In this hi-tech age we're bombarded with news and information from all sides, and you might be forgiven for thinking that in the 21st century, with its e-mail, the internet, citizen journalism, digital TV and podcasting, the good old ink-and-paper local rag has had its day.

Not a bit of it. Perhaps somewhat paradoxically, as our horizons broaden and we are given an insight into what's happening on the other side of the globe within seconds of it occurring, we seem to be reviving our interest in what's happening right on our doorstep.

More and more people are embracing local culture and spending more time and money on entertainment locally, in pubs, restaurants, and leisure and retail centres, according to research published by the Newspaper Society.

The research, entitled myuk, found that ease of travel and a rise in affluence has allowed people to spend more time out and about in their region.

This is shown through an increased appreciation of local differences among the UK population and a growing level of interest in local news and events.

It's that ethos which newspapers like your Telegraph & Argus embrace. Whenever there's a big news event in Bradford you can guarantee the TV companies and the national newspapers will arrive en masse to cover it - and not always sensitively, as many of you have found out.

But you can guarantee that the T&A will be here, day in and day out, reporting on local issues with a thorough depth of local knowledge and a complete understanding of what makes Bradford and district tick.

According to the Newspaper Society, 83.6 per cent of British adults - some 40 million people - read a regional newspaper, making it the most widely read medium in the country. Fifteen million more UK adults read a newspaper than listen to commercial radio. And, crucially in this information age, there are more than 500 regional press websites in the UK.

The T&A has recently re-launched its own website as www. thetelegraphandargus. co. uk, on which you'll find the best of the articles and features from the day's newspaper, plus breaking news stories that come in after our traditional deadlines have past, giving anyone with web access a rolling local news site.

The regional press is also considered by the UK population to be the most trustworthy media (say 20 per cent of those surveyed) followed by BBC TV (19 per cent).

This year, the theme of Local Newspaper Week is sport, and how it both brings communities together and encourages young people to get fit and get involved.

With the 2012 Olympics coming to Britain, local youngsters who excel at sports might well find themselves on the world stage in six years' time.

Newspapers like the T&A regularly promote and publicise our young athletes, both through news stories and the more in depth school sports pages in our sports section.

This week we'll be highlighting some of the work done in Bradford to promote sport as both a way towards a healthier lifestyle and potential stardom for some of our most talented young people.

Which is why Sir Steve Redgrave, five-time Olympic gold medal rower, is supporting Local Newspaper Week. He said: "As I recall the incredible interest and speculation in the world's media surrounding my retirement from the sport of rowing, I reflect on how this contrasted with the start of my career when just a handful of dedicated local journalists followed my training and competition progress.

"It is easy to forget, having achieved your dreams, about those people who showed faith in you at the start right through to the end. You don't often get a chance to thank the people in the background, taking the photographs, spotting your talent and writing about your success.

"It is quite likely that some of the people who watched me strain as I crossed the line in Sydney 2000, probably even some of the people who offered me financial support over the years, first saw a photograph of me or read an article in a local newspaper that inspired them to follow my career with interest and ultimately share in my Olympic success.

"Whether you like to read about yourself or not, after a hard morning training or a tough competition, as a young athlete, seeing your photograph in the press helps you to realise the scale of your achievements, that you had actually made, not just read the days news!

"Regional newspapers have run some fantastic campaigns to encourage people to improve their health and are a wealth of information for families to get active. From finding out about a new cycle path that has opened to a Jogathon or fun run taking place in the area, there is a sport or physical activity for everyone to do everyday in your local paper."

DAVID CAMERON, leader of the Conservative Party, writes: In the past few years, regional newspapers and broadcasters have enjoyed remarkable success. There are now some 1,300 regional newspapers and they are read by 40 million adults every week.

I think there are three key reasons that have contributed to this success. They are trusted, they address local concerns and they have adapted to change.

People have become more sceptical about both what they read in papers and what they are told by politicians. There is a need to restore trust. I have argued that we need a 'new politics' in which both politicians and the media adopt a more constructive approach to dealing with the challenges we face. Just as people have grown tired of 'Punch and Judy' politics, so too they have turned against partisan media reporting.

The regional press is the most trusted and believed of all media - in some cases they are trusted more than what people watch on television. I think this is because local papers write about the issues that affect people on a daily basis and, generally, adopt a constructive approach to reporting events. Local papers often form part of the community, share its values and so cannot afford to be intrusive or sensational.

The regional press has also been successful because it deals with local concerns. The answers to many of the challenges we face today are to be found through local action. People are taking more of an interest in their local community and want to do more to help in their community. Alongside this, there has been a growing interest in local news and information.

But the regional media has also adapted to change.

The regional media today is about more than just print on paper. As well as the 1,300 regional newspapers produced, there are now more than 500 web sites, 400 niche magazines and a host of radio and TV stations.

Readers are now interacting with their local paper via podcasting, blogging, mobile text and picture messaging and video streaming.

A strong, vibrant regional newspaper industry is important to all of us. That's why I am so pleased to congratulate all regional and local papers on their success and to offer my support to them and their readers in Local Newspaper Week.