Agenda founder Charlotte Sankey

Charlotte Sankey started Cambridge Agenda back in 2002, so to celebrate our hundredth issue we asked her to tell us all about it

It took me six months from having the idea to having the courage to launch Agenda. After months of debating whether to do it, eventually the limbo land became unbearable and I had to make a decision.

Dancing in high heels had a critical part to play. At a significant birthday I danced the night away and put my back out. Being horizontal for three days as a result gave me the time to think and I decided to launch in spring 2002.

Real, local and intelligent was the vision. I felt there was a gap in the market for an intelligent read with a local focus.

I was editor, sales executive and designer on the first issue. I had help from some kind and very able friends as well but I did a lot myself.

We started out with one and a half desks. We worked out of a tiny office on Mill Road and we had one computer and one laptop which had to be used in a kneeling position.

We would be up until 3am on press day. Working late was standard practice during press week and on press day we would book a taxi for 3am to come and collect the disk and take it to the printers in Lincoln. A take-away curry was a regular occurrence.

My only regret from the whole project was not launching it six months earlier. As it was, there were two rival publications that came out at a similar time and I just wish I’d got there a bit earlier.

I think of Cambridge as a little island of excellence. I feel privileged to live in a city that is a hub of technological, medical and academic innovation. Things that are discovered and developed in our small market town have global reach.

Nowadays I run a company called Creative Warehouse (creative-warehouse.co.uk). I provide publishing, design and PR for businesses and organisatios such as both universities, the UN Environment Programme and Cambridge Wordfest.