A city news website has launched an appeal for reader donations in a bid to become “sustainable”.

The Brighton and Hove News has made the call as it marks 10 years in business, saying such an appeal is worth pursuing if it is “good enough for The Guardian”.

In a message to readers, editor Frank le Duc described how the News had initially made money by supplying other publishers with “quality original reporting”.

But in the appeal, published on Christmas Day, Frank, pictured, went on to note editorial budgets “have become tighter”.

He wrote: “A few years ago we redesigned our website and started to take advertising, including sponsored editorials, but we were keen that the adverts supplemented our journalism rather than overshadowed it.

“And we benefit from some external funding from the BBC Local Democracy Reporting Service which has enabled us to enhance our coverage of the town hall.

“There are other big organisations now taking an interest in how local news is funded and we will explore the opportunities that arise. As yet, though, all this is not enough. So we supplement what we do with a modest amount of freelance work – but this is our living. You might even call it our vocation.

“We would like it to be sustainable which is why we operate a cautious financial model, with no borrowing and no debts and a low cost base but we want to earn enough to give Brighton and Hove News our full-time attention.

“That’s why this 10th anniversary feature is so focused on the money. We value what we earn but we would value your donations too as we try to improve what we do.”