An independent publisher of four community print newspapers has announced its transition to a ‘digital-first’ model.

South West Durham News community interest company currently publishes four local free titles – the weekly Ferryhill and Chilton Chapter and Shildon and District Town Crier, and the fortnightly Bishop Press and Spennymoor News.

However the company says it will now be providing a daily news service on its website https://swd.news.

Managing editor Archie MacKay says the distribution of the print newspapers, delivered to 33,000 homes around the patch, will be unaffected by the change.

In addition to a daily news service, SWDN is also expanding its content to include more in-depth features and a wider range of topics, including local walks, film, book and theatre reviews, restaurant reviews, gardening tips and recipes.

It has also expanded its multi-media content in recent months, launching a local archaeology podcast and a series about the history of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the run up to its 200th anniversary next year.

Said Archie: “We are very excited about finally making this transition – something we have spoken about for a long time.

“We understand that in the modern, digital world, audiences expect to keep in touch with news – including local news – almost instantly.

“However, it’s very important for us to emphasise that the distribution of our papers will remain unaffected. We will still be delivering our free to read papers to every doorstep in each of our communities.

“We understand that not everyone is digitally connected and as a community newspaper, we consider being able to reach the most isolated members of our community is one of the most important things we do.

“That said, we are tremendously excited about the new opportunities our transition to digital first will open – for ourselves and for the community as a whole.

“The move to digital first will take a few weeks to complete as each paper gradually transitions, but the project is now fully underway.”

The SWDN has recently been accepted onto the BBC sponsored Local Democracy Reporting Service.  It is also suported by the Public Interest news Foundation.