About Us

The Story of Village Link  

As my mam used to say, “If you remember where you kem from, you’ll know where yer gan.”

Growing up on Dalegarth Avenue in Harraby taught us about looking out for each other, having each other’s backs and – most importantly – blockading the road from the divvies in Warnell Drive.  As a Carlisle lad born and bred, I grew up surrounded by honest, hard-working people – the kind that we work hard to support through Village Link.

My dad worked as a night shift engineer at McVitie’s and my mam worked at Cavvies. Our kitchen was stockpiled with Gold Bars and out-of-date M&S cottage pies.

My wife Michaela lived on the posh part of London Road. We weren’t allowed to bike that far as Mam said posh people were weird. Michaela was born in London but she can’t help that, bless her.

Michaela’s design skills and my sales experience – plus the support of readers and advertisers – have helped Village Link to thrive.

The Success of It

Earning a living has never been so hard. Our purpose is to give small to medium-size businesses a reliable, targeted audience of ‘above average disposable income homes’ to create the best opportunity for their advert. Over the past 12 years, our customers have become our friends and our readers trust us to be a reliable source of local information, as we only feature traders and businesses we know and trust ourselves.

Unlike most in the world of advertising, there’s no hard sell. We suggest our advertisers take out a small advert so they can afford to keep their name in front of our readers and are regularly being seen.

This isn’t a 9-5 job. Last Sunday night, right in the middle of Antiques Roadshow, one of the kids came rushing in with the phone. “Dad it’s for you – Village Link.” An old dear was stuck on the crossword clue for 9 down.

Why Are We Going Online?

As my mam used to say, “If it’s not brok, don’t fix it.” 

For years our advertisers have said, “You’re not going to change anything are you?” The simple answer is no. Our printed copy of the magazine won’t change, as our customers still want their message to hang around and not just be swiped away. Although as Village Link is printed bi-monthly, we can also offer advertisers and readers a faster-paced resource for local business information, events and lively informative blogs.

We also understand the importance social media plays in marketing your business. Once your business is listed in the directory, we help increase your brand awareness by featuring you on our social media, as well as giving you access to our blog and events list. Our new website will spotlight many local businesses, as well as supporting local and charity events.

It’s said that the strength of a chain depends on the weakest link. Don’t let that be your advertising. Your business needs to regularly be in front of a large, targeted audience.  

Village Link Carlisle – A reliable, trusted platform to promote you and your business!