TheQuarter.org.uk
Title
The Quarter
Description
The Quarter first appeared in January 2003. It came about in response to the need for an accessible forum for Folkestone’s new creative quarter. It took the form of a monthly black-and-white magazine which was available free on counters in various places throughout the Old Town, and in other town-centre outlets. Readership included artists and others interested in moving in to the area, as well as tourists and visitors - but The Quarter also aimed to give a voice to existing businesses and residents as they face a time of change and regeneration in the district.
News and views were supplemented with a regular Listings guide and advertising which was specific and relevant to the creative quarter area. In this way we set out to make The Quarter a useful publication which quickly created its own specifically local demand; this in turn helped reinforce its vitality and influence in spreading news, insights and networking opportunities for everyone.
The Quarter was totally independent of any authoritative body; it was set up as a not-for-profit endeavour by a handful of individuals with a strong personal interest in the success of the creative quarter. The subscriptions and the advertising revenue covered the printing costs - all other input was totally unpaid, though we were able to recover expenses. This gave us the luxury of a delightfully unfettered editorial policy; generally coverage of CQ matters was naturally positive, but we didn’t shrink from controversy - contentious ideas which were raised on our pages were frequently challenged in subsequent issues.
