I Love North Shields is a community-led magazine and storytelling platform rooted in everyday life, local voices and place pride. It exists to ensure the stories of North Shields are told properly — consistently, independently and with care.
What began as a small, grassroots publication has grown into something larger: a connector, a collaborator and a piece of local cultural infrastructure built with and for the people who live here.
This article sets out what we do, the impact it has on local people, and why this model matters beyond one town.
Why community-led storytelling matters
Research across placemaking, community development and cultural policy shows that towns thrive when people feel represented, connected and proud of where they live.
When communities are only spoken about — rather than with — it leads to disengagement, mistrust and a loss of local identity. Community-led media works differently. It creates shared spaces where people recognise themselves, their neighbours and their everyday lives.
I Love North Shields sits in that space.
We don’t extract stories.
We build relationships.
We don’t parachute in.
We stay.
A magazine rooted in lived experience
At its core, I Love North Shields is about representation that feels real.
We document everyday life — local people, businesses, creativity, humour, heritage and change. Many contributors had never been published before. Their lived experience is treated as expertise, not something that needs filtering or professionalising.
Research shows that when people are involved in shaping how their place is represented, it:
- strengthens pride in place
- builds confidence and wellbeing
- increases long-term civic engagement
- creates a stronger sense of belonging
When people see their streets, accents and experiences reflected honestly, it doesn’t just create content — it creates connection.
Building connection in a fragmented landscape
One of the most significant impacts of I Love North Shields has been its ability to build connection.
Connection between:
- residents and their town
- creatives and opportunities
- local businesses and audiences
- volunteers and collaborators
- long-term residents and new arrivals
The magazine acts as a shared reference point — something people recognise as “ours”. Research into social capital consistently shows that these shared cultural touchpoints are essential for resilient, connected communities.
People don’t just read the magazine.
They talk about it.
They recommend it.
They take part.
Collaboration as the method, not the outcome
Collaboration isn’t an add-on. It’s how we work.
I Love North Shields collaborates with:
- writers, photographers and artists
- grassroots groups and organisers
- independent businesses
- venues and community spaces
- cultural and heritage partners
These collaborations are long-term and reciprocal, built on trust rather than transactions. There is no extractive “content mining”. Instead, the platform amplifies what already exists.
Research into community cultural development shows that this kind of collaborative approach:
- increases reach without increasing cost
- avoids duplication
- strengthens local ecosystems
- builds sustainable networks
Rather than competing with existing activity, we support and connect it.
Access-first participation: removing barriers
A defining part of the model is accessibility.
We regularly provide:
- free editorial and social promotion for grassroots activity
- free, sponsor-free stalls at events
- flexible, low-barrier ways to get involved
- roles that suit different confidence levels and time commitments
Research shows that participation increases when financial, confidence and cultural barriers are removed. Access-first approaches also build trust — the most important ingredient in any community-led initiative.
This ensures the platform belongs to everyone, not just those who can afford visibility.
Supporting people beyond the platform
Volunteers and contributors are not treated as free labour.
When opportunities arise — paid commissions, collaborations, introductions or roles — these are actively shared with contributors. The platform acts as a connector within the local creative and community economy.
This reflects research showing that informal networks and peer recommendation are often the most effective routes into work, particularly in creative and cultural sectors.
Success, for us, looks like people growing — not staying dependent.
The tote bag initiative: identity, visibility and belonging
The I Love North Shields tote bag initiative began as a simple piece of merchandise and evolved into a form of participatory storytelling.
People carry the tote locally, nationally and internationally, sharing sightings back with us as they travel or relocate. Each sighting becomes part of an informal, community-generated archive of place pride.
Research into symbolic belonging shows that visible markers of identity strengthen attachment to place. The tote bag allows people to participate in storytelling without writing a word.
It functions as:
- an earned income stream
- a visibility tool
- a shared symbol of belonging
- a moving archive of place
A sustainable, mixed-income model
To remain independent and resilient, I Love North Shields operates a diversified sustainability model, combining:
- print magazine sales
- ethical local advertising and partnerships
- merchandise such as tote bags
- events and community activity
- project-based funding and grants
This aligns with best practice in community-led cultural sustainability: no single point of failure, no reliance on one funder, and no compromise on editorial independence.
Income is reinvested into people, production and access — not extracted from the community.
Why funders are paying attention
For funders, I Love North Shields demonstrates:
- clear social and cultural outcomes
- deep community engagement
- strong value for money
- long-term thinking
- evidence of trust, reach and participation
The impact is not just output-based. It is relational, cumulative and embedded — the kind of impact funders increasingly recognise as meaningful and sustainable.
Why this matters to local and national government
For government, this model offers something practical.
Community-led media like I Love North Shields provides:
- a low-cost, high-impact way to build pride in place
- a trusted route to community engagement
- a response to declining local journalism
- support for wellbeing, cohesion and civic participation
Rather than commissioning short-term consultations or engagement exercises, authorities can support existing, trusted platforms that already have relationships, credibility and reach.
This aligns directly with national priorities around:
- place-based regeneration
- levelling up
- cultural participation
- community wellbeing
- local identity
Crucially, it works with communities, not on them.
A model that can help other towns
While I Love North Shields is rooted in one place, the principles are transferable.
Other towns can adopt this model by:
- supporting community-owned publications
- investing in local storytellers
- prioritising access and participation
- trusting existing grassroots infrastructure
- using culture to build connection, not just attract visitors
This is not a franchise. It is a framework — adaptable, scalable and rooted in trust.
Looking ahead
I Love North Shields is not a one-off project or a moment in time.
It is a piece of community infrastructure — building connection, collaboration and pride in place through storytelling.
As more towns face shrinking coverage, fragmented communities and pressure on local identity, models like this offer a grounded, people-led way forward.
Not by speaking for communities.
But by building platforms where communities speak for themselves.
