Somehow, then, this is the 300th of these columns, which given the odd holiday here and there means that I have being doing this writing gig for six years.

Or to measure out in Prime Ministers, that’s the equivalent of two Boris Johnsons or – gulp – forty-eight Liz Trusses.

I’ve done a lot of different jobs over that time, in terms of writing and teaching and editing, but sitting down to do the column remains one of my favourite parts of the week.

OK, so sometimes I wake up with a lurch on Tuesday morning, wondering what on earth I’m going to write about by lunchtime.

But it’s always extremely enjoyable to write – and maybe even occasionally to read.

Having a column in a local paper is a fortunate and privileged position to be in: it’s allowed me to meet up with so many fascinating people, from authors to artists, campaigners to playwrights.

It has offered me a ringside seat to everything from Novichok to Covid.

It’s taught me to dig out my tin hat whenever you want to write about cars or bicycles or Stonehenge and tunnels. And especially Brexit.

Local news matters. And it matters to local people as well. Research shows that forty million people read local news in print and online every month.

Not only that, but the levels of trust remains extraordinarily high – a recent survey for Newsworks/OnePoll revealed that 81 per cent of people trust the news and information they receive in local papers, a seven per cent rise since a previous survey five years ago.

At the same time, it can sometimes feel as though the vultures are circling for local media. Look at what has happened to radio.

Previously popular independent stations like Spire FM in Salisbury and The Breeze in Andover and Basingstoke have been amalgamated into the national Greatest Hits Radio station.

The BBC, meanwhile, has been cutting back the provisions for its local output: less separate shows and more regional broadcasts across multiple stations.

When communities lose their local media, they’re unlikely to get it back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

And then what is your source for local news? A Facebook group? That bloke down the pub?

Who would be there to independently hold local politicians and councillors to account?

Democracy needs decent information to function.

Without it, then our news sources disappear into unregulated bubbles and social media silos.

And as the increased council tax bill lands your on doorstep, you don’t know what to think, except they’re all the same, aren’t they?

So thank you for reading. Sounds small, but makes a big difference: local papers support the local community, but only continue if the local community supports the local paper.