We are four years old! Can you believe it?

As it's our fourth birthday this month, I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane.  We now produce and distribute 41,500 copies of yourlocalflyer each month across Milton Keynes and this is how it all began.....

I am a single parent with three children who were four, nine and eleven when we moved to Newport Pagnell in August 2005.  Things had been tough in my personal life, so I'd moved here for a fresh start and knew only one person, which seems unbelievable now that I've made so many friends and contacts from running MK Flyers.  Previously, I'd run a business with my husband in South Bucks, where we lived before.  It was a building company and totally different from the business I run now!

I had the idea of setting up a community magazine / business directory from an article I had read in a magazine.  However, I had no experience in this field.  No sales experience or graphic design knowledge; I wasn't even particularly computer-literate.  I trawled the high street in Newport Pagnell chatting to the shop owners; cold-called companies, working from my dining table until I had enough interest to produce my first magazine, which was called the NP Flyer.

We finally went to print in February 2006.  The NP Flyer was delivered to 2000 homes in Newport Pagnell as a pilot to see if it worked, and it did.  From there we went from strength to strength.  We soon grew to 6000 copies in full colour, which we still deliver today to Newport Pagnell. In December 2006, we launched the Stony Flyer and moved into an office in January 2007. Since then, we've introduced new areas to our distribution network, and our latest editions cover Caldecotte, Wavendon Gate, Old Farm Park, Browns Wood, Walnut Tree, Wavendon Gate, Tattenhoe, Westcroft, Oakhill, Medbourne, Kingsmead, Oxley Park and Far Bletchley.

In addition to our nine, printed Flyers, we now have an online directory and a business-to-business Flyer for Milton Keynes, reaching 4000 businesses in the local area.  This month, the Business Flyer will expand into Aylesbury, covering 4000 local businesses there.

I've had a great time over the last four years setting up and running the Flyers and I'd like to thank everyone who has been involved.  I definitely couldn't have done it all on my own!  Thank you to the advertisers; you, our readers; all my delivery people, who do a fantastic job, whatever the weather; and a special thank you to Steve, Emma and Stuart for their ongoing loyalty and support in the office.