Look at any newspaper and you will see stories of disasters, conflict, and debates. Pat Brough of Easthampton knew there was more out there and that there was plenty of “good news” missed each day, especially around his home in Easthampton. “I learned early that the news often gets a story and we hear what they want,” says Brough. So, he created Easthampton’s “Good News” page on Facebook.

Brough hopes this page will help convey that good news which is often surpassed by the mainstream media. From weather and traffic updates, to concerts and new businesses, the Easthampton 10027 Good News Page has it all. Brough says, “I had been getting annoyed with the local media always finding bad things to report about Easthampton… so with that I started the page for fun.”

The page was started in August of 2010 and has since accumulated more than 4,140 likes as of May 23, 2014. These followers are from forty different countries. “I am really amazed at that,” says Brough, who had not looked at the statistics for his page previously. He says, “I like to think the page is reaching people that are interested in our community.”

The content on the page ranges from practical information about traffic, weather, and cancellations to lost pet notifications, new businesses, little league games, school events, and, as Brough says, “the good that always happens here.”

Although Brough posts daily, often multiple times a day, other people post on the page regularly as well. Brough tries to repost the good stories from others so everyone sees them. “Many people reach out to share good things or help find someone or something,” says Brough.

In addition to “good news”, this page also serves as a place to exhibit Brough’s photography, a longtime hobby of his. Brough says, “it has been really fun sharing our city through pictures on the page.” One of Brough’s favorite stories is of an email he received from a Easthampton resident whose son is son is stationed in Afghanistan. Midway through summer in 2013, Brough posted and gathered other’s photographs of a rare moose sighting in town. “He knew about the moose before she did on the other side of the world,” says Brough. These examples are not uncommon- many have thanked Brough and the work he has done on the Easthampton 01027 Good News page.

In an editorial sent to the Daily Hampshire Gazette on May 15th 2014, Alison Murchie describes the impact the Easthampton community had when finding her missing cat, Manu. “I first posted my plight on social media – a Facebook page called “Easthampton 01027 Good News” – and [Brough] put out the word that Manu was missing,” says Murchie. With the help of a mailman, concerned businesses, neighbors, and the Easthampton 01027 Good News page, Murchie was able to reunite with Manu eighteen days later.

Brough was not expecting the large following this page has gained. Brough says, “When I started the page I had hoped it would reach 100 people. I never guessed it would reach over 4,000.” He hopes it will continue to expand and reach up to 5,000 someday. “Hearing the good makes people feel good,” he adds.

In order to hear this good news yourself, like the Easthampton 01027 Good News page on Facebook and join the thousands who look at, comment, and post on it regularly.