The Spark (magazine)
| Categories | Ecological and holistic themes |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Founder | John Dawson |
| First issue | 1 January 1993 |
| Final issue | 15 April 2019 |
| Company | Blue Sax Publishing Ltd |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based in | Bristol |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 0969-4811 |
| OCLC | 226030223 |
The Spark was a free quarterly magazine published in Bristol, England, from 1993 to 2019. Covering green, ecological, holistic and alternative themes, it distributed over two million copies across its 26-year run.
History
The Spark was founded in 1993 by John Dawson, and published by his company Blue Sax Publishing Ltd.[1] It was printed in A3 format and distributed free of charge across Bristol and the south-west of England, covering Bath, Glastonbury and Stroud.[2] The magazine generated revenue through a directory of listings advertisements covering complementary health practitioners, green businesses, ethical organisations and related services.[3]
The magazine ran into financial difficulty after its first edition in 1993 and was saved by a group of supporters who organised £10,000 of advertising. It settled into a quarterly publication schedule from issue 14 (Autumn 1998). Print runs grew from 10,000 at launch to 25,000 by the early 2000s.[3]
The magazine closed in July 2014.[1] The title was subsequently bought out of receivership by Phil Haughton of The Better Food Company and revived in association with Bristol 24/7, but failed to find a sustainable revenue model. The final edition was published on 15 April 2019.
Background
Bristol's concentration of organisations involved in sustainability, ethical finance and environmental advocacy provided a natural readership and advertising base for the magazine. The city was home to Sustrans, the Soil Association and Triodos Bank, among others.[3][4]
Significance
Dominic Corrywright, senior lecturer in the Study of Religions at Oxford Brookes University, wrote a chapter on The Spark in his monograph Theoretical and Empirical Investigations into New Age Spiritualities,[5] a book based on his earlier PhD thesis,[6] using the magazine as contributing to the empirical evidence for his analysis of alternative spirituality networks in the south-west of England.[7]
In 2012 the magazine was profiled in The Guardian in a series on small businesses. The then editor outlined how the magazine won a bid to produce a festival programme, and outlined how while staying true to the magazine's values, it was possible for a small team of five staff can deliver a good quality, large scale publication.[8]
Archive
A physical archive of back copies (1993-2014) is held at Bristol Central Library.[9] An incomplete set of print copies is also held at the British Library at their Boston Spa site in Yorkshire.[10]
References
- 1 2 "Bristol's The Spark magazine closes down". BBC News Online. London. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026.
- ↑ "About The Spark". The Spark. Bristol. Archived from the original on 5 April 2001. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 Corrywright 2001, p. 190-193.
- ↑ Brownlee, Emmelie (2011). Bristol's Green Roots. Bristol: Schumacher Institute for Sustainable Systems. pp. 59, 61–63. ISBN 978-0-85784-028-8. OCLC 786265899.
- ↑ Corrywright 2003.
- ↑ Corrywright 2001.
- ↑ Corrywright 2001, p. 298-299.
- ↑ Bullock, Darryl (2 August 2012). "Winning new business: The Spark". The Guardian. London: Guardian News & Media Limited. Archived from the original on 13 March 2026.
- ↑ Bristol Central Library reference: LOCAL RL2 Pb Newspapers and Periodicals III: B
- ↑ "Journal: The Spark". Boston Spa, Yorkshire: British Library. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
Further reading
- Corrywright, Dominic Fraser (March 2001). Theoretical and empirical investigations into New Age spiritualities: with special reference to the south west of England (Thesis). University of Bristol. OCLC 931563117. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 September 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
- Corrywright, Dominic Fraser (2003). Theoretical and empirical investigations into New Age spiritualities. Oxford; New York: P. Lang. ISBN 978-3-03910-024-8. OCLC 52542160.