THE Bolton Evening News has been at the heart of the community for 136 years and we are proud of the role we have played in the life of the town.

We believe that we provide an unrivalled package of news, sport and information from Bolton and around the world. But, most importantly the Bolton Evening News is your paper. We fight for Bolton and are happy to champion local causes. Last year we set up the Bolton Evening News Coronary Care Appeal which has now raised more than £800,000 towards a new heart unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

We have also campaigned to reduce the levels of street crime and we won our fight to save the town's magistrates courts from closure. Today, in the run up to Local Newspaper Week beginning on May 5, we are asking young people to bring us positive news from their communties. Stories that will inspire others. Stories that illustrate triumph over adversity.

Or, stories that simply show how young people can make a difference. These prestigious awards recognise excellence in local reporting among people aged 14-30, who write about the valuable work carried out by young people in their communities. The prize for each winner will be an interview with TV presenter Cat Deeley. Winners and runners up will be presented with a certificate by the Prince of Wales at a special ceremony at St James's Palace. This year there will be two categories in the awards, one for professional journalists and one for non professionals from the local community. For full details refer to the panel on this page.

A selection of entries will be published in the Bolton Evening News.