A veteran editor who set up a new website in competition with his former employers is appealing for donations with the aim of employing more journalists.

John Elworthy, left, launched CambsNews.co.uk last year shortly after losing his job as editor of the Cambs Times, Ely Standard and Wisbech Standard in a restructure.

Now John, 72, wants to grow the business in order to be able to recruit more “likeminded journalists.”

He has launched an appeal for readers donations to help him “take the site to the next level.”

Wrote John: “September 6th, 2022 was an important day for us – the launch of CambsNews. The days, weeks, and months since have been a labour of love as we’ve poked and prodded beneath the surface of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to keep a new, and growing, army of readers up to speed on what’s happening.

“We’ve tackled breaking news, delved – often deeply and uncomfortably – into the world of local politics, and brought you an extensive range of exclusive reports, thought provoking opinion pieces and tried, in our small but persistent way, to hold those in power to account.

“2,000 stories, many exclusives later, and the CambsNews has become a vital part of the media landscape. And we want it to continue – which is where you, our readers, can play a part.

“To build a sustainable platform for the future, CambsNews needs investment. We need to recruit like-minded journalists to build on and grow our coverage. And to do that we are asking you to pay a small price for that to happen.”

John, who edited the Cambs Times from 2008 to 2022, said he eventually hoped to bring in subscriber only newsletters as an additional source of revenue.

He told HTFP: “It’s been a remarkable year or so since launch but, at the age of 72, I still wake each day raring to get started.”