Without fear or favour - making your voices heard in Cookstown, Magherafelt, Maghera, Moneymore, Draperstown...

Easy. Three years is just a blip in the 150 plus years that the Mail has been delivering local news.

To state the obvious, a title like the Mid Ulster Mail is only as good as the people who contribute to it.

Every week, we start afresh with a blank canvass, and only for the skill, dedication, inspiration and hard work of our small team of reporters, the paper would largely remain blank.

Resolute in their commitment to serving the needs of the community, they have also bravely stood up against wrong doing.

Without fear or favour, has been the old cliché which the staff at the Mail have embodied during my time here.

However, it is the connection with YOU the reader - your tip-offs, sports reports, community notes, graduation photographs, and even your vociferous complaints - are what make the Mail such a cornerstone of the community.

Only when we connect, can we make our voices heard.