May I take this opportunity to wish every reader a ‘Merry Christmas, Peace and Happiness” for the holidays.
We’re about to take things easier this week, with fewer posts until the New Year, posting less frequently to spend quality time with family and friends.
I hope you’ve enjoyed Blantyre Telegraph’s stories and efforts throughout 2019 and I thank all 18,000 of subscribers here for your continued, appreciated daily support. This page remains friendly and informative, often breaking local stories even before real media sources do and I’m sure you’ll agree, it remains the primary, daily source of contemporary, local news about Blantyre in any one place.
What a year it’s been! 4,000 new readers in the last 12 months, a new professional look and feel to branding, an enhanced multi functional main website and our new Live chat group, in its first week attracting 400 people! From the launch of our fabulous monthly magazine, our successful Oscars event, to writing up 1,172 news stories, it’s been a memorable year! Our social media “insight stats” are staggering for 2019!
Thank you again to the huge network of individuals and organisations behind the scenes, who are quick to share events as they happen (you know who you are), which I sincerely appreciate. Thanks also to the organisations who support us by selling our magazine.
Of course, the main reason the page exists is to raise money for local good causes and I’m pleased to announce that by 31st December, the page will have raised over £29,500 since 2015! Over £7,000 of that during 2019 alone! Not one penny is retained. I run this page 100% as non profit, taking nothing.
Please continue to support our fundraisers, to buy our magazine, to advertise with us. As long as the page is raising money for good causes, I’ll continue delivering the news. (It’s the main reason I devote time before and after my construction day job to this page) Of course, it couldn’t have been done without YOUR kindness and help. SO thank you very much! Every penny has gone back into the Blantyre Community and can transparently be seen on the main website http://www.theblantyretelegraph.com clicking on the “Fundraising” tab.
Thanks everybody for making the page SO engaging, well known and popular. I wish you all, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. [Paul Veverka]
