A community news sheet is useful for informing residents about your group's work, advertising your activities, events, and campaigns, and encouraging more people to get involved.

Follow these steps to get started!

1. Prepare

It’s important to think about:

  • What do you want your news sheet to achieve?

  • Who will oversee the production of the news sheet?

  • How often do you want to produce one?

  • When is the best time to produce it?

  • How many news sheets do you need?

  • Do you want to include information from other organisations, such as the Housing Executive or Council?

2. Develop

Your group can develop its own news sheet using applications such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher. You can also find a number of free templates and websites online. Alternatively, you can ask support organisations, such as Supporting Communities, to provide you with assistance to develop a news sheet.

Useful things to consider:

  • Ensure the font is big enough and easy to read.

  • Use images. Too much writing can put people off.

  • Make sure the content is useful, up-to-date, and relevant.

You may wish to include information on:

  • Your group, including your contact details.

  • Your recent and upcoming activities and events. Highlight any successes.

  • How to get involved with the group.

  • Issues affecting your local community.

  • Useful contact numbers, for example the Housing Executive, Council, PSNI, and Roads Service, to report problems or access support.

Once you have finalised the content of your news sheet, ask someone else to proofread it to ensure there are no mistakes. Then, print your news sheet.

3. Distribute

It is important to distribute your news sheet in a timely manner to ensure content remains up to date. Most groups distribute their news sheets by delivering them door-to-door in their local area. Make sure you have enough people to do this.

You also may wish to:

  • Keep some copies for your community house.

  • Provide copies to any organisations you work with, such as the Housing Executive and/or Council.

  • Upload a copy of the news sheet to your social media.

  • Distribute via email if you have an online mailing list of members.

  • Keep a copy for your records. This may be useful for your Annual Report.