This week the Wellington Weekly News is launching Holding Our Community Together, our campaign to raise awareness about the impact made by your local newspaper every week.

The last 18 months have disrupted everyday life in ways few of us could have imagined but we remain proud about the positive difference our brand has made during the pandemic and successive lockdowns.

Just as we have done for generations, we have reported on life in our area through the bad times and the good. With people reading our website and following our title and its staff on social media, we are reaching more people than ever before.

No-one understands our community like your trusted local newspaper, so we wanted to shout about the difference we make.

We take pride in the reach, audience engagement and editorial coverage we deliver and the impact we make each week in the area we serve.

During the pandemic, we have covered how our local communities have responded to the challenges of the Covid-19 crisis. Having published news in this area since 1860 we can confidently say no-one understands our community, their strengths and challenges, like us.

As well as holding deep local knowledge, we occupy an unrivalled position celebrating the achievements of our people and holding to account those in authority when questions need to be raised for the public interest.

We can point to the unique ways we have highlighted local issues great and small in recent weeks, including road safety on the A38, the staffing crisis at Wellington Youth Centre, the prospects of a new Lidl supermarket and efforts to restore a post office in Wellington.

But we are not here just to report on the problems we have faced. Our brand is built on reporting stories about local people, whether it is the everyday milestones in their lives or their extraordinary achievements.

The good news stories we have enjoyed sharing with you recently include the completion of the restoration of Wellington Monument, pearly queen Madge Covey receiving her British Empire Medal, local students’ GCSE and A-level successes and the £20,000 appeal by All Saints’ Church at Rockwell Green to repair its spire.

The world has changed and continues to change, yet we are proud of the unique place we hold in local life.

We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to sharing all the important news for our community, both in your trusted weekly newspaper and on our website, as we rebuild from the shock of the pandemic.

Most of all, we will value the unique place we hold in the community, reporting on local life as a trusted voice for you. Thank you for supporting us as we carry on, holding our community together.