Many thanks for your continued support of the Barnet Eye blog!

Roger Tichborne

A quick note to all readers of the Barnet Eye blog. As of now. we've had 2,368,026 page views, since we started keeping stats. That is an incredible number. It will have probably have gone up a few more by the time you read this. There is a counter in the bar at the side of the page, if not viewed on a mobile phone.

I am especially pleased to say that March 2018 was our best ever month for page views. When I started the blog back in 2008, I thought that there was a lack of proper coverage of local Barnet issues in the local press. I never expected the blog to last nine and a half years of get over two million views. As the first two years views are not counted, it is actually far more.

Blog views 2010-2018

This blog saw the launch of a series of blogs in Barnet, such as Mr Reasonable, Mr Mustard and Mrs Angry's blogs. All are excellent in their own way. It takes a huge amount of effort and energy to keep writing it. I've written over 4.5 million words in that time. We've broken many news stories locally and we've helped raise a huge amount of money for local charities.

We always welcome guest blogs, so if you have a topic you want to blog about, get in touch. If you want to raise money for a charity or publicise an event tell us. The second most read blog ever on this site is a guest blog from 2010. I don't edit them (unless there are typo's etc). I don't publish slander or swear words or  personal attacks on individuals. I try and keep it all positive, not easy when writing a local blog.

Since I started, I've also written many blogs about my ongoing struggle against Prostate cancer and my life with dyslexia. Both are issue close to my heart. Many people have said just how much this has helped them. The seventh most read blog on this site is "The practical guide to watching someone die". It is important that we speak about these issues. I think that even if I gave up writing about local politics, I'd still want to cover these topics.

Music is a passion, as anyone who knows me will testify to. My one biggest failure with this blog is that I don't cover the local music scene properly. If there is anyone out there who wants to become the music blogger for the Barnet Eye please get in touch!

As we approach the local elections next week, I can make one promise. That win, loose or draw (if such thing is possible), the Barnet Eye will still be here. If we win, then we will use the blog to keep you informed of the workings of the council from an insider perspective. We will try and ensure an unsurpassed level of transparency. If we lose, we will simply carry on as normal. Whatever happens, I will still be writing music, running Mill Hill Music Complex Studios, organising Mill Hill Music Festival, volunteering at the Mill Hill Churches homeless project, acting as chair of a local educational charity, playing football and all the other things that call on my time. They say if you want something doing, ask a busy man.

But mostly I just wanted to thank the readers of this blog for their continued support, through good times and bad, through the highs and lows of the last 9 1/2 years. Here's to the next 9/12 years!