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The Stray Ferret is to introduce a small subscription fee shortly after we launch our new website and app in May.  

The new website and app will include many features that readers have asked for — more investigations, notifications, more lifestyle content and the ability to comment on stories on the website rather than just on social media.  

Subscribers will also benefit from exclusive discounts from local businesses which aim to cover subscription costs and will not be offered anywhere else. 

Since 2020, we have taken pride in covering the stories that matter most to residents across Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Boroughbridge, Masham and Pateley Bridge.

We passionately believe that a quality, local news service for the area provides an important, trusted platform for debate and information for local people.  

The media landscape is financially tough and while we’ve previously adopted an advertising only model, it has not been enough to meet our costs.  

We have watched as other local news organisations have cut the number of  journalists, lowered the quality of the stories they publish and covered pages with pop-up ads which make it unreadable. We didn’t want to do this.  

By paying a small fee you will be investing in an improved news service. By keeping adverts, we can keep the subscription price to readers as low as possible.  

We did not take this decision lightly, but we feel this is the only way to keep serving the area to the standard it deserves, by providing a platform to raise awareness about issues that affect local people.  

We’ve also moved into Harrogate town centre, so we can help anyone who has problems with signing up to the subscription service, the app or newsletter.  

So from May we will be asking readers to subscribe to the Stray Ferret for £4.99 a month. Or you can pay annually at £49.99 which would save you about £10 a year.

In the coming weeks, we will be explaining how the subscription service will work and how to sign up, as well as tackling any frequently asked questions.  

We hope you subscribe — by doing so you will be investing in quality, local journalism.