Why The Valleys Lead?
The Valleys Lead is here to bring you news that impacts you, the news that you are talking about already in your own communities, the news that you want people to know about.
This newsletter is about paying attention, listening to what you are talking about on our streets, in our clubs, cafes, and choirs, in community halls, workplaces, and schools. And then writing about it, for all to see.
We’ll ask the same questions you already are asking. Questions about housing, education, transportation, social care, politics, health, and environment (just to name a few), and then digging deep to find answers, getting behind the headlines.
And we’ll definitely be showing off the very best stories our Valleys has to offer.
We’ll do it together.
We’re here to tell your stories, so that your voices are heard on both a local and national level.
Who writes it?
The Valleys Lead is edited and curated by journalist Lauren Crosby Medlicott, on behalf of The Lead. She’s written for Metro, The I Paper, Stylist, Grazia, Business Insider, Telegraph, The New Arab, Byline Times, The Independent, Open Democracy, and more. When she’s not writing, she’s working in local charities doing front-line work for modern slavery and domestic abuse survivors.
Lauren moved to the Valleys 15 years ago, and has been raising her young family in Merthyr Tydfil since then.
You can find her on Instagram, Bluesky, Linktree, and LinkedIn.
She’s supported by a fabulous team of editors and journalists contributing the wider The Lead network.
What is The Lead?
The Lead is an independent, proudly progressive publication committed to covering the UK beyond the Westminster bubble. Our journalism starts with people and place, and follows the thread to the policies that shape our lives.
Their award-winning local newsletters across the North of England are rooted in areas to often ignored by national media and abandoned by the decline of local journalism. They tell the stories of places left behind not only by decades of political neglect, but also by the hollowing-out of the press that once held local power to account.
The Valleys Lead needs your thoughts!
Although Lauren has lived in the Valleys for a long time, she doesn’t know every corner of Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, Neath Port Talbot, or Caerphilly. So please do get in touch if there is something happening in your corner that we need to know about.
Should I subscribe?
Yes! Subscribe to get a twice-weekly newsletter covering all the biggest news from across the Valleys. If you’re a paying subscriber, you’ll also get access to the full archive, exclusive features and special editions packed with original, in-depth reporting that you won’t be able to read anywhere else. Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and publication archives.
Why support local journalism?
In-depth, investigative journalism is an endangered art and keeping it alive is a core aim of The Valleys Lead.
We want to be part of keeping local journalism alive.
But these are stories we can’t tell without the support of paying subscribers and we hope you can become a paid subscriber - for less than the cost of pint.
Join along
Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription.
Get in touch
We love hearing from you. Send us your tips, feedback, or story ideas at thevalleyslead@thelead.uk.
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
