Save The Saint

Our paper has been the independent voice of St Andrews since 1997, and is the only in-print publication in St Andrews. It’s a huge privilege to be one of only a handful of student newspapers in the UK to be independent of its university, and this financial and editorial autonomy remains one of our most cherished values. However, this means we are funded purely through advertising, which in a post-Covid world is difficult to secure. The Saint is struggling to stay in print.

We are completely student-run on a volunteer basis. Many of our staff don’t just write: we also have a business team, photography team, copyediting team, and illustrating team. Even outside of producing our paper, we aim to be a supportive and friendly committee where people can grow their skills, gain experience, and make friends.

The Saint has a fundamental role within the St Andrews student body, alongside the wider community, in delivering important and accurate news. This year we’ve reported on issues within University societies, the inaction of University professionals, University Elections, and the housing crisis. Meanwhile, our investigation into workplace harassment experienced by students in the hospitality industry is ongoing. Through our fortnightly print, website, and social media, we deliver high quality information to a high journalistic standard.

Beyond our News section, the paper also provides a look into the opinions and perspectives of St Andrews students by giving them a platform for their writing. From Viewpoint to Sport, students have the opportunity to publish award-winning work. This year, we were shortlisted for 11 Student Publication Association awards at national level, a record for the paper.

The Saint provides, for many, a first chance to fall in love with journalism and experience what it is like to write for a paper. Our alumni network consists of highly-skilled professionals who have worked for world-leading corporations such as The Times, CNN, the BBC, alongside the Civil Service and the Royal Household.

However, we depend entirely on donations and advertising revenue to fund expenses and printing costs and receive no financial support from the University. We also do not charge membership fees to ensure any student has the opportunity to join our paper. Our fantastic business team must raise thousands of pounds each semester through advertisements, but we are barely keeping up with inflation and rising costs.

Despite this, we know it is essential we remain in print and in operation. To help achieve this we’re asking for your help. No matter your relation to us, please consider either contributing what you can to our fundraising campaign or sharing it with others. 100 per cent of the funds raised will go into The Saint to preserve our operations for years to come, so we can continue to provide a space where students can develop a passion and skill for journalism.

Thank you.

The Saint Team