EVERYONE picks up a copy of their local paper to find out what is going on in their community.

But one of the key roles of a local newspaper is to play an active role in helping the people it serves.

It is a role that is taken very seriously at the Evening Telegraph -- and we have a track record of success.

Our latest community project, The Magic Eye Appeal, will raise £200,000 for a state-of-the-art scanner to detect and help in the treatment of cancer.

It will help people throughout East Lancashire -- the heartland of our circulation area -- and already you, our readers, have given it your overwhelming help and support.

It follows on from the East Lancashire SuperScan appeal which raised more than £1million in 1998 for Blackburn Infirmary to buy machinery to detect an array of conditions and illnesses.

We campaign for the issues which affect your daily lives. The Save our Homes campaign, opposing the proposed closure of 35 of Lancashire County Council's 48 care homes, prompted more than 2,000 of you to fill in protest coupons.

Hundreds of you took part in our march through Burnley to show support for the campaign.

We saved the annual Witton Park Bonfire in Blackburn after the organisers threatened to axe it due to a lack of sponsorship. You responded to our appeals for help magnificently.

Our community directory is the local publication nobody can do without when they need information about local groups and organisations.

And on top of that, we sponsor a wide range of sporting events throughout East Lancashire.