Since 1971, the Comet 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, 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.

Publishing editions for Stevenage, Letchworth and Hitchin, we came into life as the successor of a newspaper called the Hertfordshire Pictorial.

Now, as we prepare to celebrate our 50th anniversary, you might not remember that for the first four weeks of our existence we were known as the Sun, changing our name after pressure from the national newspaper of the same name!

Over the last half-century we have celebrated local heroes, covered Cup runs and local festivals, but also shone a light on waste and greed.

Today, with journalism already under pressure and coronavirus making finances even tighter, more and more communities are no longer represented by a local newspaper. Corruption goes unpunished. Bad decisions go unchecked. 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

Anne Suslak, Editor