Dear Reader,
When my great-grandfather, Thomas Gibson Bowles, founded The Lady in 1885 he barely could have imagined what the magazine would survive and thrive through in its next 135 years.
It has been published through two world wars, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Great Depression, the 2008 financial crisis – and 34 prime ministers. It has celebrated with the nation during its finest hours and delivered entertainment, joy and solace to its readers through its worst.
As The Lady’s publisher I am deeply proud of this extraordinary legacy and view the magazine, and its readers, like family.
But if The Lady’s long history has taught us anything it is that difficult times can come out of a clear blue sky, often when we least expect them. The covid-19 pandemic has upended the world. Hundreds of thousands of people have tragically lost their lives, nations have been plunged into lockdown and economies cast into turmoil. To survive, countless businesses have had to adapt. The Lady is no exception.
My first priority is to steer the magazine, which has been in my family for so long, through these troubling times, so that it can continue to serve its loyal readers and provide you with the content you so love. I have every confidence that The Lady will weather this storm and flourish in the decades ahead. To ensure this happens, however, it will have to evolve.
From now on The Lady will be published once rather than twice a month. This will allow us to secure its future and provide you with an even better, bigger and brighter magazine.
This new-look bumper edition will reach newsstands and subscribers in their own homes on the first Friday of each month. Subscribers will also benefit from free access to the magazine’s digital edition.
Change is rarely easy but it also offers fresh, new opportunities. By making this switch The Lady will both honour its past and look forward to the exciting years ahead – years through which we will be with you every step of the way.
Yours sincerely,
Ben Budworth, Publisher and Chief Executive
