A Little Bit of Stone has marked 16 years since its launch in August 2010, when the independent news website was created to serve a gap in local coverage that existed at the time.
In 2010, The Sentinel covered Stoke-on-Trent and the Staffordshire Newsletter served the wider Staffordshire area, but no regular news source focused specifically on Stone itself. The website was started with a straightforward aim: to cover the stories that mattered to people living in the town.
What ALBOS covers
A Little Bit of Stone — known locally by the acronym ALBOS, which stands for the first letters of the site's full name — has grown beyond the original website. The site now carries news coverage, a What's On Guide, local jobs listings, business information and a weekly email newsletter.
Facebook is where many readers encounter stories, but the website remains the central hub where all content is published and archived.
16 years of Stone history
Since launch, A Little Bit of Stone has published 8,391 articles. That archive covers planning applications, road closures, schools, businesses, events, campaigns, lost property, police appeals and community groups across Stone.
A significant portion of local news starts with reader submissions — photographs, messages or questions about what is happening in the town. Those tip-offs often form the starting point for stories, which are then developed by contacting relevant people and turning them into useful information for the wider community.
Running the site
The website and social media are run almost single-handedly, with support from someone referred to as Mrs ALBOS. The person behind the site also works full-time as a senior business analyst, currently on contract at the Department for Work and Pensions on a benefits services project.
