As Sheffield goes into lockdown - we're right by your side

It felt strangely emotional as we locked up the newsroom and had a final dash around the shops in the city centre on the day before lockdown.

We are now on a mission to help Sheffielders support our own shops and businesses, even from the comfort of our sofas. We will be sharing the best Steel City gifts, the tastiest locally brewed beers and the charity presents that will make a difference in your neighbourhoods.

Our brilliant photographers will also still be out beating the pavements so you can see exactly what lockdown looks like, without having to leave your home.

We can only do what we do thanks to the thousands of Sheffielders who buy a newspaper and take out a digital subscription.

That also gives access to some brilliant exclusive content.

We have a fantastic new puzzles section with crosswords, sudoku and wordwheels - perfect for autumn evenings during lockdown if you want to keep those little grey cells in shape. You can also enjoy exclusive podcasts and newsletters straight to your inbox.

And people who subscribe benefit from a faster, ad-lite experience, with up to 70 per cent fewer ads than readers who don't subscribe.

It also gives access to some of the very best reminders of old Sheffield from our unbeatable archives. Who doesn't feel happier at the sight of the Hole in the Road or Redgates?

Our football team will be among the very few people allowed inside Bramall Lane and Hillsborough so they can bring you every kick, every goal and hopefully an upturn in results for both Sheffield teams in November.

They will also be on the road wherever the teams go so they can answer your questions every step of the way. We know being unable to get to games means football fans have more opinions than ever and in their unique position, so do our experts. They'll make you laugh, they might make you cry and they are the very best way to keep close to your team.

In the meantime, The Star team will do our very best to raise a smile and give you the odd giggle as well as sharing all those incredible stories of Sheffielders doing things for others in a way that truly warms the cockles of your heart. We will also keep bringing you the latest need-to-know covid facts and figures so you have the complete picture of exactly what is happening in your neighbourhood.

We separate the fact from the fiction and give you a direct line to advice from our hospitals, council and emergency services.

2020 has shown just how important local journalists are and, right now, we need your support more than ever.

We know Sheffield because we, like you, are Sheffield. We share your highs and lows, we have covered the city through it's darkest days and celebrated alongside you in its greatest hours.

We love being your voice on tough days and your friend when you need a lift, as The Star has since 1887.