ANDREA JENKYNS
Morley Observer: I Am So Proud Of Our Town

Like you, I felt some sadness when last week I read that after 148 years this would be the last edition of the Morley Observer.

For over a century this has been our local newspaper and it has been a privilege to write for it for the last few years in my role as Member of Parliament, to keep residents informed of my work and to highlight the great things going on in our local area.

Morley has always been proud of our distinctive and independent spirit and having our own newspaper was emblematic of this. But times change, and it is clear that it is no longer viable following a steady decline in sales.

I am thankful that local news from Morley will still be printed for those who rely on newspapers to stay informed. From now, the Yorkshire Evening Post will focus on Morley community news on Tuesdays. I am pleased also to hear that no jobs will be impacted by this closure.

Despite the loss of our paper, I know our impressive Morleian spirit will endure. For example, we will continue to host our famous patriotic St George’s Day events, and our community spirit will always shine in our other fairs, events, and shows across Morley and the surrounding areas.

Just recently, I attended the Dartmouth Park Dog Show and met hundreds of local people and their pets. It was great to brave the occasional rainy shower with fellow animal lovers, collect signatures for my animal rights petitions, and to meet and chat to so many people. This is yet another example of our strength as a community and I will be forever proud to have this opportunity to represent our local area in Parliament.

In the absence of my regular column here, residents can keep up with my work both in Parliament and in our local area on my website- www.AndreaJenkyns.co.uk where you can subscribe to my newsletter, and as always if you need my help please do not hesitate to contact me via: [email protected] or 01133 450 380.

As this is the final ever edition of our local paper, I want to say thank you to all those who worked on it and kept it going for so long and to all the readers that kept its pages alive. Thank you to all the local people that read it regularly and thank you to those who helped fill its pages over the years with such positive and uplifting stories of bravery, charity, kindness, hard work, and Morleian spirit.