Tottenham Community Press - Your news your way

Aim

We are a not for profit independent community newspaper that would like to continue to publish your news your way for many years to come.

Help us to keep publishing Tottenham’s only local newspaper

 What will your contribution help us to do?

• Continue to publish the newspaper
• Devote extra resources to advertising sales to enable the paper to become self-sufficient in the future 
• Move to monthly publication if we reach our full target 

What is Tottenham Community Press?

Tottenham Community Press is an independent newspaper, written by and for people from Tottenham. We are a social enterprise and not for profit.

We print 10,000 copies of each issue and distribute them outside stations and via a network of community venues including libraries, community centres pubs and cafes. 

Since our launch in 2016, we have become a trusted, independent source of local news and a platform for local people to speak out on the issues that matter to them.  We host open editorial meetings and everyone is welcome and encouraged to pitch articles to us.

Our editorial team has produced reports on major local issues  such as the Haringey Development Vehicle, Wards Corner regeneration and increases to local child care costs.

What makes Tottenham Community Press special?

• We share local news, events, activities and services
• We celebrate local successes and champion the social sector
• We offer a voice to disparate groups
• We connect local people around local issues
• We can hold local decision makers to account 
• We uphold high standards of journalistic integrity ensuring news articles are fact checked and balanced. 

All previous issue of the paper are available online here:

 Issue 1: Demolition talks in Northumberland Park

Issue 2: Pay us what we deserve 

Issue 3: Contested Development

Issue 4: Salsa Shutdown

Issue 5: Tottenham gets together

Issue 6: Childcare costs increase by up to 70%

For more information about what we do, please visit our website: http://tottenhamcommunitypress.co.uk

What you told us?

This summer, we talked to people in Tottenham to find out what they thought about Tottenham Community Press. This is what they told us:

• 97%  of Tottenham locals surveyed said that Tottenham needs a local newspaper. 
• 3/4 of respondents said they were either very satisfied or satisfied with the Tottenham Community Press. 
• No-one said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the paper. 
• The top three areas that respondents wanted included were: regeneration and development of the area, community project and arts and culture

The Bigger Picture: Why local newspapers matter

Local newspapers are rapidly closing across the country, leaving communities without a trustworthy source of local news. Without a local newspaper, you could be left without a voice at a time when the area is going through major changes.  

Over 180 local newspapers have closed since 2005. 

The Media Reform Coalition report that:  ‘Six companies account for over 80% of local newspaper titles.' They describe this as a ‘democratic deficit'.

We need your help to keep the Tottenham Community Press in print!

How has it been funded so far?

Social Spider CIC (a not for profit social enterprise) provided the seed money to publish  Tottenham Community Press bi-monthly for a year based on a low-cost production model.

Tottenham Community Press has steadily increased its income from advertising during its first year of publication but it is not yet fully sustainable. 

The Publisher and Project Manager role costs (total at £6,186 last year) are subsidised and will continue to be by the publishers Social Spider CIC.

Why do we need your help?

We are launching this crowdfunding campaign to fund the Tottenham Community Press through its growth stage and to secure its future as a self-sustaining social enterprise.  

Our objective is to raise £15,000 to fund Tottenham Community Press for a year. Every little bit raised will go towards strengthening the financial base of the paper and helping us to ensure that it is around for many years to come. We will do this by developing our relationship with advertisers and strengthening our business strategy. This will help us become a  paper that can support itself independently.

We aim to become a long standing, trustworthy  pillar of the community in order to ensure the people of Tottenham have a voice. 

Additionally, reaching the target amount of £15,000 would allow us to become a monthly newspaper. This would give you more frequent up-to-date news about what is going on in Tottenham, ensure we are the go-to point for all local news and guarantee more of your voices are heard.

Why are we the right people to do this? 

Social Spider has been working in community media for the past 14 years. We have successfully launched a community newspaper for Waltham Forest. 640,000 copies of the Waltham Forest Echo have been distributed to date, with hundreds of community members contributing to the production of the paper. 

What do the rewards look like?

• Honourable mention on our website, in the January issue,  on Twitter and Facebook
• A beautiful Tottenham Community Press tote bag with a screenprint of an old map of the area
• The January Issue of Tottenham Community Press delivered to your door in the tote bag
• The next 6 issues of the newspaper delivered to your door
• A stunning 2018 A4 Calendar celebrating Tottenham by local photographers
• Time spent with our graphic designer working on your project 
• One or six  discounted 10cm x 2 columns / quarter page/ half page/ full page advertisements in the Tottenham Community Press 2018 issues
• Exclusive six discounted full back page advertisements in the Tottenham Community Press 2018 issues
• Bundle of twelve discounted full page advertisements in the Tottenham Community Press 2018 issues to be distributed as desired over the year

Get involved

If you would like to write, contribute photographs or volunteer for the Tottenham Community Press, please contact Ellie: [email protected]

If you have any questions about the crowdfunder or how we operate, please get in touch with Anna: [email protected]

This project successfully funded on 21st December 2017