LPG would like to take the time today to acknowledge that our website has reached the age of three years and two months. 

Before our time online, the LPG editorial group spent thirty-three years sharing the messages of Lewisham Pensioners in the old-fashioned way.  We prided ourselves on the production of our quarterly newspaper which was freely available to the pensioners of our borough, with a circulation of 10,000. Since then, many variables steered us to making the change to an electronic format. 

So, we find ourselves completely online, continuing our mission to share the writings, stories, experiences, concerns and messages that Pensioners want to share. We have been able to offer a different electronic story every day since June 26^th, 2017, barring one day during the covid-19 crisis, and this particular post will be the 1155^th.

We recently received an email which asked a question about the amount of visitors the LPG website attracts.  The answer is that we are not altogether sure, although the editorial group suspects that our circulation remains relatively small, but as they say ‘Rome was not built in a day’ and the more writers we can involve then the more popular and wide-spread the message we receive will become.  From the feedback we receive we can tell you that we are now read and known a lot further afield than Lewisham, London. 

Becoming electronic has allowed us to become somewhat internationally read, which is evidenced by emails we receive from all corners of the world, although most of the writings we are offered are still sent to us by “local” contributors. We do our best to encourage the writings and ideas offered via the telephone and by post from anywhere in the world.   We at the editorial group, are always happy to write messages and posts on behalf of anyone who does not feel equipped to do so but have something that they would like to share.

We know that many of those who used to read LPG when it was a paper magazine are now less likely to be able to access it, unless they have a visitor who can share the information on their mobile phone or tablet, but we are also aware that there are younger pensioners joining our ranks all the time and we hope to provide an interest for those who enjoy writing, or telling a tale that others might like to hear, be their offering entertaining, educational, amusing, serious, fictional or factual…

We know that we are read online, and with the continued help of all the younger pensioners who are finding our pages for the first time, and any pensioner who wants to email, telephone or write us a letter with messages that we can post, the future of LPG is looking positive.   We also would like to remind readers that we are always looking for administrative help and look to our younger readers who have perhaps just retired from work for any help they can offer.

So with three years, two months and a bright future to report, we look forward to being able to bring you an update during our 38^th year of existence, and on our fourth electronic birthday, and we plan to make sure that that birthday message is not belated.

Maureen B

For LPG