If I mention Blackpool many think ‘tired seaside town a long way up North’, however whatever Blackpool may lack in fresh paint it really does make up for it in a very slick community site. By the Lights blog looks at all things Blackpool, from local events, articles and news to listing local Blackpool bloggers. Again, this is a prime example of a comprehensive first class community site. Trams, towers, donkeys, pleasure beaches, roller coasters Blackpool and By the Lights really has got it all!

I love local sites as they really do, do a great job of dispelling any myths that people hold about particular places because they are just so passionate. Personally I am a big fan of a Blackpool, as a former (very poor) Ballroom dancer the Blackpool Winter Gardens are the capital of the UK dance scene!

So, If you what to keep in the loop about what is going on in Blackpool this is the site for you. It includes gig listings, info on the local footie team and loads more – it is jam packed! If anyone else reads any great local community sites we would love to hear about them – maybe we could feature them on the blog!

Photo by Adam Mutum over on Flickr

Here at welovelocal.com we have a real thing for community sites, we previously posted regularly about great community sites all around London. However, now being a nationwide directory we decided it was time to start taking a look at some of the community sites that the rest of the country have to offer – Starting with a fine example of a site all about Swansea!

Not excited yet? You will be once you see this pretty passionate site. Pretty Shitty City is a site and project dedicated to documenting and publicising the alternative design and music culture scene in Swansea. Don’t be fooled by the name this site is all about the cultural joys of the city and none of the (excuse the pun) shitty bits, a real site for the people who live there. It was born from the idea that the cultural scene in Swansea was disjointed and needed pulling together into one place, and that’s just what these guys have done. It now acts as a useful portal to find gig listings, read articles, talk in the forum or just stop by and purchase your I heart Swansea t-shirt.

This site is pretty cool, if you are just visiting the area and want to catch a gig, or if you living near by the area and want to stay connected.

Following on from Dan’s post about Brockley Central I came across a collection of great sites focussing on East Dulwich. It seems the leafy south London suburb has quite a vibrant online population. My scientific research led me to the buzzy East Dulwich Forum (it ranks top in Google for ‘East Dulwich’), where members share and discuss everything from how to locate lost relatives to the ‘price of fish’. The forum also has a great list of other local sites, that includes Life in Dulwich, East Dulwich Life, and Beatnic: the blog of fellow techie Nic Price.

With any luck the people of East Dulwich will inspire others to go out and build up their own little space of the web.

Photo by Spencer E Hottaway of the East Dulwich Flickr group.

Everyday I come across new local blogs that house active communities and a wealth of local information. Rather than keep them to myself any longer I’ve decided to start highlighting some of the better ones here on the welovelocal blog.

To kick things off I’d like to bring everyone’s attention to the excellent Brockley Central that posts on range of issues from, the closing of a local pub, to the opening of a new nature reserve. Brockley Central is a testament to how passionate people are about their local area and how the internet can bring it’s residents closer together. Keep up the great work too all involved.

For those who don’t know, Brockley is a rather leafy area of Lewisham. Read the Wikipedia entry on Brockley here, and see photos from the Brockley Flickr group here.