Photo pages remind us why we love our region

I've been getting some nice feedback on the Time-Age's photo pages, particularly after activities over the weekend.

Back in the day, they used to be called "society pages". I tend to call them social pages, or even better, a day-where-everyone-had-fun page.

I like them because we live in a world which, at times, can seem to be going to hell in a handbasket. It is the Times-Age's responsibility to keep the public informed of happenings, bad and good, that are of genuine public concern.

Yet it is also nice to be reminded that 'normal', everyday things really do happen all the time.

It is comforting to know that, among all the sensation, the lurid court cases and the various councils' machinations with the unitary authority, our kids are still going to school, our people have interesting hobbies, our businesses are pottering along and our community's values and respect are still evident.

Bombs may have gone off in Boston, Angelina Jolie may have had a double mastectomy and Aaron Gilmore's behaviour was moronic, but in the meantime your daughter will still be in a tutu up on stage at her school production.

I have been accused of not giving enough coverage to overseas issues of injustice in the Times-Age, or giving enough room in the Letters section for prolonged argument over an issue. My answer to that is three-fold: our community comes first, I don't have the room, and you have the freedom to get involved, if you go online.

You have the ability to enter online forums and put your voice out there. Blogs and social media sites such as Facebook are frequently devoted to one topic. Whether you are into [insert righteous cause here] or [insert ignorant prejudice here], there's a forum for you.

The Times-Age will not shy away from robustly reporting strong local news, even if it's hard to read. But I will also take the time to celebrate our community's pleasure in having a good day.