IT is no exaggeration to say that the current coronavirus crisis has had a damaging effect on many businesses.

Our job at the Warrington Guardian is to help those who need our support during good times as well as bad, whether that’s highlighting the dedicated work people are doing in the community, providing publicity for those wanting to get their message out to the public, or campaigning for those whose voices aren’t heard.

But times are also extremely challenging for the local newspaper industry, and the Warrington Guardian is no exception.

The pandemic has hit us hard as the lockdown has led to declining advertising revenues, and as people are urged to stay at home that in turn means they are more reluctant to go out to the shops to pick up a copy of the paper each week.

Of course we completely understand this and we have been doing our best to continue providing unrivalled news coverage for our town both in print, on our website and across our social media platforms.

But in order for us to continue providing trusted local news and information we still need the funds to support our important journalism.

That’s why we are now offering you the opportunity to have your local newspaper delivered safely to your door, and the chance to register for a digital subscription for our website, so we can continue to provide you with the best service.

It is easy to get the Warrington Guardian delivered – just call 0800 953 0227 and our home delivery team will take your details securely over the phone.

We will arrange for the paper to be brought to your door free of any delivery charges for the next six weeks, over the peak of the pandemic, and you may have an elderly relative, neighbour or friend that this could be ideal for too.

Warrington Guardian:

If you would rather have a digital subscription, this will give you unlimited online access to your local news.

Registering for a digital subscription costs less than £1 a week and gives you access to a wide range of site features and content.

For those of you who do not wish to support us through a digital subscription, much of our content will still be free to read.

You will not need to subscribe for major breaking news stories, and vital coronavirus news and information will continue to be provided for free.

Please consider supporting us with either a home delivery newspaper order or a digital subscription. There’s never been a more important time to do so.

Local journalism is absolutely vital and we have fought for our communities for almost 170 years.

Warrington Guardian:

We are determined to ensure we are still doing so long into the future and by introducing this small charge for our work we can invest in a sustainable future which will allow us to continue to hold power to account, celebrate the brilliant work being done in our communities - for example through our Inspiration and Schools Awards - cover council meetings and court proceedings, analyse Ofsted reports and care home inspections, and so much more.

We really do hope you understand why we have taken this step and hope you continue to support what we do either by buying the printed newspaper and/or by subscribing online.

To find out more about our digital subscription service click here. And if you do decide to support us, please let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

You can email us at newsdesk@guardiangrp.co.uk

Thank you.

Hayley Smith

Warrington Guardian editor