As we face an uncertain future, the Burngreave Messenger reached out to the public for support, inviting everyone to an open meeting held on Thursday 6th October to let everyone know about the current situation and to open the floor to suggestions and ideas about how we could move forward as the community’s local newspaper.
The meeting was attended by many members of the community, including all three of our local councillors: Mark Jones, Talib Hussain and Safiya Saeed. All demonstrated a passionate commitment to the Burngreave Messenger.
We opened the meeting by screening our video filmed at this year’s Abbeyfield Festival (see below). Treasurer Chris Hood then presented the current picture – our latest application for funding fell through, which put the future of the Messenger at risk of project closure.
Questions and comments focussed on gaining a better understanding of the scale of the challenge. Although we are working on applying for other grants, approximately £10,000 will be needed to continue operation of the Messenger whilst it awaits decisions on securing larger core funding.
Those present keenly offered a myriad of suggestions that were both creative and practical.
Key outcomes:
- Run a crowd funding campaign to secure funds needed to keep the Messenger operational over the next three months.
- Promote the ‘donate’ and ‘Patreon’ options on the Messenger website and social media to encourage individuals to make small contributions and demonstrate support.
- Reach out to the community including local businesses and faith groups for support such as holding collections for the Messenger.
- Appeal to members of the community that may wish to host a fundraiser event in support of keeping the Messenger alive.
- Explore collaboration opportunities with local organisations and similar journalist/media outlets.
What’s next?
We’ve been looking at crowding funding options which we will launch very soon.
If you can’t wait to donate, you can already make a donation to our PayPal account, or make a small regular donation on our Patreon account.
Contact mail@burngreavemessenger.org if you can help with hosting a fundraiser or collection, assisting with funding applications or have other ideas of how you can help.
Thank you to everyone who attended, either in person or over Zoom.
