‘Local folk know and trust the NEN’
Despite the alternative attraction of a Scotland v England international football match live on TV fourteen people attended North Edinburgh News’ annual general meeting at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday evening.
Chairman Martin Hinds reported on what has been an ‘interesting and challenging’ year for the project and the meeting went on to discuss NEN’s role in Contact in the Capital, the city council’s community communication pilot project.
The pilot project ends next March, and there was further discussion on what happens to NEN at the end of Contact in the Capital. The NEN Board reaffirmed a reluctance to introduce a cover price for the community newspaper and treasurer Eddie Thorn said that plans to relaunch NEN as a social enterprise, first discussed last year, had been put on hold due to ongoing funding uncertainty and the volume of paperwork that a change to the company status would entail – the NEN’s board of directors are all volunteers who live in the community.
NEN board member Willie Black said recent events in North Edinburgh had shown that the community newspaper remains as important as ever. “Our community has faced serious challenges over recent months and one thing that has been very clear is that there is a desperate need for communication. Local folk want to know what’s happening and they know and trust the NEN”.
Willie Black, who is also secretary of West Pilton West Granton Community Council, went on: “Our role is to support the community and serve it well – we must keep a free community newspaper as long as we have poverty in this area, and we’ve got to campaign to make sure that happens.
“As for funding, support from community projects is important but the big players in this area’s regeneration should also be playing their part and supporting NEN. I know from many meetings I’ve attended that NEN is necessary, so I’m optimistic that we won’t see the end of the NEN in three months time – but we must keep up the pressure, step up the campaign and argue NEN’s case.”
Minutes of the meeting are attached (below)
Minutes NEN AGM mtg. 18th November 2014
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