Sign Up to our Newsletter

The Chelsea Citizen

COMMUNITY | BUSINESS | CONNECTION

A traditional hyper-local newspaper re-imagined for the digital age

7

Dear Local Citizen

I simply wanted to welcome you to The Chelsea Citizen, a dynamic new hyper-local newspaper which will be launching this spring.

The Citizen’s primary focus will be the SW3 & SW10 post codes, but it will also cover important stories and events in the neighbouring areas of Kensington, Battersea and Fulham. On occasion, it will even dip a polished Brioni toe cap into matters concerning Belgravia.

The newspaper’s content will be available online for free. It will report great local stories and work closely with the communities, RBKC, cultural organisations and businesses. The Citizen will also be a campaigning newspaper and a force for good.

This year will mark 40 years since I became a journalist on the weekly Wimbledon News (you can read about my career here and about my local campaigning here). I am throwing every bit of my hard-won journalism experience into re-imagining The Chelsea Citizen as a traditional local newspaper for the 21st century.

There will be news stories and features highlighting everything from council matters and planning disputes, to golden weddings, births and deaths, to restaurant reviews and cultural highlights, to big interviews and small diary events. We may even run a report if a cat gets stuck up a tree.

This year will also mark 30 years since I moved to Chelsea. I care very much about this area of London and I feel deeply connected to it. So, I now intend to combine my two great passions – journalism and Chelsea.

But I need YOU!

For this venture to succeed, it is important that The Citizen generates a keen and engaged readership. This will attract advertisers and sponsorship, which will help it grow and keep it free.

I believe that local journalism is a fundamental and vital part of any connected community. It is clear from the feedback I have received since announcing The Chelsea Citizen just before Christmas that the people of RBKC agree.

I am financing the initial build of the website and generating all the content, but I am also urgently and actively seeking funding from investors and philanthropic individuals, as well as reaching out to landmark local businesses to encourage them to become headline advertisers. If you have any suggestions for potential investors or sponsors, please get in touch.

I have been working hard on multiple stories recently to create some basic example content. This kind of reporting work will continue in the coming weeks, but the key is to secure funding. That way, I can retain other reporters to get writing. Plenty of stories and diary events for the borough will be flagged up on Instagram, so please Follow us.

I hope you will join me on this great adventure and, please, spread the word.

Best Wishes

Rob McGibbon

Founder & Editor

News and Features

High value row erupts as MP accuses RBKC Leader of “lying” and sending “fake” letter to scare residents over mansion tax

High value row erupts as MP accuses RBKC Leader of “lying” and sending “fake” letter to scare residents over mansion tax

Jul 15, 2026 | ,

An extraordinary political row has erupted between RBKC Council Leader Cllr. Elizabeth Campbell and Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell over the Government's proposed high-value property surcharge — dubbed the "mansion tax" by opponents. Battle lines were drawn after Conservative Cllr. Campbell wrote to residents' associations last week...

read more
Martin Kuczmarski interview: “I want Martino’s to always give a big hug to the residents of Chelsea. You are my most important customers”

Martin Kuczmarski interview: “I want Martino’s to always give a big hug to the residents of Chelsea. You are my most important customers”

Jul 12, 2026 | ,

There are only 78 paces from the entrance of Colbert on Sloane Square to the discreet door to Martino’s on the southern corner. But for Martin Kuczmarski, that short walk represents a life-time of relentless work and the realisation of a dream. Back in 1995, he was an ambitious 20-year-old waiter at Lord Forte’s Hyde Park Hotel on Knightsbridge...

read more
History Director Gill Webber Interview: “Everywhere you look in Chelsea there’s a fascinating story to tell”

History Director Gill Webber Interview: “Everywhere you look in Chelsea there’s a fascinating story to tell”

Jun 18, 2026 | ,

The Chelsea History Festival returns this October with its most ambitious programme yet, bringing world-class historians, authors, performers and cultural figures to the area’s most iconic venues. At the helm and guiding this extraordinary festival every step of the way will be Gill Webber, the Director of Chelsea Heritage Quarter.  The festival,...

read more
“I was resentful at the time, but as time goes on, the less I feel that way — war is hell”. Stories of heroism at the National Army Museum

“I was resentful at the time, but as time goes on, the less I feel that way — war is hell”. Stories of heroism at the National Army Museum

Jun 15, 2026 | ,

Three men who faced bullets, bombs and terrorists — and lived to tell the tale — gathered in Chelsea as the National Army Museum celebrated becoming the new home of a world-famous collection of Victoria and George Crosses. Reporter John Cookson joined an audience captivated by extraordinary stories of courage, fear and survival. You could have...

read more