Happy new year to all our readers: Here's some of what 2022 has in store

First of all can I wish you a happy new year and thank you for your support of the Eastern Daily Press during 2021.

Whether it's in print or online, every day around 200,000 people read our stories and I am grateful to every single one of you.

Let's hope 2022 brings more good news than bad and regular readers who saw my column last week will know that I believe this year will bring brighter days - and the moving on from the impact of the pandemic that so many of us crave.

If you missed that column please do visit our website for a read.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/eastern-daily-press-editor-2023-prediction-8588906

Today marks a personal milestone, as it is exactly five years ago that I was honoured to be named editor of the Eastern Daily Press, something which had been a dream and ambition since my teenage years.

Who would have predicted that two of those years would be spent covering a pandemic that would cause tragedy all over the world and send us all into lockdown?

I remain incredibly proud of the efforts of all of our team during the past two years; to separate fact from fiction, keep people informed and keep people connected, in particular during those early days of lockdown.

I realise journalists aren't always flavour of the month with everyone, but come and spend a few hours in our newsroom and you'll witness a team of hard-working women and men who care passionately about the region and its people.

Of course being caring and passionate is not always enough and, as I've written before, our industry and the product so many of you enjoy, remains at something of a crossroads as we enter 2022.

So many of our habits have changed over the years and how people consume their news is just one of them. We spend lots of time pulling together a daily newspaper to be proud of, but as some of our readers migrate to online, it's becoming ever more important we get that offering right as well.

Over the course of 2022 it is the desire of my team and I to improve further both the printed product and the digital one.

We remain fortunate enough to have an incredibly strong team of experienced journalists in our newsroom. I believe our investigative journalism and coverage of local politics, business, education, court, health issues, crime, Norwich City - and so much more - is unrivalled in the industry.

Our correspondents are experts in their field and in 2022 we intend to increase their content, its depth and its analysis to offer you the most insightful coverage of issues in the region possible.

To do this comes at a cost of course. I've written recently about changes to our PinkUn offering, in which we are asking digital readers to pay a small price for the content they enjoy. In return we will deliver exclusive stories on a platform that is advert light and a pleasure to use.

To celebrate the launch of our new Pink Un+ football app we have lined up a money-can’t-buy super-bundle of prizes. (Image: Archant 2021)

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/eastern-daily-press-new-era-and-pinkun-8545244

Watch this space in 2022 for similar digital developments with our news and business content.

Whilst on the subject of price, it pleases me to say that we are able to yet again freeze the cost of your Eastern Daily Press as we enter 2022. Our industry is faced with crippling increases in the cost of producing newspapers. Energy bills are rising, as is the cost of paper.

However, we realise that every single one of you is faced with similar challenges, so those costs will not be offset by a price rise.

Once again thank you for your support. I feel so incredibly fortunate to be the custodian of a newspaper so many of you feel so passionate about, covering life in the most wonderful region in the country.