Member Article

We are Stockport expands news and web team

Stockport’s leading news and events portal We are Stockport (WAS) has expanded its news gathering and web development team to help it push for 30,000 website visitors by the end of the year.

Dawn Bunnell has been appointed as news reporter, Jonathan Robinson from Bellyflop TV has come in to provide ground-based video content and Steve Wickham and Chris Heron from Vox Air will give a unique birds-eye view of the Borough.

Graham Saul, Director at computing solutions firm Cloud 9 Hosts has also been recruited to provide website development and technical support.

Dawn joins Place Campaign Manager and roving reporter Rachel Wallace to beef up news generation around the Borough and upload content to a website which has already attracted 12,000 visitors. A former staff reporter on the Oldham Evening Chronicle and with 10 years’ marketing and communication expertise Dawn brings a wealth of experience and writing talent to the role.

Jonathan Robinson, Director at Bellyflop TV, has been tasked with providing a regular flow of video stories from around Stockport.

He said: “Bellyflop TV is delighted to join the We are Stockport team to help unearth our Borough’s fantastic hidden gems. As they say a picture tells a thousand words…a video tells the story. We’re looking forward to getting out and about and capturing on camera the stories that reflect Stockport’s unique, diverse and intriguing character.”

New Stockport company Vox Air will be using drone cameras to make compelling aerial films to show off the area from a new perspective. Director Steve Wickham commented: “So much is missed on ground level in a place - which is why we take our videography and photography literally to a higher plane! Stockport has so many interesting nooks and crannies, places that are so easily passed by. Nothing escapes our camera lens. Hidden treasures shine and we’re very pleased to be helping put Stockport firmly on the national map as a place to visit.”

On the technical role Graham Saul from Cloud 9 Hosts commented: “We share the same values as the team here, dedicated to supporting the community of Stockport.”

Rachel Wallace, former Head of BBC Communications for the North, leads the team and has been involved since launch last June. Welcoming the new people to the team, she says: “We have a cracking group of talented content and news creation individuals now working on the campaign to move it all forward. We are confident that by showcasing the fantastic people and places that make up the Borough we can achieve the ambitious targets we have set and get people on the site and coming back for more.”

Since its launch last year with funding from the Council We are Stockport has achieved 30% returning visitors, developed a Twitter following of 2,350 and is increasingly seen as a credible story source for other organisations.

“We work collaboratively to help everyone who is interested in telling a positive Stockport story,” added Rachel.

If you have a good story get in touch with Rachel or Dawn by emailing them news@wearestockport.co.uk or call on 0161

974 0650. Follow on Twitter @wearestockport and become a Facebook fan and sign up to our newsletter.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Souter .