Editor’s Note

A FAREWELL - Morgan McMillan

This is the final goodbye! After a year of taking over The Edge, this magazine marks the end of an era and the start of a new one. The committee of 2020/2021 has done many great things, transforming The Edge into more than just a magazine, but a community for writers, readers, creators and more. It has been an honour to have been Editor for the past year and I cannot wait to see where Sam and his team take The Edge. To say our final goodbye, I thought I would celebrate all the amazing things we have achieved this past year. To start off, The Edge’s biggest achievement this year must be The Edgetival, The Edge’s very own music festival that took place three times during our reign. Even though Covid-19 had delayed the in-person event, this finally took place with over 100 people watching some incredible music throughout the day. We introduced many new features including the mini magazines, merchandise created by Moodledo, The Edge Roundtable podcast, weekly news video round ups, dark mode to the website, redesigned the entire magazine, restarted Spotify playlists, 12-hour Gaming Marathon and launched the first ever The Edge Day of Journo Experience (E.D.J.E). These new features have made The Edge a more inclusive and fully rounded magazine and university society. We have also been shortlisted for multiple awards; at the Student Publication Association National Conference we were nominated for Best Digital Media, Best Website and the Billy Dowling-Reid Award. At the RAG awards we were winners of Innovative Online Fundraiser for our 12-hour Gaming Marathon. At the SUSU Volunteering Awards we were winners of Best Event (The Edgetival) and Best Fundraiser (12-hour Gaming Marathon). And shortlisted for Best Collaboration with Mind Society and Best Society Committee Member. A huge thank you to the committee for all the hard work they have put in this year despite the pandemic. And another huge thank you to the writers that produced amazing content throughout the year.

A HELLO - Sam Pegg

Stepping into a new role can be scary, especially when it means taking over from one of the best editors The Edge has ever had. In fact, I’m confident last year’s committee was one of the strongest the society has ever been backed by, setting a benchmark for my own committee. Thankfully, in the lead up to our first magazine (which was a collaboration with the previous committee), I can say everyone has taken to their new role with efficiency and ambition, already shaping the magazine in new ways and hinting at the possibilities they hope to achieve.It became obvious then that I wanted a theme that encompassed something about change, and so the theme ‘New Beginnings’ seemed like a perfect fit. While it’s a new beginning foremost for the 2021-22 committee, it also brings about new beginnings for the previous committee. From internships at Nintendo, starting Masters here at the University of Southampton or further afield to even starting full-time work; new beginnings also have their farewells. As a new committee steps up, one steps down to explore their new futures after an Undergraduate degree. It’s an exciting time for all of us, and I’m thankful that this is the magazine that will kickstart these beginnings as we look to the world and think about all the new beginnings that have happened in the world of entertainment around us.