MORAY’S LEADING COMMUNITY NEWS site has every reason to celebrate today as what seemed an ambitious Crowdfunding bid smashed through its target.
insideMoray set £5400 as the minimum requirement to meet all expenses in providing a daily community news output – failure to reach that target would have meant the project receiving no funding, and very likely having to shut down by January.
However, not only was the target reached, thanks to the generosity of hundreds of readers it was surpassed by almost £1000.
Site owner and editor Stuart Crowther said: “To say I’m absolutely thrilled by what I see as a massive vote of confidence from readers would be an understatement.
“I had at the beginning thought that the target was an ambitious one, but felt I had to do something as the service would simply not have been able to continue without some guaranteed financial support.
“Now even after the charges and fees that going through a Crowdfunding bid attracts, there is enough to allow me to purchase a much-needed laptop for running the site when I’m away from home – and a new digital camera to improve the quality of images appearing on the site.
“I wish to thank every single person who has put their hard earned cash into this bid – but in particular the businesses large and small who very quickly showed their faith in community journalism by snapping up the top-end £200 and £100 pledges.”
With anything from 50,000 to 100,000 individual readers each month, insideMoray is far and away one of the most successful community news sites in Scotland.
Now Stuart is determined to put even greater effort into the future: “I have plans to expand the site and at the same time protect it. We will become a member of the new IMPRESS service, the first truly independent press regulator in the UK to specifically support community journalism.
“I also aim to enter into discussions with community and educational groups in Moray with a view to their becoming more involved in the day to day running our service – with the long-term view of being able to hand it on to those who have the drive and skill to take us to places that I simply could not achieve on my own.”