Since 1843, the Weston Mercury has been there with you.

Right now, we reach more of you in print and via digital than we ever have before.

But now more than ever before, our work to inform and entertain you is in danger - and we need your help to build a sustainable future for our title.

Over the years we’ll have made you think, made you smile, made you angry, made you proud of our region.

Alongside the news and entertainment we report on daily, we have also done much to support the town and its people.

The Mercury organised a fundraising ball, starring Cliff Richard, in memory of Jill Dando in 2000. The ball raised £65,000 to pay for a consultant at Weston Hospicecare.

World-renowned street artist Banksy gave 100 free Dismaland tickets to Mercury readers, giving them exclusive access to the opening night of the exhibition at Weston’s Tropicana in 2015.

We raised £250,000 for a scanner for Weston General Hospital so patients no longer had to use the equipment in Bristol.

We gave out 2,000 books to primary schools in North Somerset, with the help of readers and local businesses.

Our Go Kids Go scheme, which we run with Weston Lions, has seen more than £75,000 given out to youth groups in the area.

Today, with journalism already under pressure and coronavirus making finances even tighter, more and more communities are losing their local newspapers.

This can mean corruption goes unpunished, bad decisions go unchecked and fake news spreads uncorrected on social media.

To stop that happening in our region, we are inviting readers of our websites to give their financial support to our work. You can contribute any amount you like, as a one-off or a recurring contribution.

I believe that accurate, useful, honest, local journalism is vital to our future and I know you believe that too.

That’s why I hope you will help us. Every single gesture of support will keep us fighting for you and our region.

Thank you

Vicky Angear, Editor