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
Mystery of hero’s missing bravery plaque solved by The Citizen
For months, baffled Kensington residents have been asking the same question: Where did the bravery plaque for bomb-disposal hero Captain Roger Goad go? The courageous officer was killed in August 1975 while trying to defuse an IRA bomb placed in the doorway of the shoe shop in Kensington Church Street. He was later awarded the George Cross — the...
Morning machete raid on Knightsbridge Rolex store
A masked gang on mopeds wielding weapons - including a machete - robbed a luxury jewellery shop on the ground floor level of One Knightsbridge in broad daylight yesterday. The attack on the Rolex shop happened at 10.53am on Tuesday 20th January. Part of the raid was captured on phone video, which showed two members of the public attempting to...
Hunt for man after sex assault on woman at Sloane Square Tube
Police are hunting for a man after a woman was sexually assaulted at Sloane Square Underground station in broad daylight. The attack happened just before 2pm on Sunday 4 January, as the woman and the suspect passed one another on a stairway inside the station. Detectives say the man sexually assaulted the victim in the moment they crossed paths,...
RBKC warns of difficult times ahead in light of Gov’s £108m cash cut
In the Royal Borough's corridors of power, council chiefs have donned their tin hats as they face up to explaining the consequences of a £108 million black hole that will devastate the Borough’s finances. In a letter to residents’ associations this week, Tory Council Leader Cllr. Elizabeth Campbell warned that central government’s so-called...
Chelsea legend John Terry’s amazing memorabilia going going under the hammer
Chelsea legend John Terry is selling a jaw-dropping stash of memorabilia from his trophy-laden career - with the American tycoon behind the auction telling The Citizen exclusively that the sale could top a staggering $2 million. By far the biggest item is Terry’s Premier League winner’s medal from 2004-05, the season he captained Chelsea to their...
BREAKING: RBKC Leader Elizabeth Campbell warns of impact from £108m Gov funding cut
RBKC leader Cllr Elizabeth Campbell has today sent out an urgent letter to all chairs of Residents Associations across the borough with a stark warning about the council's gloomy finances. Following a Funding Reform review by central government, RBKC will receive £108m LESS from Treasury coffers. She has warned that, as a direct consequence of...
Brazen nighttime robbery at Lots Road house by three men
Police are hunting for three men who committed a shocking and brazen robbery on a home in Lots Road. The three men, all aged between their late teens and early 20s, knocked on a door at 8:30pm on 4th January and barged in the moment the unsuspecting house owner opened the door. The gang, who are all described as black with London accents, then...
Have your say on proposed changes to Stratford Road, Kensington
RBKC council has launched a proposal to improve Stratford Road in Kensington, including making a stretch of the road one-way. The initiative is part of the council’s 'Amazing Spaces' streetscape improvement programme, which aims to create more attractive and welcoming public places. Under the plan, Stratford Road, which is known as a quaint...
Blues bet big on “novice” Liam Rosenior to replace Maresca
Chelsea FC have rolled the dice — and gone all in on Liam Rosenior. The Blues have confirmed the surprise appointment of the 41-year-old as their new head coach on a monster six-and-a-half-year deal, tying him to Stamford Bridge until 2032. Englishman Rosenior jetted in to London to seal the move from RC Strasbourg Alsace, Chelsea's sister club....
Chelsea fans group to protest against club owners over Enzo Maresca debacle
Angry Chelsea supporters are planning a protest against the club’s ownership following the abrupt departure of head coach Enzo Maresca. The demonstration is scheduled to take place at Stamford Bridge ahead of the Premier League match against Brentford on Saturday, 17th January. Maresca, 45, left the club in acrimonious circumstances after a...