I clicked ” publish ” on the first story on Cwmbran Life fifteen years ago today.
In 2011, it was only a website. It’s still a website. Something I regularly point out to people who think it’s Cwmbran Life is just a lonely Facebook page. The website has published around 5,825 stories. Cwmbran Life also uses YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and sends out an occasional email newsletter. Feel free to follow any of those channels- TikTok is the newest one, but I haven’t done anything original on it yet- but I have an idea that needs to be properly worked out.
Every time I push the ‘publish’ button, I get as nervous as I did in 2011.
I’ve made some right balls-ups over the years. Minutes after making a mistake last year, I was in Morrisons buying the people in the story flowers and a bottle of wine and then delivered the ‘sorry’ gifts to their home.
My wife jokes that we can’t ever leave Cwmbran- even when she (I’m never stopping) retires. She’s tried to work out how far we could move, and I could still run Cwmbran Life.
The funny thing is you wouldn’t believe how many stories have been written miles from our town. Holidays and weekends away? My laptop is never far from me – as the main photo shows.
My phone battery must never drop below 25 per cent just in case I see David Beckham in Fairwater Shops- that’s a genuine anxiety dream of mine.
I try to focus on stories that you won’t see elsewhere. Most of them involve speaking directly to people – either in person or on the phone. Hopefully the way stories are written helps you spot what makes Cwmbran Life a bit different. ChatGPT can’t sit down with someone for a coffee or drive across town to a community event, a school, or a business to take photos and chat.
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