After walking across the Meadows to go to those early morning tutorials at university for a good…read moreyear, I had become familiar, as does everybody who walks that way, with the local Big Issue vendor. A cherry and friendly man, after a few months I decided to finally purchase a copy of the Big Issue. And since then, I have frequently bought it and enjoyed it. At first, you might not think much of it, but after a while you will appreciate what a great read it is. It has a range of interviews with stars (There was a brilliant interview with Amy MacDonald recently!) and also has a lot of in depth reporting on local issues. Indeed, I have found the Big Issue to be a brilliant hub of knowledge for reviews of local gigs and shows, and also a great source for adverts for jobs, events etc... Most of all, the majority of vendors I have come across are really friendly and are happy to show you directions as some know the city so well. If you fancy supporting a good cause and want a magazine which has the big interviews intertwined with local issues then the Big Issue is a great read! (Also, it reviews the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, an added bonus!)

A busy bustling shop. Everyday newspapers and magazines, cards and gifts. This shop sells most…read morethings including jam pot covers and cake decorations. Service is quick and efficient. The shop is quite large and everything is neatly presented they even deliver out in the sticks.

Edinburgh's profile as a city has increased dramatically over the past couple of decades. Twenty…read moreyears ago it would be the last place on Earth you'd expect to find designer shops, trendy bars and boutique hotels, and while it may lose some of it's charm in the transformation, there's no denying that the city has very much moved with the times. Pick up a copy of the Evening News however, and you really wouldn't know it. Surely the last bastion of Edinburgh's old fashioned curtain-twitching mentality, it really is a small-town read at it's worst. Actual news, such as the recent discovery of dismembered human remains in someone's fridge, is shunted in favour of "cat stuck up tree" stories and pictures of local businessmen holding up oversized charity cheques. Worst of all however, is the opinion column, which day in day out, regardless of subject, descends into the usual favourite hobby of the city's more militant types, venting ill-informed hatred at Glasgow and it's residents. Showcasing a peculiar mix of anger, snobbery, and oddly enough jealousy, it's an attitude that tellingly isn't replicated in the West where in general they show little interest in the capital city. In fairness the sports coverage isn't too bad, and gives better coverage of the Edinburgh teams than most of the Old Firm dominated Scottish national media. That's about as good as it gets, but the comedy right-wing opinions of suburban Neighbourhood Watch members on the letters pages is also not bad for a laugh.

As with every major city, Edinburgh to, has its own local city newspaper. The Edinburgh Evening…read moreNews isn't a paper I always buy but when I do the quality throughout the paper is always mixed! The best part of the paper has consistently always been the sport pages. If you want the gossip of the city's two main football clubs, Hearts and Hibs, then the Edinburgh Evening News is a must. No other paper can match the reporting of these two clubs! On top of the sport pages, this paper also provides surprisingly good coverage of the on goings at the Scottish Parliament for a local paper. However, with the rest of the paper a flick through is all that is required. The local news is presented in a more professional manner than other local papers but at times can be quite mundane. However, its local coverage of the tram debacle has been first class! Better than most local papers, the Edinburgh Evening News is a decent buy every so often to keep on contact with Edinburgh news.

The Gazette is one of the local papers and is the main one for the Alnwick area. It's pretty much…read morewhat you'd expect from a local newspaper, with most coverage relating to local events. Special, fold-ins such as during lambing season, cater to farmers and the paper often features excellent rural photographs.

Mace has been a newsagents for years although it has gone under many different names. The staff are…read morevery friendly and welcoming, and it has a wide range of newspapers and magazines. It is really well priced and you can buy some fresh food from it although with a sainsbury local across the street, the varity at Mace is not as good. Great newsagents though.

I have recently purchased a new laptop from Alan, and along with that got a wireless connection put…read morein to my office. The whole thing went very smoothly; Alan has given me an introduction to using the new laptop and the internet. I will certainly use Berwick Computer Services again