Positive news needs local backing: a message from our editor to Bradford’s business community

In a city that is too often defined by its problems, The Bradfordian was set up to do something simple but important: Share Positive News.

That figure does not come close to covering the costs of running the website. Never mind the time spent speaking to local organisations, writing articles, editing photos, publishing content and keeping everything technically up to scratch behind the scenes.

We want to keep The Bradfordian free to read and open to everyone in the district. But to do that long term, we need a more reliable and local way to fund it.

Why we’re asking local businesses for support:

Rather than chasing more intrusive adverts or paywalls, we would much rather be supported by the same local businesses and organisations we already shout about.

That is why we are inviting Bradford businesses to support The Bradfordian by joining our Business Directory, from as little as £5 a month.

By doing that, you are helping to:

• Keep a positive, independent news voice for Bradford alive and growing.
• Make sure community groups, charities and small organisations continue to have a free platform to share what they are doing.
• Show that local business believes in Bradford and is willing to back a project that talks the city up, not down.

In return, you get something practical too: a place in a growing local business directory that is designed to help people in Bradford find and support organisations like yours.

What the Business Directory offers your organisation

When you join the Bradfordian Business Directory, you get:

• A dedicated listing page for your business, with your logo, description, contact details and website link.
• A local, Bradford-focused platform where people are already coming to read about what is happening in the city.
• A way to be discovered by residents and other organisations who are actively interested in supporting local.

Because The Bradfordian is focused purely on Bradford and the surrounding district, you are not just another name in a national directory. You are alongside other local organisations who care about the same place you do.

For many businesses, £5, £10 or even £25 a month is less than the cost of a single boosted social media post, but it helps to sustain a whole platform of good news about your city.

Where the money goes

We want to be transparent about why we are asking.

Directory income will go towards:

• Hosting, software and maintenance costs for the website.
• The time spent editing, publishing and maintaining the site and its content.
• Reducing our reliance on third-party advertising.
• A full re-design of the website to improve user experience.
• Developing tools to spread positive news further.

In the long run, if we can secure enough local support, the aim is simple: fund The Bradfordian through the community it serves and turn off those annoying Google Ads altogether.

How to get involved

If you run a business or organisation in Bradford or the wider district and you value having a positive news outlet for our city, we would love to have you on board.

If you’d like to sign up, you can do so here:
https://bradfordian.co.uk/add-directory-listing/

Thank you for taking the time to read this message and for considering to support the work we do. Even a small monthly contribution from local businesses makes a real difference.