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Hello everyone I have been on this board for over 20 years and I am posting on behalf of @Hawker Sal, the board owner, with her full knowledge and permission. Those who have been around here more than a few years will have noticed that Sal has been conspicuous by her absence over the last two years. It has been mentioned from time to time that Sal is "unwell". You might have perceived that Sal was actually incredibly unwell when Phil Martin came back to Neighbours TWICE and Sal has not been online to discuss either of these appearances, after waiting patiently for almost two decades. Sal's life is not in danger, nevertheless, she is currently unable to oversee the board in the way that she has in the past. Indeed, the recent security updates were not done by Sal herself, but by an experienced Invision freelancer that Sal has paid to do it for her. In the social media age, we have become used to having "free" social media platforms (paid for by the selling of our data and advertising). An "old-school" forum such as this however, is not free. Sal pays the hosting costs, the costs of the Invision software and the costs of bandwidth (every time we click a thread on board, bandwidth is needed to deliver the page). It all adds up to hundreds of pounds a year. A few of the longer-term members have assisted Sal financially over the years with these bills, but it's fair to say that Sal has paid the lion's share out of her own money (alongside mortgage and bills etc) for over two decades. Now that Sal is unwell, she is not able to work as much as she used to and therefore the board is experiencing some financial pressure. Sal has always strived to keep the board advert-free and in this day and age with so much competition for the advertising pot it is unlikely that it would cover costs here anyway. Therefore, we need to turn to you, the community of the board, for help. We know times are tough for everyone. We know the cost of living has increased unexpectedly. We simply ask that if you enjoy the board and are able, if you would contribute a small amount to the running costs of this board and the summaries archive. If you are not able, we completely understand and there is no judgment. My role in this is to gather donations and pass them to Sal who will use every penny towards running costs. I've offered to do this because Sal simply isn't well enough to organise it herself. We are going to use the Ko-fi platform - some of you may know it already: it is used extensively by online content creators with the "Buy me a coffee" metaphor. I've set the minimum donation at £1 - of course you can donate as much as you like/are able. You may make a one-off donation or a monthly donation - it is entirely your call. All donations of any amount will be gratefully received by Sal. There is hope for Sal's condition: she is showing slow improvement, but it is an extremely slow process that is going to take years rather than months. Thank you all for reading this, and our donation page for Ko-fi is here. https://ko-fi.com/neighboursfans

Hi all, The forum software has been upgraded today. If you run into any problems, please can you let me know by replying to this topic? Cheers!

All my love to @Hawker - I did notice her unusual silence when Phil Martin made his brief reappearance, and am sorry to learn the reason for it. I've made a donation. I may not post very often, but I've been a member here for more than 20 years, even through the years I wasn't watching the show I still lurked here daily to read updates and spoilers. This is such a lovely community, it deserves support.

Thanks Ray - you've been here a long time: I consider your posts an important part of the fabric of this board and I enjoy them...even if they are a bit outside the box at times

I’ve donated too. I’m also unwell at the moment and not able to work as much as I used to, so I completely understand. By the way, I think it’s great that people’s donation amounts are private - no-one has the right to judge anyone else on how much or how little they donate, as we don’t know people’s circumstances. However, it would be nice to see a running total of how much has been raised.

Done

Donated. Sorry to hear about Sal and I wish her all the very best and hope she continues to make good progress. Having my own ongoing medical problems, I fully appreciate how hard it can be and frustrating that things don't always improve as quickly as you would like. Sal, just take one day at a time and don't try to get too far ahead of yourself. Thanks for everything you have done for NeighboursFans over the years, it is a great place with a lovely atmosphere. Athough I don't post much I like to read others thoughts on the episodes etc.. Hope to see you back here as soon as you feel able. Take care.

Thanks @Sayaka for organising this, and @Hawker for everything you do to keep the board running. From my perspective, I'm probably here more than almost anyone else (and would be very lost without my daily Nfans fix!) and so I'm more than happy to make a regular contribution. Likewise if you ever need additional help with any admin-y stuff or the like, then feel free to get in touch and if it's within my power, I'm happy to pitch in.

Done. I was disappointed to read that Sal isn’t better, yet, but I’m also happy to hear she is making some improvement, even if it is slow going. I really hope she continues to make progress over the coming year(s).

I’m very sorry to hear about Sal and am happy to donate.

Done! Thinking of you, Sal, and wishing you all the future health and happiness! Your hard work, time and passion in creating this wonderful community is never something I've taken lightly, even if my viewing habits have been erratic over the years. I wouldn't change it for the world, and we wouldn't change you for the world either! Happy to help! Lovely of you to organise this, Gaynor!

Done! Love the site. Love the show. No brainer. Thoughts with Sal and lots of thanks for creating this community.

Wishing @Hawker all the best and have donated to the cause. Thanks @Sayakafor the update and for organising this. I can't offer a huge amout of technical knowhow but will endeavour to contribute financially when I can. Just please don't make me go back to Digital Spy

Really sad to hear the news about Sal and will be hoping for her to make a recovery in the shortest possible time. Have just made a one off contribution and will consider if I can make a regular one.

Happy to chip in. Once my bloody VPN decides to work.

Just Contributed

I will do my best, also get others from digital spy members) who might be able to help.

Must reading this now, so sorry to hear! I'll definitely donate something - even if it's viewed as compensation for having to put with my posts This will be payday in 5 days Wishing Sal a speedy recovery! When Phil did return I thought there was someone on here who loved him and thought they'd maybe left the forum or didn't watch anymore. Hopefully Sal still got to enjoy those episodes.

Same as @wizardt™, I will donate when I’m home from work