In July 1935, ninety years ago, the first edition of Fixtures was printed and distributed throughout Rye. The print run was two thousand and the booklet was twelve pages long. Today seven thousand copies are printed by Adams and there are sixty-four pages. It has always been a free publication.
Ian at Adams said: “My grandfather was working at Adams as a manager at the time, so there is a strong family connection. We have always had good feedback over the years and people love having the Rye News articles in it. The more mature readers who cannot operate today’s tech like to keep ahead of what’s going on in the town. It is full of events and we welcome all contributions for things taking place in Rye and the surrounding villages. Roll on the next one thousand issues.”
On Tuesday, July 1 Rye News organised a celebratory cake to mark the occasion. Jempson’s kindly baked and iced the cake and Lorna Dowling from Sweet Tooth Cakes provided the incredible edible topper which was a replica of the first edition’s front cover. Thank you to these two businesses for their support in celebrating the one thousand edition milestone.
Paul Goring, Rye’s town crier, took time out a very busy working day to make a cry for the occasion which was well received by everyone.
The mayor of Rye, Cllr Andy Stuart and his wife Niki came to congratulate Adams and said that Fixtures was an essential part of people’s lives in Rye: it was the go-to publication for events and information.
James Stewart, editor of Rye News, congratulated Adams and thanked them for their continued support of Rye News and of the town of Rye.
Ian, Alex and James were thrilled with the surprise celebrations: all they knew was that Rye News had asked them to be at the shop at 3pm; little did they know what it would unfold, and they loved it. After the speeches and cry everyone tucked into the cake and Prosecco.
Rye resident Tony Edwards commented: “Some of us will remember when the Fixtures was the oracle of Rye and the only source of vital information, rail and bus timetables, all the vital phone numbers, chemist opening hours and much more. There weren’t many local businesses that didn’t have an ad in the Fixtures. What a good effort getting to a thousand issues, with many more to come, hopefully.”
Image Credits: Carolyn Gould , Kt bruce .