Can I send you an article/details of an event/a great photo of something in Sawston?
Please do! As a community magazine, we welcome contributions from everyone in the village; we try to print everything we are sent, including letters, articles, pictures, and event listings, as long as it doesn’t go against our guidelines.

Can I send you details of an event I’m organising?
Yes please! We want our diary to be as comprehensive as possible. Please sign up on our diary page and enter your event.

If you can’t register on the Diary page, it may be that you’ve changed your email address, or you’re not an organisation that has listed events before, in which case please contact the copy editor.

When is the diary deadline?
The diary deadline is a few days later than the copy deadline, which is always printed on page 4 of the magazine, at the bottom of the black contact panel. To get a reminder about two weeks before the next copy deadline, sign up for our mailing list.

Can you print our poster in the magazine?
Sorry, but we’re unlikely to be able to use it: most posters are designed to be full-colour A4, and don’t work very well as quarter-pages in black and white – even if we have space for them, which we usually don’t! You’re welcome to put it up on the fence outside 95 High Street, though. And do please put the event in our diary, as above.

My event wasn’t included in the Diary!
Oh dear. First of all, please check that you did actually send us the details, as recently someone complained and it turned out that they hadn’t – we are competent but not telepathic! If the person organising the event doesn’t have time to send us the details, why not do it yourself?

The only events we might not list are those happening a long way from Sawston; if the Diary is very full, events happening outside Sawston are the first we have to cut.

Have I missed your deadline?
The next copy deadline is always printed on page 4 of the magazine, at the bottom of the black contact panel. To get a reminder about two weeks before the next deadline, sign up for our mailing list. The diary deadline is a couple of days later – if you’re not sure whether you’ve missed it, send your event details to the diary editor.

Could my picture go on the cover?
Absolutely! But it’s harder than you’d think to take a good cover picture. Your picture will need to be BIG: we need 300dpi resolution at A4 size, which will give a file size of at least 1Mb. It will also need a blank-ish bit at the top for our masthead (the bit that says ‘Sawston Scene’), and a bit of space on both sides and the bottom so it can go right to the edge (this is called a ‘full bleed’ and the printer needs about 3mm to spare to allow for trimming). If you look at back issues, you’ll also see that the image needs to be local, and seasonal (though it needn’t be recent), and that people work best. Do have a go!

You haven’t printed my letter!
Sorry about this. If we only have one letter, we’ll often keep it until we have enough to make a letters page. If you sent a written letter, please phone or email the editor to find out when your letter might be printed. Occasionally, the editorial team may decide not to print a letter if they think it clashes with the aims of the magazine, or will be of little interest to our readers.

Why have you changed what I wrote?
We may edit what you send us to make it shorter or clearer, and to match our house style, but we aim to keep your individual style. Sometimes we add some explanation so that your copy will make sense to someone who’s new to the village, or is outside your organisation.

Would you like some articles about x, which my business can help people with?
We don’t print ‘advertorial’ – copy written to look like a normal article that’s really advertising a business. And we’re not usually short of copy. On the other hand, if you’re starting a new business in Sawston, we’d like to try and help you: get in touch with Yasmin, Beck or Ann and we can discuss what to do!

How should I send my copy, and who do I send it to?
Thanks for checking! Please see our guidelines for contributors for details. And if you’re keen, you could even follow our house style – we’d really appreciate that!

What sort of thing should I send you?
Sometimes we get asked this, and it turns out that the person has never actually read the magazine. A copy only costs £2, so please pick one up from one of the places it’s sold and take a look, and then you’ll have a better idea.

Could you help me promote this?
We’ll try – but if you’re trying to promote a business or event or something similar, do bear in mind that’s it’s a little tactless to ask for free advertising if it’s obvious that you’ve never actually read the magazine…

Some advice for church reports…
“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works”. Tell us what you’ve been up to, and what you’re planning: what was fun, what was silly, what was important, what failed. It’s more persuasive for the reader than a mini-sermon, because it’s more interesting. We’ve been having similar conversations with other groups: what’s interesting is what you’re doing. It’s not about censorship; it’s about using limited space efficiently to provide an interesting (and thereby persuasive) read.