lowest ever corruption index score?
Elon Musk has a problem : The apparent support from Musk for the far right in Europe may mean things at X are only likely to get worse.
The loan charge scandal: the victims and HMRC : Victims of the loan charge tax hope the upcoming parliamentary debate will address the injustice they’ve suffered.
The shocking rise of foodbanks and poverty in the UK : Nearly 22% of the UK population were living in poverty last year and foodbank use is on the rise.
General election shock for a British/EU citizen : I’m an EU citizen with dual Italian and British nationality, and I’ve been turned down from voting in the general election.
As a final note, we recently received an email from a contributor and supporter who said: “Keep up the good work at Bylines. We’d miss you if you weren’t there.” We certainly hope that we can keep up the good work and continue to get better at it, and will stay for as long as we have the resources, strength and vision – and, it goes without saying, the continued support of our readers.
