I’m a big fan of Salford’s independent magazine, having originally spotted its existence way back in 2006 and followed its progress ever since.

Last year it was shortlisted for the prestigious Paul Foot Award for Campaigning Journalism and earlier this year it was named the north west’s Magazine of the Year at the inaugural How-Do Awards – not bad for a part-time concern.

Now it’s celebrating its second full year with a bumper issue number eight. This 100-page special revisits some of the magazine’s previous stories, plus there are fresh profiles on locally born and educated actors Robert Powell and Maxine Peake, as well as features on job prospects at MediaCity:UK and ‘day trips in Salford’. Now there’s a thought…

You can find a copy in several good places in Salford (The King’s Arms, for example) or you can guarantee receiving a copy by subscribing (£20 for six issues). They’ve also just introducted a digital subscription, offering PDF copies of four issues for just £6.