An independent local news website has relaunched in a bid to unlock its “true potential”.

A Little Bit of Stone, which serves the Staffordshire town of Stone, has announced the fresh look after 14 years in operation.

The move has been focused on transitioning existing content to a “more robust, user-friendly platform”.

However, further new features are set to be introduced in due course.

The new-look ALBOs homepage

Editor Jon Cook said: “This is merely the beginning. The true potential of our website lies in what comes next — the stories we’ll tell, the features we’ll introduce, and the ways we’ll connect with each and every one of you.”

“At the heart of ALBOS is our community, and it felt like now was the time to solidify that.

“As platforms like Google, Facebook, and X evolve, often limiting how we connect, we saw an opportunity to make things better.

“I wanted our new website to be accessible, easier for readers, and to ensure we stayed at the top as Stone’s most trusted news website.”

He added: “I’d been itching to move away from an “off the shelf” theme that our website had ran on for the whole of its existence.

“I took a brilliant online course for the page builder bricks and set about learning the fundamentals of putting together the site that I wanted our readers to have.

“A clear, easily accessible site, that wasn’t overloaded with adverts – but did have opportunities for local businesses to advertise with us.

“I wanted to ensure our readers could also easily see the way that they could help financially support our website, through virtual coffees and facebook subscriptions.

“I’d built the new website on a new development domain and over the weekend, I migrated the site, scarily taking it offline for just over 24 hrs.

“The new website, I hope, will enable us to move forward with a more technical and financially sustainable model.”