THE Bournemouth Daily Echo is proud to be supporting Local Newspaper Week - a campaign which celebrates the role of trusted local newspapers in their communities.

Starting today (Monday) the annual LNW will see hundreds of local newspapers across the UK join forces to shout about the industry’s unique strengths.

Run by Local Media Works, the local marketing arm of the News Media Association, this year's event will celebrate local newspapers’ campaigning successes.

A total of 28 powerful campaigns from the past year have been shortlisted for the Making a Difference award which will be decided by an online public vote.

Each of the campaigns are strong examples of how daily and weekly local newspapers benefit their communities by getting behind a worthy cause which matters to their readers. Whether it’s a fundraising drive to raise cash for families hit by floods, or a campaign against cuts to local public services, local papers deliver real results for the communities they serve.

The Making a Difference vote will stay open until 5pm on Wednesday (17 May) and the winner will be announced at the Society of Editors Regional Press Awards on Friday (19 May).

This year, LNW follows directly on from the local media industry’s Fighting Fake News campaign which the Echo promoted both in print and online last week.

LNW unashamedly seeks to shout about what trusted local newspapers contribute to our society. We hope that you will join us in this celebration of local democracy, freedom of speech, and the importance of highly trusted local newspaper journalism.