Welcome to Sale Community Web. I hope you like it and find it helpful. I set the site up many years ago, when I started doing web design, just out of personal interest really. The site has grown organically over the years, had a few revisions and revamps and is now getting another one, as much of the site is badly in need of updating.

There have been long periods of inactivity and I moved away from Sale seven years ago to Stockport. I am planning to move back, however, as soon as the housing market permits and and will continue expanding the site and trying to get even more of the community on board.

The emphasis has and will continue to be on showcasing local activities, especially in the voluntary sector. It costs a few tens of pounds a year to run any site of this size but it is not so great a cost that the site needs to run commercially via advertising. It would be nice, however, to get the local business community to make more use of the low cost advertising SCW can offer. With 6000 plus visitors per month, SCW offers a cheap opportunity for businesses to get their message out there.

THE MAIN AIMS OF THE SITE ARE

• to publicise Sale and provide information on the town, its history and community.

• to provide free publicity for non-profit groups, clubs, charities etc.

• to be a mouthpiece for local issues - a new Forum has been set up to allow people to air their views.

• to provide free listings for local businesses and trades people.

• to provide low cost display advertising for local trades people.

In this modern, technological age people are becoming more isolated and communities fragmented. So, it would be great if the technology could be used to actually bring people together. The internet is the ideal medium for allowing mass publicity for groups, societies, ideas, campaigns etc. Up to now the site has been moderately successful in getting information out and visitor numbers are in their thousands per month.

To this end I am trying to develop ways of allowing the public more direct input to and interactivity with the site. I cannot possibly keep up to date with all that goes on locally and it would be nice if people would volunteer to be the 'eyes and ears' of the community and feed me with information on anything that might be of interest e.g. local activities or campaigns being fought for consumer or residents' rights, opening or closing of important facilities etc. Do check out the Forum and use it to inform me of anything you think is important and interact with each other as well.

I have become more passionate about 'people power' and consumer rights (or lack of) over recent years. I feel really angry about how we are taken advantage of and denied justice when goods are shoddy and service is poor. Check out the page on the plight of Leaseholders in this country and the way they are overcharged by management companies and landlords.

If you want to get your event, charity, group, club or society listed and it is not already here, please contact me. If you already have a website, we will put your link on Sale Web. If it is in any way run for commercial gain, then there will be a small charge for display advertising. Simple listing of your business name and contact details is free of charge, however.

Jane - webmaster