SAVE THE PORTOBELLO MARKET
Campaign
THE BEGINNING...
While running the Source Mag, I got involved with the Save the Portobello Campaign. When I joined it, the process was still very analogical as traders were seeking people to sign their petition on the Portobello Road. That meant being out on the street every market day, gathering support. They did a mammoth effort.
However, there was clearly an issue with its reach: I lived in the area and never heard about it until I walked on the Portobello Rd towards Notting Hill. Given that I lived in the area and was running a local magazine, I was surprised I was not aware of it.
The same applied for the majority of residents and many others who lived nearby and went to the northern side of the Market. The Campaign needed to change and improve its ability to go beyond the street petition.
JOINING AND ACTING
Following an invitation to join their discussions, I suggested moving the whole effort online, creating social media profiles and the online petition. On the other hand, the Source Mag would publish related content. Given that the Source Mag was a local publication, the story/campaign had a natural fit.
The first article published in the magazine was pretty much a call to arms by encouraging people to join the campaign online. In a short period of time, their Facebook page had 30000 people joining in.
Later the petition was delivered to the RBKC with a media fanfare to bring more attention to the anxieties of the campaigners. I got in touch with BBC London news who covered the issue, as well as The Standard, Guardian and many others.
Although the campaign didn’t finish there, this was a crucial point for the leadership of the Council, for once, took notice of the issue.
Overall, the campaign succeeded in bringing attention and awareness on the plight of the Portobello Market (shared by many high streets across the land) and has managed to avoid irreversible damage.
More articles can be found on the Source Mag website, either written by myself or by many local contributors.
Using an extreme of the tabloid press headline model to the images, I used a shark as a metaphor for developers who had no interest in the local history and character.
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