The Basingstoke Gazette does not take insults about its home town lightly.

The paper, which recently launched a Basingstoke – A Place To Be Proud Of campaign, was amazed to hear how a new book – Crap Towns – rated Basingstoke as the ninth worst place to live in the country.

After a few calls, the paper found out that the ratings were based on comments e-mailed from the public to the authors, who had never even visited the town. So the paper invited them to see Basingstoke for themselves.

Authors Sam Jordison and Dan Kieran, of The Idler magazine, accepted the challenge and were treated to a tour by Gazette editor Mark Jones, mayor Gerry Traynor, council leader Rob Donnelly and Jane Stewart, marketing manager for the town’s Festival Place shopping complex.

Gazette reporter Rob Green (left) chats to Sam Jordison, one of the editors of Crap Towns,
during the visit to Basingstoke.

Sam and Dan clearly warmed to the town, especially the people.

Sam said: “It wasn’t at all scientific when we were putting the book together.

“We were going to just count the number of nominations we were getting, but as it took off there were too many for us to read them all. I’m afraid Basingstoke suffered because the people wrote some really funny things that we liked.”

Mark Jones added: “The Gazette is proud of Basingstoke. It is a thriving town with a strong community and great facilities in the Arts, health, education, business and leisure. And we’ll challenge anyone who says otherwise.”

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