This month marks 16 years since A Little Bit of Stone first appeared online.
Back in August 2010, The Sentinel covered Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Newsletter served the wider Staffordhire area, but there was no regular news source that really felt as though it matched the heartbeat of Stone.
That was the gap A Little Bit of Stone set out to fill.
Since then, ALBOS has grown into something far bigger than the original website.
So, rather than simply wish ourselves a happy 16th birthday, here are 16 things about A Little Bit of Stone that you might not know.
1. ALBOS was created to give Stone its own voice
From the outset, the idea was simple, Stone needed somewhere that focused on Stone.
Not just the biggest stories, but the things happening in the town that local people actually wanted and needed to know about.
That still sits at the heart of what we do today.
2. ALBOS is just A Little Bit of Stone shortened down
We still get messages from people asking, “What’s ALBOS?”
It is not another organisation or secret Stone acronym. It is simply the first letters of A Little Bit of Stone.
Over the years, though, ALBOS has become a name in its own right and is now used almost as often as the full title.
3. The website is still the heart of everything
Facebook is where many people see our stories, but the website remains the real home of ALBOS.
It carries our news coverage, our What’s On Guide, local jobs, business information and as much else as we can physically get around to covering.
It is also the source for our weekly email newsletter.
Social media helps us take all of that out to readers, but the website is where everything comes together.
4. There are 8,390 published articles on the website
Sixteen years of local news adds up.
At the time of writing, there are 8,390 published articles on A Little Bit of Stone – 8,391 after we publish this!
Together they have become a huge archive of life in Stone, covering everything from planning applications and road closures to schools, businesses, events, campaigns, lost property, police appeals, community groups and the occasional story that could only ever happen in Stone.
5. Some of our biggest stories start with a message from you
A surprising amount of local news begins with somebody sending a photograph, dropping us a message or simply asking, “Do you know what’s happening?”
Those tip offs are often the starting point.
From there, we try to establish what has happened, contact the right people where necessary and turn that first message into something useful for everyone else.
Reader submissions are a massive part of how ALBOS works.
6. There is no ALBOS newsroom
This is probably one of the things that surprises people most.
The website and social media are run almost single-handedly, with Mrs ALBOS providing invaluable support from the wings.
People often assume ALBOS is a full-time job. Judging by the times of day messages, emails and phone calls arrive, plenty of people certainly seem to think someone should always be available.
In reality, there is also a full-time day job involved.
That day job is as a senior business analyst, currently working on a contract at the Department for Work and Pensions on a project to transition the benefit services across the UK onto a new contact centre solution.
That also means weekly trips to Manchester, so keep an eye out for the ALBOS laptop on the train.
Everything ALBOS does has to fit around work and family life.
It is also why you will notice quite a few stories appear on the website between about 9.30pm and 11.30pm.
Those are core ALBOS working hours, before stories are often scheduled out onto social media the following day.
7. The laptop comes on holiday too
A break away from Stone does not mean Stone stops doing things.
The laptop comes on holiday pretty much everywhere.
If something important happens while we are away, there is a good chance ALBOS is being updated from somewhere that is not remotely close to Staffordshire.
It is one of those things that comes with running a local news site. The town does not pause just because we have!
8. The person behind ALBOS is not Stone born and bred
Although ALBOS is firmly rooted in Stone, the person doing most of the work behind it did not grow up here.
I moved to Stone in 2005, having previously lived in Hull and Brighton.
Stone has now been home for more than 20 years, and ALBOS has become a huge part of life in the town.
9. A like, comment or share genuinely helps
One of the easiest ways to support ALBOS does not cost anything.
Following our social media pages helps, and simply liking, commenting on or sharing one of our posts can help that story reach more people.
That matters, particularly when the information could genuinely help someone.
A recent example was our post about a new dementia café at Stone Library.
Despite ALBOS having around 36,000 followers on Facebook, that post only reached around 2,600 people.
That potentially means that thousands of local people never see information that could have been useful to them, their family or someone they know.
So if you value what ALBOS does, following the page and occasionally interacting with a story is one of the simplest ways you can support us, and it costs absolutely nothing.
10. Our news will always remain free to read
Some readers choose to support ALBOS financially, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who does.
You can support us through our Facebook page where subscriptions are available for £1.79 per month, or buy ALBOS a virtual coffee for £3.
There are also monthly support options through Buy Me a Coffee for anyone who wants to contribute regularly.
There is absolutely no obligation to do any of that.
Every contribution helps with the cost of running ALBOS, but our news will always remain free to read.
11. Local businesses help keep ALBOS going
The biggest financial support for A Little Bit of Stone comes from local businesses.
That can be through a low-cost annual directory listing, advertising, promotional work or a wider partnership with ALBOS.
Those relationships help fund the website and the wider work we do, while also giving local businesses a way to reach people in and around Stone.
Without that support, running ALBOS at the scale we do would be considerably more difficult.
12. Our artwork was created in Stone
The distinctive ALBOS artwork you see across the website and social media was created by Stone artist Emma Joustra.
Emma has been a fantastic supporter and helped create the iconic ALBOS logo and visual identity that readers now recognise across our website and social channels.
It seems only right that the artwork representing a Stone news site should have such a strong local connection too.
13. During Covid, ALBOS became much more than a news site
The pandemic changed what ALBOS was doing almost overnight.
As well as keeping people informed, we worked with Stone Town Council to help mobilise a huge network of volunteers.
Those volunteers helped some of the most vulnerable people in the town, whether that meant shopping for them, helping with transport or simply being there to talk when people were isolated.
It was an extraordinary period, and one that showed just how powerful a local community can be when people pull together.
14. Covid also gave birth to the ALBOS quiz
Lockdown also led to something completely different.
With pubs closed, we launched a weekly online quiz with a very definite Stone flavour.
Hundreds of people joined us online, often with different generations of the same family taking part together from separate homes.
We loved doing it, but what still means the most is that people continue to mention it now and tell us how much those quizzes helped bring their families together during such a strange period.
15. Family comes first, then there is usually some sport to catch up on
Away from ALBOS and work, family is the biggest part of life.
Hull Kingston Rovers are my rugby league team, something that probably makes a little more sense now you know I previously lived in Hull.
Formula One is the other big sporting passion, and McLaren are my team.
One of my absolute highlights was travelling to Japan with my uncle in 2007 for the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway.
It hammered down with rain, the race was chaotic, and it was absolutely brilliant.
16. ALBOS only works because Stone talks to us
This is probably the most important one.
A Little Bit of Stone simply would not work without the people who read it.
You send us photographs, tip offs, events, business news, school achievements, road problems and community updates.
You tell us when something is happening.
You tell us when something has changed.
And, occasionally, you tell us when we have got something wrong too.
You follow our social media pages, like, comment on and share our stories, helping useful information travel around the town.
Some readers choose to support us financially, while local businesses help provide the core funding that keeps ALBOS running.
All of those things matter.
Sixteen years ago, A Little Bit of Stone was created because there was a gap for somewhere that really reflected what was happening in this town.
Today, ALBOS is much bigger than it was then, but that basic idea has never really changed.
We are here to keep residents, visitors and workers informed about what’s going on in our gem of a town!
And after 16 years, the fact that so many of you continue to read, send, follow, share, support and trust what we do really does mean the world.
Thanks for your support.
Jon and Mrs ALBOS
