Hello kind reader.

I find myself here wishing you a merry christmas again; it seems to soon. However before I let you enjoy those precious Christmas moments with your family, I must bring to you our Christmas Message.

2013 was a year that many local families will chose to forget after the tragic fatalities in Afghanistan. It is a horrible reminder of the work that Penicuik’s troops do overseas. My thoughts will be with these families through this hardest of times, I hope yours will be too. It was also a year that many will remember as a turning point in the history of the town. Housing plans are afoot, new shops (takeaways) are planned and a renewed promise of additional transport links has been made. Penicuik is changing. It is too soon to say whether it will be for the better.

Unfortunately our changes will not be for the better. This will be our final christmas message.

Over the past year and ten months I (along with a few lovely helpers) have dedicated countless hours to The Penicuik Cuckoo. We printed three newspapers and it is an experience that I’ll never forget, the late nights, the countless advertisement revisions, and the feeling of satisfaction you get when you finally reveal all your effort to the public. I brought to Penicuik a dedicated news website and what was Midlothian’s most loved news Facebook page. Hopefully you enjoyed them.

However The Penicuik Cuckoo has now run its course. Financially it is no longer sustainable and with my personal life only becoming more hectic, I can no longer find the time to produce all the articles I used to back in 2012.

I don’t want you to despair. Over the next three months I will be working hard to ensure a future of some sort for this local news outlet. I’m investigating all possibilities however my time here is done. It has been a pleasure and it will be a pleasure until the day this site closes.

Now don’t you worry about us this Christmas, we won’t. Relax, be merry and enjoy every moment of it.

Have a very happy Christmas Penicuik.

Thomas Scott
Editor-in-Chief

With special thanks to Tom Anderson, Karen Duncan, Caitlin Reid, William Lister, the PCAA and Don Munro. I couldn’t have got where we are today without you.

(If you are able to lend a hand in our final months please get in touch by emailing news@pen-y-cog.org.uk.)