I have worked as a local journalist and freelance writer for around 20 years. I’m passionate about local journalism, and believe it has an important role to play in supporting local communities to grow and develop.
I founded In Common after being made redundant. I didn’t want to stop telling the stories of the people where I lived, so I reached out via social media for others to be involved in contributing to a new website and also for funding, and In Common was born.
We live in increasingly frightening times, and reaching out to build links in our own communities feels like something we can do to help counter some of that. I really hope In Common helps build local communities and also supports the arts and cultural scene in Southampton and beyond. I’ve met so many fascinating people in my job and am delighted to share more of them with you, through the pages of In Common.
I have an MA in gender studies from the University of Southampton, which informs my approach as a writer, alongside my firm belief in ethical journalism. I have always felt it was essential for journalists to be critical thinkers and for us all to use our platforms for good, to challenge our unconscious biases and those of wider society, to speak up for those who often struggle to be heard and to provide a space for others to use their own voices. I hope In Common is a space where that can happen.
My pronouns are: she/her.
- If you like my work and would like to to buy me a virtual coffee, or preferably a cup of builders’ tea, it would be much appreciated. My Ko-fi account is: https://ko-fi.com/sallychurchward
Read more by Sally:
Charlie Barnes takes a break from the Bastille Presents & project to talk about his new solo album
Review: Victorious Sunday – Biffy Clyro, Wet Leg, Kooks, Natasha Bedingfield, Becky Hill and more
Review: Victorious, Saturday – Pixies, Sugababes, Crystal Tides, Lightning Seeds and more
Review: Victorious Festival, Friday – Loius Tomlinson, Fatboy Slim, Snow Patrol and more
Anti-racist meeting held ahead of demonstration in city centre
Southampton comes together to condemn hatred and racist violence
Review: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 12 December 2023
Charlie Barnes, live member of Bastille and solo artist, on his career of contrasts
Marching to stop the deaths of children – Southampton’s peace protest for Palestine
Interview: Will Young – pop star turned activist, on animal testing and more
Hundreds of protestors brave the rain to call for peace in Gaza in Southampton
Interview: Uri Agnon on his new show, Antisemitism: a (((musical)))
Review: Storming Bastille – PennFest, Buckinghamshire, Saturday July 22
Review: Bastille – Bad Blood X Tour, Alexandra Palace, July 14, 2023
When three isn’t a crowd: living, loving and scheduling in polyamorous relationships
The Southampton community club offering adults friendship and a warm welcome
Review: Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, December 2022
Southampton band Delays debut album Faded Seaside Glamour to be rereleased
Southampton’s first Transgender Pride attracts hundreds, declared a success
Bastille on songwriting, being good allies and “the ‘eh, oh’ song”
Mayflower Theatre issues statement in response to alleged racially motivated assault
Satvir Kaur on her journey from inner city shop girl to the new leader of Southampton City Council
Ukrainian refugees helped to settle in Southampton with community effort
Organisers are set for first LGBTQ+ Party in the Park in Southampton
What do Sotonians think about Southampton being shortlisted as City of Culture?
Southampton shopworker calls on council to make bus stops safer
Experts to the clinically vulnerable respond to the end of covid mitigations
You can help save independent, ethical shopping in Southampton
Falling through the the justice gap: the shrinking of legal aid and access to justice
Opinion: Providing a treasure map – why I’m backing Southampton’s bid to be City of Culture 2025
Identifying outside the boxes – non-binary people share their journeys of self-identification
Hampshire company Solid 8 receiving death wishes after mistaken identity
The Southampton hobbyist producing PPE for the NHS in his garage
Is it transformation or the end of the road for Southampton’s Art House?
Video of Southampton binman goes viral after Jeremy Corbyn tweets it
Artist, poet, musician & dad Greg Gilbert on his need to create
Book review: The Rapture by Claire McGlasson
Daniel Crow and ‘a space’: have they transformed the Southampton art scene?
October Books: how the radical bookshop is booming
People in common: Simon Cotton