This week we celebrate the unique way we focus on local life as part of Holding our Community together, our campaign to raise awareness launched last week.

This focuses on the impact made by your local newspaper every week.

The lives of people living locally are central to our news, with their highs and lows featured on our pages and on our website, just as we have reported on local events throughout our history.

Even when our community was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdowns, we have stayed true to our aim of reporting on what matters to our community.

We are privileged to hold a unique place in local life by reporting on the everyday stories which social media and other digital news providers do not document.

Continuing our approach of being the news brand of record, we feature the clubs, groups, teams and individuals who combine to make our community.

This includes local youth groups, junior sports teams, volunteers, civic organisations and community figureheads like our mayors.

Nobody, we believe, understands our community like your trusted local news brand, so we continue to feature the community work of our public services, the police, fire service, NHS and teaching staff, as well as all those who work for our local authorities to make a difference to our region.

Recently, we have brought you news such as

Environmental groups taking a stand against the ever-growing reality of climate change and the incredible things they are doing to raise awareness.

Youngsters taking it upon themselves to raise money to support their local RNLI stations and lifeguards and all the incredible community groups who selflessly and tirelessly work to help others who are in need without ever asking for accolades or awards.

We’ve reported the welcome return of fetes, bus days, fairs and events that, we, like you have missed more than anything over these very difficult, past 18-months.

You our readers are amazing! and you inspire us each and every day to carry on and keep doing what we do.

We see it as our responsibility to bring you the human-interest stories which may not make the headlines outside our town or region but mean a great deal to the people living here.

Hardly a week goes by without us able to report on a moving story of family members carrying out amazing tributes to relatives or fundraisers to help a friend or relative in need.

Just this week we reported the incredible memorial held in memory of Ryan Soper whose friends and loved ones marched up through Totnes town centre to the Civic Square on Friday, accompanied by a soundtrack of his favourite songs to raise money for to cover his funeral costs.

We brought the community information via our websites and social media to inform them of fuel shortages aiming to give you daily updates along the way.

We shared with you the feelings of sadness when a much-loved Inn and four properties were lost in a tragic fire.

We’ve asked you to help Salcombe town council with finding their citizen of the year, and hope you can nominate someone who you think is an unsung hero.

We’ve informed you of the state-of-the-art fish pass will help turn the tide on the River Dart’s diminishing salmon numbers by aiding passage to their natal spawning grounds, and told you how important a role the South Hams plays in the population boom of the Cirl Bunting.

Serving this area since 1854, we believe nobody understands our community and shines a light on everyday life like us.

As part of the community, we hold a unique place in being able to document your lives, giving encouragement to those who give back and a voice to those who need help.

While the printed newspaper is integral to our service, we can use our websites and other digital platforms to reach many more people, driving interest in the life in our community.

With our social media reach, we are also able to engage with people far and wide about the work of people in our area. The technology may change but our purpose remains the same. We want to celebrate the best of local life.

We hope you will continue to send in all the important news for our community to appear in your trusted weekly newspaper or on our website, as we play our part in the recovery from the pandemic.

Whether it is the latest fundraiser event for a good cause, a group of volunteers who have rolled their sleeves up to help or friends who want to place a memorial for a loved one now gone, we will continue to share your news.

Thank you for continuing to share your news through our Kingsbridge and Salcombe Gazette, Totnes Times, Ivybridge and South Brent Gazette and The Dartmouth Chronicle, holding our community together.

Tom Ladds

editor