Everything I thought I wanted to write in this week's reflection on the news in Maldon suddenly evaporated yesterday (Saturday, 31 October) as it became clear that we are about to go back into lockdown.

Just a week ago, the town's independent shops were celebrating the success of Fiver Fest and getting the buzz back to the High Street again.

On Wednesday, I was honoured to draw the Fiver Fest raffle and celebrate that sense of excitement at returning success, with the build-up to Christmas stretching in front of us.

Over the last three months since Maldon Nub News launched, I have met so many interesting people and found, once again, how incredible people are – their life stories, the challenges they have overcome, the dreams they have built. I say once again because I was a local journalist and editor some years ago before moving on to training journalists instead.

I have been proud to see some of the students I taught find that success they worked so hard for, but a return to local journalism was something I started to dream of again. It has meant re-discovering that world of ordinary people and their extraordinary lives and achievements in a way that makes me feel more privileged than I know how to express.

It has, of course, been more difficult to do that in the year of the pandemic. Meeting people in person is often swapped for interviews on Zoom. Even in person, trying to read expressions, to understand exactly what someone is trying to say and to smile back is always just a bit more difficult when wearing a mask and at a distance. But it can, like so many things, be overcome.

And so it is my sincere hope now, in the face of this new lockdown, that many dreams that could be lost will not be. That somehow this community will support each other again through this and that wherever possible, we can carry on buying from independent businesses, look after the vulnerable and protect each other – and, yes, look towards Christmas with the hope that we can at least know we have all made the most of this, the most difficult of years.

I hope that Maldon Nub News will be able to publicise the offerings of those businesses offering online, take-away and delivery services. I hope that where people need to know about volunteer and other services out there, we will be able to help. And I hope that through this, there will be at least some good news stories to report and, I am sure, many interesting things to write about our beautiful town and district and the amazing community we live in.

Please, if businesses, volunteers and services out there feel Maldon Nub News can help to get the word out, whatever it is, then get in touch. We are here to help.

As one of my personal heroes, Leonard Cohen, put it, let's "ring the bells that still can ring".