CULTURE: SHAPING PETERBOROUGH'S FUTURE

Ed's Letter

This issue, I get to write about something that surprises some people – the fact that I am a screenwriter. While it’s almost always a pleasant surprise, why this should be a surprise at all puzzles me a bit. Though it’s rarely stated openly, there seems to be a subtext to it. People are taken aback that the editor of The Moment writes films and TV – but within that is a degree of bafflement as to why a screenwriter would be editing The Moment.

Well, why not? To me, it’s all the same process. It’s all storytelling. There isn’t – or shouldn’t be – a hierarchy of stories; there’s just good storytelling and bad storytelling, and the stories in The Moment deserve as much care and attention as any others. That’s what we’re here to do. We may not always succeed, but we do our best – because Peterborough deserves that. We want to contribute to making it a great place to live, and also to convey that to others.

This issue we also feature Peterborough Civic Society, whose aims are very much in tune with that approach. Most people will know about their Blue Plaques, providing markers and points of information on buildings of historic interest. Clearly, these help to promote the city’s cultural heritage and history to visitors – but also to residents. And the Society does much more than this, consulting on new building developments and campaigning to ensure that the built environment is the quality this historic city deserves. They are literally helping to shape Peterborough’s future for the better.

You can do that too. In this issue we outline one very direct means of doing so. Flick to page 44 to read the piece on the city’s culture strategy, written by Metal’s Mark Richards, and how you can get involved via Peterborough’s Culture Forum. By having your say, you’re shaping the city’s future too. So, step up and make a difference!

You can read the February edition here: