WITH businesses across the country facing a tough time of it lately after the coronavirus pandemic changing the landscape dramatically, newspapers have not been immune to this.

With fewer events and people in lockdown advertising revenue across the industry is falling.

However, there are ways you can help. Simply buying a paper or taking out a digital subscription (for just £1 a week) can make the world of difference to local papers.

Here are seven reasons why you need your local paper:

1. By local people, for local people

At the Leader, we are local people who live on patch that truly care about the area.

Like most businesses recently due to lockdown, we've all had to work from home, your daily paper and 24/7 news coverage online is coming from the dining room tables and spare rooms of our editorial team. And our advertising team are also working remotely, able to help you with all your advertising needs from their own homes too.

2. Campaigns people care about

At the Leader, we're not afraid to get stuck in.

At the start of the lockdown we launched a campaign to help raise much needed funds for the Wrexham Maelor Hospital's League of Friends who had been forced to close their shops and cafes.

Thanks to you and Kellogg's of Wrexham who raised over £5,000 which will go towards vital hospital equipment.

Over the years we have been your voice. We have championed numerous causes that would not have come about if there was no local newspaper to champion them.

In partnership with Airbus we have given away thousands of pounds to local organisations over the past six years through our community awards.

3. Reporting the courts and keeping councils in check

Whether you enjoy reading our daily court reports or have been affected by some of the issues going on at the councils, this wouldn't get reported if it wasn't for a local newspaper.

This includes the ongoing bin charges stories to when your street's pot holes will be fixed. Things that affect you.

The issues that go on at council level affect us all, and whilst it may not be the most glamorous of stories, they are important, and we will continue to bring them to you.

The Leader:

4. Trusted local news

At the Leader, we pride ourselves in providing you, our readers, with local news you can trust. We make sure everything we print is 100% true.

At a time when you don't know who to trust, our small but mighty team are working around the clock to bring you news that is fact, not rumour.

This included at last December's general election, where the Leader brought you all the drama of the many recounts that were held.

We had reporters at all the counts in North Wales, getting the latest lines from the candidates and breaking the result first with live updates from our blog and on social media.

5. Championing local people

We love to support a local cause or person. This has been redoubled in recent times, as we tell you about the people across Wrexham and Flintshire doing their bit in the global battle against coronavirus.

We have brought you the story of father-of-three David Hamlington who was the first person to leave Wrexham Maelor Hospital after needing intensive care treatment for COVID-19 praising the staff for saving his life.

And Donna Vicary,39, from Rhos who thanked the “brilliant” police officers who rushed to her aid in a medical emergency.

Also the story of Ricki Bibi, owner of Manor Park Residential Home in Holt who made a desperate plea for government support after losing 60 per cent of her residents to Covid-19.

And Molly Jones Molly Jones a resident of Wellfield Residential Care Home in Hawarden who wrote to us to thank us for delivering copies of the Leader to the home.

She said: "We are not able to get out or have visitors so it was good to catch up on the local news and your reports on the coronavirus which were well covered."

Each week since lockdown we have asked you to send in your thanks to the keyworkers in our area, we have printed pictures of babies born in lockdown and missing you messages to your loved ones.

6. More than just Wrexham and Mold

Did you know we cover a much-wider circulation area than just Wrexham and Mold?

In the Leader, we also bring you news from right across bother authority areas from Gresford, Hope, Summerhill, Caia Park, Gwersyllt and Ruabon to Buckley, Connah's Quay, Saltney and Shotton and more.

The Leader:

7. On the front line with high-quality journalism

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we've still been working around the clock to bring you the newspaper you love, whether that be the extremely popular puzzle section, or the more hard-hitting articles about some of the issues we are facing.

How to subscribe...

Firstly, if you sign up for a newspaper delivery, the cost of delivery will be covered for the next six weeks. Trusted news, puzzles and entertainment delivered straight to your door throughout the pandemic.

For home delivery, call 0800 612 0888 and our home delivery team will take your details securely over the phone.

No need for you to worry about going to a shop to get the Leader. It’s there through your letter box, five days a week.

Secondly, you can have a digital subscription. For just £1 a week, you’ll have access to our entire archive, faster loading and fewer adverts on leaderlive.co.uk

Our pay wall is one of the most generous in the industry – and breaking news stories and those relating to important coronavirus updates will not be behind that pay wall.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

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 free to all users.