People's Friend Annual 2023

Product Information

While so much has changed since the first issue of “The People’s Friend” was published on January 13, 1869, what has remained constant is the friendship and loyalty between our publication and you, our wonderful readers. Norma’s husband starts bird-watching in his retirement, but the calm descends into mayhem when squirrels invade the garden! “Driving Me Nuts” is by Kate Hogan. You can enjoy little nuggets of information about all destinations throughout the UK, accompanied by lovely J.Campbell Kerr illustrations. The millennium marked a fresh optimism as the world celebrated. Looking to the future, the “Friend” embraced the digital world while holding strong to traditional values. stories for our annual are perhaps the most traditional of all our fiction, and often reflect the passing year, so seasonal submissions are welcome. To Buy A Copy

and a young lass is encouraged by her English teacher to enter a writing competition, in Sharon Haston’s “The Write Stuff”. Artwork, Ruth Blair.

The Love Darg, The People’s Friend’s own charitable appeal, started in 1895. The name came from an old Scots phrase meaning “a day’s work done for love”. In time it transformed into a major nationwide charitable appeal where readers would make thousands of gifts which were donated annually to over 80 hospitals, children’s homes, care homes and hospices across the UK in time for Christmas. It’s still going today, with readers knitting or crocheting items or giving cash donations each year.

If you’re an author yet to be published in the “Friend”, please send your story to [email protected] An imaginary pet leaves one little lad “In The Dog House”, in Becca Robin’s short story. Illustrated by Pat Gregory. Diane loses her beloved climbing rose, and struggles to find a replacement in “A Rose By Any Other Name”, by Patsy Collins. Artwork, Ruth Blair. and in “Everything Changes”, by Alyson Hilbourne, a WW2 bombing raid leads to an extended family. Artwork, Ged Fay. Village newcomer Alice hopes to make new friends by sharing her “Damsons In Distress!”. By Jane Bettany, with artwork from Andre Leonard.and a gran finds that helping at a local school is more rewarding than she’d expected in “Stitched Up!”. By Laura Tapper, with artwork from Helen Welsh. Favourite Authors Our opening story is “The Perfect Resolution” by Eirin Thompson. Dorothy has a New Year’s Resolution – but it’s not concerning herself, it’s concerning her son! With Queen Victoria on the throne, and Prime Minister William Gladstone in No. 10, Downing Street, a publishing revolution was underway in the Scottish city of Dundee. This culminated in the launch of “The People’s Friend” on January 13, 1869.

In 1969, “The People’s Friend” celebrated its 100th birthday and a special centenary tea towel was available for readers to buy. Cara is cat-sitting for her lovely gran. What could go wrong?! “A Major Problem”, by Eirin Thompson, is illustrated by Mandy Murray. Official recognition of the magazine’s achievements and contribution to the world of publishing came with a string of awards, including Magazine Of The Year.When Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, almost overnight the “Friend”, like the women who loved to read it, was plunged into a new and challenging role in a fast-changing world. If you’re new to the blog, I post here on Thursdays, with advice for writers hoping to submit fiction for publication in “The People’s Friend”.