As we leave 2024, the WalesOnline brand stands proudly as one of the finest names in UK journalism. This year, it has been named Wales’ News Website of the Year in the Wales Media Awards, News Website of the Year runner-up in the UK Regional Press Awards, Investigation of the Year award in this year’s Media Freedom Awards and we have reporters and photographers who are currently officially the best in the country at what they do.
We have shut down rogue traders, removed politicians and powerful bosses, held the WRU to account over the shambolic state of rugby in Wales, exposed all kinds of behaviour that people wanted to keep hidden and changed lives for the better. In a couple of weeks, hundreds of children will get Christmas presents they never would have had because of us.
In the latest Ofcom report, WalesOnline is read more in Wales than any other UK news website except the BBC. It has a stronger presence in Wales than any other regional site has in England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. A lot of people with a certain narrative about the Welsh media would like that not to be true, but you can face them proudly knowing that it is.
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Our Christmas campaign helps the most needy children. Last year we think we helped around 500 kids. This year our incredible readers, contacts and staff used an Amazon wishlist to purchase 1,349 toys, food and toiletries which were all distributed via Canolfan Pentre, a charity in Rhondda, Wales.
The charity is inundated every year with requests from schools, social workers and local people for help with providing Christmas presents. The gifts were distributed to 15 primary schools, one nursery and two comprehensive secondary schools making sure the most vulnerable kids have at least one present to open on Christmas Day.
People also donated food and goods for the charity’s top-up shop where people can buy the things they need at discounted prices and for hampers made up so that people will also get some treats to eat on Christmas Day. The charity was genuinely overwhelmed with the support.
Thank you to all our readers who have supported us by donating presents, backing our campaigns and simply reading and interacting with our journalism. We simply could not do it without you.