Letter: Funding Will Be Required to Keep the Dragon Roaring

Published on: 28 Mar, 2022
Updated on: 28 Mar, 2022

Launch night in the undercroft of the Angel Hotel

From: Tony Rooth

R4GV borough councillor for Pilgrims

In response to: Dragon Launch Remembered Ten Years On

Cllr Rooth, who was the GBC council leader a decade ago and attended the Dragon launch event, was invited to write having been unable to take part in the reunion interview because of communication difficulties.

The Guildford Dragon has been a bastion of independent enquiring journalism for the last 10 years. The Dragon team has supplied the information and comment required to stimulate debate on various Guildford issues.

I hope the approach will continue for many years to come. There will certainly be no shortage of issues ranging across our borough from the future of our town centre, villages, green belt, the environment, and so on.

But the challenge of funding to enable The Dragon to continue to report on our local issues will need to be addressed. It doesn’t have a printed copy so revenue comes from online advertising Local businesses please step up to the plate.

An interesting article sets out the challenges facing UK journalism – https://pressgazette.co.uk/philanthropy-funding-journalism/- which also covers philanthropy and charitable donations as possible funding sources and includes this comment: “the revenue source that we think about and focus on the most is reader revenue “.

I am advised that readers wishing to give support and help to help keep The Dragon roaring should “watch this space”!