A volunteer-led community magazine celebrating the people, places and stories of Burnley.
Burnley ViewPoint is a community storytelling project from Burnley Words Festival, created to champion the voices, creativity and lived experiences of people across Burnley and the surrounding area.
The idea for ViewPoint began during a Burnley Words Festival workshop on hyperlocal journalism in 2023. Local writers and creatives came together to explore how Burnley could have a platform dedicated to sharing its own stories, told by the people who know the town best. With support from MagNorth and funding from Burnley Borough Council and Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale Council for Volunteering Services, that idea became a reality. Our first online edition launched in December 2024 with the theme Winter Warmers.
Today, Burnley ViewPoint is entirely volunteer-led. Our editorial team works with local writers, photographers, artists and community members to publish articles, interviews, creative writing, photography and local news that celebrates Burnley in all its diversity. From hidden histories and local heritage to community organisations, culture, wellbeing and everyday life, every story adds another perspective to our town.
As well as publishing great stories, Burnley ViewPoint creates opportunities for local people to gain experience in writing, editing, interviewing and publishing. We’re always looking for new contributors and volunteers who want to help tell Burnley’s stories and shape the future of the magazine.
Burnley ViewPoint continues to grow beyond the online magazine, with community projects, creative commissions, workshops and a new printed edition exploring the hidden stories of Burnley. Every project shares the same ambition: to celebrate local voices, uncover stories that deserve to be heard and create a lasting record of Burnley’s people and places.
