Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire’s only dedicated family magazine, Raring2go! is celebrating its milestone 10th Birthday this week.
Owner and editor Victoria Withy launched Raring2go! – the definitive guide of what to do and where to go for families – into the area in June 2007 when her daughter Natasha was just 18 months old.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Why? Free to subscribe, no paywall, daily business news digest.
Victoria explained: “I am from New Zealand and as I didn’t grow up here, when I had my daughter I didn’t know where to take her and it wasn’t easy to find information on places to go and things to do for families. I saw an advert for the Raring2go! Magazine franchise in a woman’s magazine on a trip home to New Zealand in January 2007 and I thought that this was just what the area, and I, needed.”
Raring2go! Aberdeen City & Shire Magazine has grown from 11,000 copies originally to now over 32,000 each quarter and can be found in over 300 locations throughout the area.
Victoria said: “It’s been an amazing 10 years! My daughter is now 11 and a half, the Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire is thriving – our recent Awards showed the breadth of family-focussed businesses in our area – and I launched Raring2go! into Glasgow at the end of last year as well. I have a great team working with me too – all parents themselves so they too know what other parents are looking for.”
This year’s Raring2go! Awards attracted nominations for over 633 family-focussed businesses, attractions and events located in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for this years’ Awards. This was up by over 470 businesses on the 160 nominated last year – a huge increase! Additionally, nearly 4,000 people (nearly double from last year) voted for the top three in each of the 12 categories. Victoria said: “I am delighted that so many people took part and that so many fantastic family- orientated local businesses were nominated.”
Raring2go! Magazine is dedicated to helping local families have fun and to make the most of the local area – to eat, shop, visit and play locally. The magazine supports local businesses and helps them reach local families. Victoria concluded, “As a small local business ourselves, we are all about connecting local families and local businesses. We want a buzzing, thriving City and vibrant local towns with variety and lots to offer – and we are so lucky to live in an area with strong local towns and dynamic business people working towards this too. We are delighted to be working with so many great businesses and to have such a lovely group of readers!”
