Why our brand-new Observer app is great news for the arts

And that’s one of the reasons our new app, covering Chichester down to Selsey, up to Midhurst and Petworth and across to Bognor Regis, is such good news for all of us.

In Chichester we have the magnificent Chichester Festival Theatre, a venue which has always managed to retain its “owned by the community” feel despite the fact that it has enjoyed truly international status for many decades now. In Chichester we have also got, of course, the Cathedral, a venue with a rich musical tradition going back centuries and flourishing still – but also a venue which is a key player in modern British art, as indeed is Pallant House Gallery, a key attraction which is absolutely Chichester but also absolutely international. Plus we have got the Oxmarket, a venue transformed in recent years and thriving. Plus we have got the drama groups and all the remarkable individuals, be they artists, novelists, playwrights, poets or directors.

It is the richest and most fascinating mix – which offers us the richest and most fascinating challenge. How on earth do we do them all justice through the newspapers and the websites that we run. The answer, of course, is that we cover them as fully as we possibly can. But the arrival of our new app now allows us to take it all to the next level.

In recent years local journalism has been under enormous financial pressure which has resulted in on-line stories being overwhelmed with pop-up advertising. This app is completely different - moving the dial back to the halcyon days of local newspapers.

You can support what we do with a digital subscription to the app from less that £1 per week (£3.99 a month) and try it completely free for your first month. If you buy an annual subscription after your free trial month it will cost only £29.99. Apple users can find the app in the app store and Android users can download from Google Play store. We do hope you will support us. In becoming a subscriber you will help to protect the Observer’s renowned quality journalism. You can also contribute your own community reports to the app and to the newspaper. Simply log on to https://submit.nationalworld.com/?ref=SUWD and select Sussex World.