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ARCHIVEfrom 1979

HISTORY

Leeds Postcards was started at the end of 1979 by Richard Scott. It gradually grew in the next few years until 1984 when Richard Honey and then I joined during the time of the miners' strike. We raised £40,000 for the strike fund by publishing postcards for the NUM and selling them via The Guardian in daily front page adverts.

With the aim of getting more campaigns to publish postcards and make their aims exciting and accessible we worked alongside groups such as Anti-Apartheid Campaign, Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign and Friends of the Earth publishing hundreds of successful, beautiful, punchy cards.

In 1986 Leeds Postcards became a co-operative and by 1989 we had expanded to six members and rented more units in Aire Street Workshops in the centre of Leeds. Part of our mission was to give information on the back of the cards to tell people how they could get more involved with the issue featured; to get publicity onto the high street. We also vanguarded the use of environmentally friendly printing; using both recycled paper-stock and soya based inks and recycled brightly coloured envelopes.

Unfortunately by 1996, despite Leeds Postcards being the UK's longest running co-operative and having survived the recession of the early nineties, cash flow difficulties drove us to crisis point. The bank refused to help and with pay frozen, the remaining members left. I sold off as much as possible to pay off the debts and with skeleton stock bought Leeds Postcards' title and I have been running it as a one woman business since 1997.

By keeping overheads low I have been able to consistently publish and distribute to independent shops and outlets as well as Oxfam Bookshops throughout the UK and through small distributors in the USA, London, Holland and Germany. This enables me to do regular print-runs so costs can be kept low and new cards can constantly be published.

Information technology has certainly changed since Leeds Postcards started. Issue politics are ideally served by the internet. Anyone can further their contacts, understanding and knowledge with a click of a few buttons. But there still is a massive gap between mass marketed easy-selling postcards and those that might challenge, remind, or protest; give a timely focus or a political punch.

Don't forget to send any ideas art or inspiration for new cards and if you are involved in a campaign and would like a postcard to raise funds and awareness please get in touch. New cards, new interests are Leeds Postcards life blood - no two are the same. Keep it real. Thanks for your interest and ongoing support

btw Could you help get Leeds Postcards on to Wikipedia? This unique piece of political and cultural history is being denied an entry....could you request or help? email christine@leedspostcards.com

thanks Christine

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ARCHIVEfrom 1979

HISTORY

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