I think that most of us who work in local newspapers appreciate what a unique job we do and what a privileged position we hold at the heart of the communities we serve, writes regional editor Liz Davies.

Some of us having been doing it for many years while others were just beginning to forge a new career in journalism when Coronavirus plunged us into a pandemic and turned life as we knew it, on its heels.

Since March the Cambrian News has had its fair share of change but what I hope hasn’t changed, is our dedication to bringing the very best in local and community news to our readers, and even to putting a local slant on to what is happening in the Senedd and at Westminster, all of which has an impact on our lives.

I may only be a caretaker editor but I realise only too well the huge responsibility of looking after a newspaper that has been serving the needs of its community and making its readers laugh, cry and occasionally roll their eyes since 1860.

Today’s Cambrian News may be very different to the one of 140 years ago with more people than ever reading the paper on our website and following our title and its staff on social media but we’d like to think that the core ethos remains the same, and that nobody understands our community like we do - so with that in mind we wanted to shout about the difference we make.

This week we are launching Holding Our Community Together, our campaign to raise awareness about the impact made by your local newspaper every week.

Although the last 18 months have disrupted everyday life in ways few of us could have imagined, we remain proud about the positive difference our paper and our sister titles across Wales have made during the pandemic and successive lockdowns.

Through the seemingly endless lockdown, we worked hard to keep our local communities up to date with how the ever-changing situation affected them. We paid tribute to our NHS and essential service heroes with pictures and stories of those who were going above and beyond to keep our communities safe and looked after, and as we slowly began to emerge from lockdown we helped support local businesses as they started to re-open.

We’ve tried to keep you informed with the latest news from your councils... and where we can, to hold them to account for decisions they take which impact our daily lives.

But that is a small part of what we do - for any local paper, to be successful, has to reflect its community and the people who make it up... so our stories have to be about YOU and that’s what makes us unique.

Our paper is built on reporting stories about local people, whether it is the everyday milestones in their lives or their extraordinary achievements.

The world may have changed but what we do has remained reassuring the same as it always has been and we are proud of the unique place we hold in local life.

We are grateful to all our readers old and new for your continued support and look forward to meeting even more of you in person and sharing all the important news for our community, both in our newspaper and on our website.

One thing however will always remain the same - we will continue to 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. We really couldn’t do it without your and your stories.