Beckie Shuker, PINF's Campaign and Comms Manager, rounds up the milestones, wins and celebratory moments from 2026 so far.
With the majority of the UK sweltering through a May heatwave this week, it turns out our local news publishers are no exception - they’ve been turning up the heat and generating a whole bunch of reasons to celebrate.
From award wins to anniversaries, campaign victories to community impact, indie outlets have been making hay while the sun shines during the first half(ish) of 2026.
We wanted to take a moment to bask in the glow of some of the achievements being celebrated in the PINF network.
Awards and recognition
Kicking off with our most northernly entry (by a hair) The Edinburgh Minute is celebrating their win at the International News Media Association's Global Media Awards, where they were awarded 'Best Newsletter (Regional/Local)' - essentially making it the best local newsletter in the world. The judges praised the Minute as “a simple but strategically relevant local news model. It shows how habit and community contributions can create a sustainable relationship.”
Way down in Medway, Local Authority, a self-described ‘tiny outlet run on a shoestring budget’, received four nominations at the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards, including best news website. Continuing their winning streak, the team recently launched a print edition, got it distributed to more than 70 outlets and turned a profit on the first run.
Last but not least, The Bristol Cable’s investigative podcast We’ve got your boy has been shortlisted at the Society of Editors Awards for Best Regional or Community Podcast. PINF is incredibly proud to have supported the project as part of last year’s Tenacious Journalist Awards - do get the podcast downloaded if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet.
Milestones worth marking
Several publishers are celebrating significant anniversaries this year. The Isle of Wight’s Island Echo is marking 14 years this week - making it of legal age to deliver newspapers! The Caerphilly Observer celebrated 13 years in print this month and the Leicester Gazette marked its third birthday at their biggest and best AGM yet. Clydesider magazine, based in West Dumbartonshire, will turn ten later this year, with a celebration event planned for September.
Community impact
Local journalists are increasingly focussing on the impact delivered for their communities. Two local outlets created change from tragedy, raising money for life-saving bleed kits. The Leicester Gazette raised £3,385 to fund 10 public access emergency bleed control kits, while Wiltshire 999s have unlocked over £8000 to fund 26 emergency bleed kits for Chippenham so far.
In North Yorkshire, The Northern Eco celebrated a campaign win this May, as the River Swale has been awarded bathing water status. It was the very first story the outlet covered when it launched almost three years ago and they haven't let it go, supporting the campaigners at Save Our Swale to secured monitoring for a stretch of the river, along with 12 other stretches of inland water across England.
Securing a long-term future for local journalism
Post Newspapers, the profit-for-purpose social enterprise serving Greater Manchester and Cheshire, is expanding in July. They're launching two new newsletters in Bury and Wigan respectively, taking their total titles to eight and reaching more than 120,000 residents each month across the region.
Meanwhile, South West Durham News has won the lottery! The National Lottery Community Fund, that is, which has committed support for the team to recruit and train volunteer community reporters. The outlet has also launched a weekly 'news cafe' drop-in in Bishop Auckland every Wednesday to deepen their connection with the local community.
Many others are now gearing up to celebrate local news in style during Indie News Week next month, with events popping up all across the country - you can now check out our snazzy new map to find an event near you.
The publishers featured in this list are proof positive that local journalism is not just surviving, but innovating, adapting and thriving - come sun, rain or snow.
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