Across the UK ‘deserts’ with no dedicated local news coverage are increasing – with London particularly hard hit by local newspaper closures in recent years.
But a leafy stretch along the Thames, the London suburb of Chiswick, has become something of a news oasis – a rare place where three independent local news outlets are not only surviving, but producing original journalism, connecting residents and holding local power to account.
With a population of 35,000 Chiswick has a news ecosystem which many entire London boroughs (which range in population from 150,000 to 400,000 people) would envy. Kensington and Chelsea, for instance, has no dedicated news source.
Two ultra local websites – ChiswickW4.com and The Chiswick Calendar – emerged in the vacuum left by print titles like the Brentford & Chiswick Times (closed in 2010 after 100 years) and the Hounslow & Chiswick Informer (closed in 1999). Chiswick also has a surviving free weekly print title, the Chiswick Herald.
“When we started in 2000, there was an obvious gap in the local news market,” Sean Kelly, director of ChiswickW4.com, told Press Gazette.
“Although the print titles were much better resourced than they are now, they were already in serious decline and transitioning from distribution through newsagents to direct delivery.”
ChiswickW4.com is part of Neighbour Net, a network of hyperlocal sites covering west and south-west London postcodes. Its “about” page describes it as “the largest local community website of its kind in Europe”.
The site’s weekly newsletter is now sent to more than 19,500 members and has been crucial for building and retaining its audience – as have its forum, directory and community pages.
Stories are often released through the newsletter first, which Kelly said helps create a sense of “privileged access”, even though the service is free.
Rather than chasing viral content, the site focuses on local coverage. “The more local, the better,” Kelly said. “We don’t try to maximise clicks – we try to ensure the highest proportion of stories come from within the postcode.”
Neighbour Net’s shared content management system underpins nine sites and coverage areas include Fulham, Putney and Wimbledon. While editors are “effectively editorially independent”, Kelly said: “The final say is with us. We don’t dictate what we cover.”
Asked whether the model could work elsewhere, Kelly was doubtful. He pointed to Chiswick’s unique demographics: a population of 34,000, a professional workforce, high levels of education and homeownership, and a strong appetite for news.
“Unless there’s reform in how the public sector communicates through the media, the general decline of local journalism will continue – and the kind of coverage we provide will remain the exception rather than the rule.”
However, plans are under way to launch new Neighbour Net sites in Barnes, Balham, Tooting and other parts of south-west London.
The Chiswick Calendar was launched in 2015 and began as an events calendar. Run by former BBC journalist Bridget Osborne and her son Nick Raikes, the site quickly became a respected source of local reporting and political analysis.
At first, Osborne didn’t plan to cover news. “I thought I’d write arty farty features and just promote all the good things happening in Chiswick,” she told Press Gazette. “But the time we launched coincided with a general election, then Brexit, more elections… I can’t help myself.”
The site gained a reputation for strong political and current affairs coverage, boosted by panel events, interviews, and a weekly jazz night social. Today it claims 17,500 newsletter subscribers and 43,000 unique website visitors per month.
Club card scheme and donations fund Chiswick Calendar
Although The Chiswick Calendar once hired permanent reporters, it is now transitioning towards a freelance model after a key sponsor pulled out in early 2025, making the last in-house reporter redundant.
Over the years Osborne has mentored around a dozen young journalists, offering internships and voluntary positions.
“One of the things I’ve been really proud of is the number of young people we have been able to give opportunities to,” Osborne said, adding, “because it’s so hard for young people to get any experience. At least we with us, they can get stories on a website that they can then show as a CV.”
Much of its revenue comes from local advertising, especially through a club card scheme which gives readers discounts and businesses visibility. A “Buy us a coffee” campaign provides further income, but the site still doesn’t earn enough to pay VAT.
The site’s sustainability partly relies on Osborne not taking a proper salary, she receives a private and state pension.
She said: “We’d like to grow, and we probably could be better at sales and marketing. But given the choice between doing a news story or talking to someone about advertising, I always choose the story.”
Chiswick Herald, print survivor
While many local titles have gone digital-only, The Chiswick Herald remains in print too. It is one of three titles run by Vendor Media, alongside The Hounslow Herald and The West London Herald. All are published weekly on Fridays and distributed in supermarkets across west London.
“We’ve got four active journalists, including our editor Ainè McGinty, and it’s an entirely in-house team,” said Paul Williams, who owns Vencor Media.
Revenue comes from a mix of advertising, subscriptions, and a paid e-edition. Print copies are distributed for free, with a weekly circulation of around 20,000. Reach-owned free weekly the Chronicle & Informer also covers Hounslow.
“A lot of big ad agencies are swinging back to traditional media,” said Williams. “Print is about 40% cheaper to produce than before Covid. The commercial side is strong again.”
He also credits the paper’s success to its strong distribution network, handled by Self Select Distribution, which offers publishers a distribution service to the UK’s leading supermarkets, with a consistent 100% pickup rate.
“I’m sure at some point print will become obsolete, but I can’t see it happening imminently.” Williams added. “A lot of the major publishers, they just completely withdrew and closed down a lot of their local media, that just opened the gap for us,” he said.
The Herald benefits from a long-standing relationship with Premier League club Brentford FC. The paper is known to the club as the local media outlet, attending all of their press conferences and getting exclusive interviews.
This football connection has boosted the Herald’s profile beyond west London. “Since Brentford joined the Premier League, our readership has gone global,” Williams said. “Those articles alone bring significant traffic.”
Brentford FC has also directly supported the paper. Williams added: “They sponsored our sports section for a season via Hollywood Bets. We also work with the Brentford Community Trust on editorial and PR content.”
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