The coronavirus pandemic is the biggest challenge journalists and commercial teams at The Hunts Post have faced in living memory.

You may have heard the phrase “news desert”? It has been coined in America to describe what is left behind when a local newspaper closes down and the community it served is suddenly left without a source of credible and comprehensive news and information.

You can guess what happens next in those places when the vital scrutiny that a campaigning, investigative local newspaper provides is gone; when no-one is there to shine a light on that which is hidden from the public.

I am determined that Huntingdonshire will never become a news desert - and I need your help to stop that from happening.

That’s why I’m asking you to give your financial support to our work. You can contribute any amount you like, as a one-off or a recurring contribution.

We’re delighted to serve so many of you - but please understand that trusted journalism costs money to produce, and the money we make from digital page views is a fraction of that from paper sales.

Our advertising revenues have been hit byt the pandemic and also by the tech giants, many of whom pay little or no tax here.

Please be assured, however, that we are still determined to continue to keep fighting for you and our area.

In recent years, we have campaigned and fought on behalf of our community and we will continue to do that.

Many readers will remember the newspaper’s organ donor campaign which pushed forward the idea that people should opt out of organ donation rather than opt in. We don’t take credit for the recent change in the law, but we were there at the forefront of this campaign and feel proud that we played a small part in opening up the debate.

For many years the future of Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s A&E department hung in the balance and we made sure we were behind that campaign to ensure the people of Huntingdonshire continued to have access to the health services they deserve and were not forced to travel to Cambridge and Peterborough for vital services.

During the last few months we have stood shoulder to shoulder with our communities during the coronavirus pandemic. Very early on we took the decision to recognise our NHS and frontline workers with our Hunts Post Heroes feature. We know it was appreciated and we are proud of every single person who walked out of their front door to go to work - fully aware of the risks.

So please help us to continue with this work by making a contribution to support award-winning local journalism that makes a measurable difference to our community.

Every single gesture of support will help to ensure Huntingdonshire does not become a news desert.

Thank you

Debbie Davies