Entrepreneur vows to expand after regional press return

Report by David Sharman for HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk

An entrepreneur declared bankrupt after buying a group of defunct local newspapers has revealed his ambition to re-enter to the regional press industry.

Duncan Williams has returned to publishing using the name of historic South-East Devon title Pulman’s Weekly News, which he is currently running as an online news aggregation service.

He has recently taken on freelance journalist Nikki Latham and photographer Neil Dobson to aid the project, with the hope of increasing the size of the Pulman’s team and expanding its coverage again in future.

Mr Williams, pictured, previously worked in publishing for titles including Sorted magazine and bought the View From series of newspapers in 2018 for £1 after they ceased publication.

However, the purchase sparked a long-running legal battle in which he was found to be liable for money owed to more than 20 View From staff who had been made redundant prior to the deal being agreed – rather than the papers’ previous owner Peter Masters.

The affected staff were awarded notice pay settlements and additional payments by an employment tribunal after Mr Williams was declared bankrupt in 2020.

Pulman’s recently won a Corporate Livewire Prestige Award, which recognises the work of small and medium-sized businesses.

Speaking to HTFP about his new venture, Mr Williams said: “Independent news has a vital role to play in maintaining the views and democracy of our regional towns and communities.

“I believe historic media brands such as Pulman’s can actively grow with the digital age to offer increased communication reach and utilise the popularity of social media trends to rebuild a healthy culture of engagement with regional news.

“Pulman’s Weekly News Group Ltd has been fortunate enough to employ a freelance journalist and photographer whose skills have contributed towards this award.

“As we move forward with increased marketing revenues, Pulman’s aim to gradually increase the team and continue to expand our local coverage.”

Pulman’s was founded in 1857 to cover the towns of Axminster and Seaton in East Devon, Lyme Regis in Dorset, and other villages in East Devon, West Dorset and South Somerset.

It was assimilated into the View From Axminster free title in 2012 by then-owner Tindle Newspapers.

WEEKLY WELLBEING: IS PRAYER A GENUINE FORM OF COMMUNICATION? 🙏

Report by Duncan Williams @ViewNewsUK

In a world where communication is king, it's easy to overlook the power of prayer. But can prayer truly be considered the keystone of all successful communication?

At its core, prayer is a form of communication with a higher power. We might all have differing concepts of what this might actually mean to us individually. Yet it is agreed that powers greater than ourselves surround us daily - things such as gravity, time or our personally chosen deity. Whether it's through meditation, reciting prayers or simply speaking from the heart, prayer allows individuals to express their deepest thoughts, desires and fears to a force beyond themselves.

But what does this have to do with successful communication in the everyday world?

The answer lies in the importance of listening. In order for communication to be truly successful, both parties must be actively engaged in the conversation. This means not only speaking clearly and effectively, but also actively listening to the other person's words and trying to understand their perspective.

Prayer teaches us to listen, not just to the words of the person we're speaking to, but also to the voice of the divine within us and outside of us as well. By taking the time to quiet our minds and focus on our spiritual connection, we learn to be better listeners in all areas of our lives.

In this practical way prayer can help us to approach communication with a sense of empathy and compassion. When we pray for others, we're forced to consider their needs and desires, and to put ourselves in their shoes. This translates to our everyday interactions, where we can approach conversations with a sense of understanding and kindness, rather than defensiveness or aggression.

Of course, this doesn't mean that prayer is a magic solution to all communication problems. Effective communication still requires skill, practice and patience. But by incorporating prayer into our daily lives, we can cultivate the qualities that make communication successful - listening, empathy and understanding - and approach all conversations with a sense of grace and compassion.

So can prayer really be considered as the keystone of all successful communication? Perhaps not in a literal sense, but there's no denying the powerful impact that spirituality can have on our ability to connect with others. By taking time to connect with the divine, we can become better communicators, and build stronger relationships with those around us. 

Free Media Studies Courses

PULMAN’S WEEKLY NEWS & ADVERTISER SERIES is an award winning media group founded in 1857 by West Country publisher George Philip Rigney Pulman.

In keeping with our founder's original aim to best serve the people, businesses and communities of Devon, Dorset & Somerset, we are please to be able to offer our readers and employees a wide range of free online learning opportunities.

In recent years, digital publishing and news outreach has proved highly successful for all our titles.

Pulman's has always been amongst the first to move with publishing innovations.

We feel confident that an online platform, such as this, which provides access to career enhancing education and skills training - both for our own staff and our readers - is a progressive step forward for a newspaper industry that long ago abandoned its confines to paper only outreach.

After all, news has always sought to enlighten and communicate facts. So too does good education and learning.

Find out more here : https://alison.com/free-lms/pulmans-weekly-news