We have made it. The new Millennium is here. Doomsayers who predicted the end of the world have been proved wrong, not for the first time. A whole era stands ahead of us; a blank canvas; a new beginning.

This realisation brings excitement and trepidation. We are charged with taking the world into the next age. What possibilities, what responsibilities.

In 2000, New Year resolutions take on a special meaning. They need not apply to just one year, but can span a thousand.

It is an opportunity too good to miss. At the Evening Press Millennium resolutions begin with a simple promise: we will continue to provide an unrivalled local news, sport and features service for our readers.

The form in which we deliver this service may change. During the last century the Evening Press evolved from an inky journal without editorial on the front page into a modern, colourful newspaper packed with photographs and graphics.

Recently we have produced the popular tabloid edition on Saturdays. And the biggest change of all, of course, is the online Evening Press, which published the first reports of York's Millennium celebrations on our website this weekend.

At the same time, we are responding to the changing needs of the readership by developing new publications. Among them are the Citizen's Guide, York What's On and Leisure Guides, providing vital information for locals and tourists alike.

We will continue to put the needs of our community first, no matter what the format or publication. The Evening Press is your newspaper. It will champion your causes and campaign for change wherever it is needed.

Our journalists will strive to bring you the full picture, daily. They are constantly working to bring you the news you need and want to read. We aim to expose the corrupt and lawless, to clarify the ambiguous and to hold our elected representatives to account.

Allied to this duty to inform is our mission to entertain. We are fortunate to cover one of the most beautiful and historic areas in the world, filled with creative, eccentric and often heroic people.

This lively mix will be reflected in the pages of the Evening Press. Newspapers can become weighed down with the gloomy and serious. Stories about the lighter side of life will keep your Press buoyant and bring a smile to your face.

The only people who can ensure we keep our Millennium resolutions are you, the readers. We rely on your input, and value your contributions. Please keep them coming.

Above all, this is your newspaper. With your continued support, we will keep delivering news, features and sport for another hundred years, and beyond.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.