People's Friend Annual 2023

Product Information

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. 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.

For now, at least, the war was over, life could return to normal – and the “Friend” and its readers could look forward to the future. Supplements such as “Aunt Kate’s Jumper Book” and “Aunt Kate’s Cookery Book” were included free with “The People’s Friend”. 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”. In the short years of Edward VII’s reign great things would happen, and great events unfold. In 1908 the “Friend” marvelled at man’s conquest of the skies by men such as the Wright brothers and Bleriot. We follow the year in nature, learning fascinating facts about our beloved British wildlife along the way. 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 CopyOur annuals for 2025 are already with our Production Team, and we’ve now starting to gather stories and poems for our 2026 annuals. 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 During the 1870s the “Friend” set about establishing its place in the hearts of its devoted readers. 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!

The Sixties and Seventies were defining years for Britain, transforming the country into a place of freedom and hope, and the “Friend” was there every step of the way. 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. In 1875, sheet music started to be printed in the magazine – the very latest in home entertainment for the times!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] We’re “Out On The Moors” in our next story, and according to legend, the former inhabitants of one house are reputed never to have left…by Shona Partridge, with artwork from Sailesh Thakrar.