IT'S exactly one year since the Evening Press went compact - and what a great year it's been.

It was a year in which Royal Ascot came to York and the eyes of the world focused on our city.

Day after day, we brought you reports and pictures of the royal spectacular, the celebrities, fashions and fun in a series of Ascot supplements.

It was the year York City Knights topped their division and earned promotion to National League One. And we were there to record the ups and downs of York City, now enjoying a promising start to their new campaign.

Sport has always been a crucial part of local life and we have recognised that by introducing our new, free weekly sports supplement every Monday.

We have reported the triumphs and tragedies, heartache and joy of ordinary people in York and North and East Yorkshire in an unrivalled local news and sports package.

Our Business Awards gather greater prestige every year and our new Community Pride Awards are helping seek out and reward the true local heroes.

We have run campaigns on the issues that affect you and our local information and leisure and lifestyle package has never been better or brighter.

Our extended letters pages have been crammed to overflowing with your views and every week we have been able to offer you an assortment of free offers, discount deals and competition prizes galore.

We also launched our education and health pages, a new feature, Your Story, to our popular family announcements section, and Feelgood Friday, where we prove that the news doesn't always have to be doom and gloom.

And if you've not tried it already, there are our fiendish new double Sudoku puzzles.

But if the last year was a great one, wait until you see what we have in store in the year ahead.

We are still evolving in our compact format and we have some exciting plans.

We have listened to what you - the readers - want and we are continuing to strengthen and develop our all-round local news, information and entertainments package. There will be new added-value, in-paper products and we already have more great, free reader offers in the pipeline.

There's an exciting journey ahead and we want you there with us. The Evening Press is your local newspaper - help us move forward together.

:: Free chocolates for our readers

TO celebrate our anniversary, we've teamed up with Nestle to offer you a FREE box of After Eight Lemon Sorbet worth £2.79 with your purchase of tonight's (Tuesday, September 6, 2005) Evening Press. This fantastic offer is valid just for today and only on purchase of tonight's newspaper.

If you receive your copy at home, via your newsagent, this offer will be waiting for you when you settle your weekly account in store; if you receive your copy through our own Press Direct network you will receive your chocolates when you settle your account. Please note the closing date for collection of your chocolates is Tuesday, September 13.

These will only be available from your delivery outlet. Closing date for delivery via Press Direct is also Tuesday, September 13, 2005.

If you bought your newspaper over the counter and did not receive your free box of After Eights contact the outlet where you made your purchase. You must do this by 10 am tomorrow, after which time the offer ends.

Morrisons and Marks and Spencer are not participating in this promotion.

Updated: 09:53 Tuesday, September 06, 2005