Michael MacLeod (above) founder of the Edinburgh and Minute newsletters

An independent local newsletter has been saved from the scrap pile simply by asking local people to support it.

Michael MacLeod, founder of the Edinburgh and London Minute Substack newsletters, told his readers on 22 June that he was considering closing the London edition.

Why? The early starts, a proven model in Edinburgh, and the fact that not enough people were paying to keep the London title running. Though more than 1,000 people were paying for the Minute newsletters, most were paying for the one north of the Scottish border.

"Would you do something every morning between 5 am and 7 am for £0?" he wrote in a subscriber-exclusive post. "Maybe I'm mad but I love doing this and just hoped a few more folks would find it useful and help ensure it continues."

He put a poll out to his subscribers: 41 per cent asked for sponsors to cover the costs, 31 per cent were prepared to pay, 11 per cent wanted him to bring the price down from £5 a month, and 6 per cent were not prepared to pay anything.

The "other" options were helpful but did not offer any major revelations, as they were either already in place........

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