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 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:

Arthur Simmons who is taking on the London Marathon in aid of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices this weekend after using running to help cope with the death of his son last year;

Exclusive news that six councils have come together to purchase Tice’s Meadow in Farnham, saving the nature reserve from housing;

84-year-old Keith Donnison’s recollections of his epic overland journey to Nepal, including the time he was caught skinny-dipping by nuns in Iran!

And confirmation that £800,000 has been secured to transform a disused village hall in Bordon into pioneering ‘pod’ homes for the homeless and those seeking refuge.

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.

In recent times we have reported extensively on the cross-council programme to finally do something about Farnham’s pollution and congested roads, supported the area’s pandemic relief efforts, as well as covering the good-news stories that emanate from local flower and horticultural shows, when we publish reports, photographs and all the results, naming the delighted prize winners.

Serving this area since 1892 – we started letting readers in Farnham know what was happening in their locality then, and our papers came later in Haslemere (1896), Alton (1899), Bordon (1971) and Liphook (2003) – 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 fundraising 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 the Herald, holding our community together.