In December 2019 John Minter published an article Rye News at a crossroads. At that time the future of Rye News and its team of volunteers was being debated. John’s article was an exhortation to local people and businesses to support Rye News.
David Worwood a professional journalist who lives in Rye wrote a second article in which he said: “The big question is whether Rye people — or enough of them — will be prepared to pay for local online news”.
This question remains relevant. We know that there are many people who read Rye News, the articles get over 10,000 views a week. Currently, over 1,300 readers receive the weekly email alert which highlights the latest news.
We also hope that doing the current crisis Rye News will prove to be a useful and reliable source of information.
In December we added a link to the alert and at the foot of articles to enable readers to make a donation (like the online edition of the Guardian) and we have had a very encouraging response.
As of the end of March we have raised £1,348 from about 60 donations ranging from £2 to £100. We have two regular monthly donations, one from a Rye business of £25 a month and one from a resident of £3 month.
Every single donation means a lot to us in the team and has encouraged us to carry on volunteering for Rye News. We are very grateful to all those who have contributed so far – it has been a real boost to morale.
The funds are being used to pay for the essential costs of running the website and to cover some of the other expenses incurred by volunteers.
If you would like to get more involved with Rye News or contribute in any way – please get in touch through info@ryenews.org.uk.
Image Credits: Rye News library .