SE4 Magazine

The Brockley Central Interview

Angela Burgess, Publisher, SE4 Magazine

When we first looked at a place in Brockley, we were given a copy of SE4U magazine by the guy who was selling. It was a smart move.

“Ooh, this place has its own magazine,” we thought. “It must be nice. You don’t get that in Charlton.”

So we ignored the dodgy carpet and strange smell and took the plunge, little dreaming that we would one day be writing articles for it.

Last year, SE4U magazine got a new owner, when Angela Burgess added it to her stable of magazines, which also covers SE21 and SE22. So we decided to interview her about her plans:

“The couple who ran it before simply became too busy to keep it going,” she explains. “The magazine needed someone who could dedicate more time to it. With my background in publishing, I thought I could take it on.”

“One of the main reasons I was so excited by the idea of running a magazine for Brockley is that it is an area in transition, with plenty going on. In that respect, it reminds me of East Dulwich a few years ago, although the areas are very different in other ways.’

“I didn’t want to make too many changes to the magazine, although I did drop the U – as of the January issue, it’s just called SE4 Magazine. I’ve also doubled the circulation and it will now reach 5,000 homes.

“I plan to put the magazine online in the near future, alongside the other two magazines. I am also planning a magazine for Sydenham, so ultimately, the website will cover a large chunk of South East London.”

Although she now lives in Dulwich, it was Brockley that first welcomed her to London when she moved down from Manchester in 1987, if only for the first five days. When we met her, she was busy getting to know Brockley better:

“The most important thing I want to do is to integrate the magazine more with local life. For example, I plan to get involved with this year’s Telegraph Hill Festival; I want to encourage people with local events to contact me to include in the listings section and of course, I asked Brockley Central to write a column for SE4.

“I’m learning more about Brockley every day and I’d be interested in speaking to other people who have ideas for columns or to local businesses interested in running competitions.

“SE4 Magazine only works if people read and enjoy it, so the more feedback the better. There’s nothing I like more than seeing someone read a copy.”

If you have any comments or suggestions for SE4 Magazine, email Angela at: angela@se4magazine.co.uk