The usual random web spun by, well, the world wide web led me to a Mancunian band called The Permissive Society today, and in particular this entry on their website:

http://www.thepermissivesociety.co.uk/…stars-of-salford/

The Salford Star? A new grass roots magazine for Salford apparently. “Delivered Door-to-door and in public spaces,” the print version launched on May 1 2006, while the website followed three weeks later.

For Issue One they secured interviews with those two famous Salfordians, Christopher Eccleston and Maxine Peake. They also ask some important questions: “Why aren’t John Cooper Clarke’s writings on the school syllabus for every child in Salford,” for example.

There are, encouragingly, eight pages of listings and previews in this first issue. It’s such a pity Manchester doesn’t currently have the same service, as the likes of The Mix (RIP) promised to provide.

Judging by Issue One’s front cover The Salford Star aims to come out bi-monthly, though best laid plans and all that…

Likewise, its claim of being “not-for-profit” is probably an involuntary one. I’m glad and relieved to see they have financial help from UnLtd - supporters of social entrepreneurs - and East Salford Community Committee.

It looks like a £5,000 grant was also awarded by the Big Lottery Fund:

“With the grant it will produce a pilot issue of the Salford Star community magazine that will be written and produced by residents of East Salford. The residents will be training in journalism and graphical photography and the magazine will be distributed to 15,000 homes in the area.”

I don’t recognise any of their contributors but they seem to have an interesting product for a small but growing community. In 2004 the city’s population was just 21,000 - that’s 8.5% of Greater Manchester’s population.

The big question is whether they can keep producing and distributing for free and whether Salford - to many just a suburb of Manchester - has enough going on.

Over to you, The Salford Star.