In the 2019/2020 academic year, the Plymouth Gazette was conceived by a group of students at the University of Plymouth with the intention to provide their peers with a one-stop shop for student life in Britain’s Ocean City.
At its inception, the Gazette promised to provide students with news and information about the University itself, Societies, Sports Clubs, individual and group achievements as well as policy changes that impact student life at the University of Plymouth. We promised that our annual £10 membership fee would be reinvested back into the Gazette and we promised to run annual campaigns to help support and improve student welfare. (We have now reduced this fee to £5.)
In March of 2020 however, the United Kingdom entered its first lockdown as a response to the emerging Coronavirus pandemic and student life changed rather dramatically. The 2020/2021 academic year was a difficult year for everyone at Plymouth and elsewhere around the world.
In September of 2020, the Gazette was founded as a student society within the University of Plymouth Students’ Union and we recognise that whilst we continued to be active throughout the year, we didn’t keep our promise to students and we didn’t do things as well as we could have done in our inaugural year as a student-led publication.
With the return to campus now for the 2021/2022 academic year, we’re moving forward under new leadership and with renewed motivation to provide for our student body and make good on our original promise.
To the individuals and organizations whose emails and other correspondence went without reply last year, we apologize and hope that you’ll be open to working with us as we move forwards with our mission this year.
To our new members, we look forward to working with you this new academic year.
Sincerely, Owain and Anna – Co-Editors