Do you love Southport? Then you are in great company! The Stand Up For Southport website has been launched by Andrew Brown and Phil Gee, both proud Southport residents who love the town and want to see it do well.
We want to see people talking up Southport, not talking it down. We want to highlight the positives about where we live, while supporting our many great local businesses, charities, organisations and events. And we want to play our part in helping to make Southport a better place for all. Please join us!
You will find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This is Southport’s website, so we are always happy to receive guest articles and to hear your views.
ANDREW BROWN
I am an experienced website and newspaper editor and writer with over 23 years’ experience in journalism. I edited the Southport Visiter website and newspaper titles for six years. During that time, Visiter.co.uk was the fastest-growing news website in the UK, and was runner-up in the 02 North West Media Awards for two years running. Other titles I have edited include: the Midweek Visiter, Formby Times, Crosby Herald, Bootle Times, Ormskirk Advertiser and Skelmersdale Advertiser.
In recent years I have founded Andrew Brown Media, working as a freelance writer for titles including Local Life, Chat magazine, Lancashire Post, Daily Star, Daily Mirror, and Lancs Live.
I also work as a blogger; a copywriter for business websites; a radio presenter for Sandgrounder Radio; a social media manager for local firms; and a press release writer for organisations including Southport Business Improvement District, Peets Plaice and Parenting 2000.
PHIL GEE
I am a Southport resident and my mother’s family have been residing here for many decades. I have been a business owner in the town for 12 years, running a digital agency. We represent many of the towns independent businesses on social media, helping to raise awareness to their brand, whilst creating content and responding to all the inbound enquiries. I also coach and mentor many CEO’s, directors, managers and employees in the town on how to correctly use social media for their business, on a one to one basis, whilst also working in partnership with the local tourism board, Southport BID and various other organisations, delivering marketing workshops and training programmes.
I’m very passionate about Stand Up For Southport which was borne out of the frustration of having to read constant negative drivel about this town and feeling that I wanted to enable other residents to shout out and be proud of where we all live.
All towns have their challenges, but you only have to walk around the town and the various areas to see the many spleandours that are right here on our doorstep. I believe the towns leaders are working tirelessly to ensure that the future of the town is safe and I feel very privileged to be a part of the discussions relating to this.
Stand Up For Southport will continue to offer the public a platform to air their opinions and this website gives us a greater digital area to host all manner of information and features that we hope can help to inspire the public to stay involved.
My mother Sandra has for years worked tirelessly to help many local businesses. I am keeping this going despite her now retiring due to ill health. We have Gee’s Connecting Businesses, which holds monthly events at Bliss Hotel on the Promenade. All business people are welcome to join us and meet many faces old and new.
