The Medway Messenger supported charity and community causes to the value of £281,000 over the past year, we can reveal.

Figures released by the KM Medway Group’s in-house charity team to mark Local Newspaper Week show just how far the combination of coverage, support and the organisation of KM-branded charity activities went towards helping some of the most deserving causes across the county during 2015.

Across Kent, the total of community support is valued at £2.3m. This is made up of £423,000 from fundraising events and £1.9m of media space given over to promote charity events and good causes.

In the Medway area, the annual KM Big Charity Quiz staged at the St George’s Hotel, Chatham, raised more than £10k.

Events staged by the KM Charity Team included the KM Big Bike Ride in east Kent which raised £13k for charity, KM Dragon Boat Race in Maidstone raised £100k for good causes, abseil challenges in Maidstone and Folkestone raised £30k, KM Colour Run in Dover which raised £8k for charity and KM Big Charity Walk.

KM Group chairman Geraldine Allinson said: “KM Group is fully committed to supporting Kent and Medway charities across all our media. I am delighted that the figures for the last year once again demonstrate this.

“I believe that no other media company in Kent can come anywhere near KM’s dedication in this area. Thank you to our readers, kmfm listeners, customers, the KM Charity Team and all my colleagues for making this possible.”

Charities have said that by linking up with the papers, kmfm and KentOnline, they have enjoyed growth from the publicity generated by extensive press coverage, which has encouraged donations.

During 2016, the Messenger’s charity of the year is Medway Youth Trust.

Last year we supported Abigail’s Footsteps and other local charities to be backed include The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice and the Oliver Fisher Special Care Baby Trust.

The figures were revealed during Local Newspaper Week, which highlights the important role played by local papers in communities across the UK.

Local news is reaching more people than ever before – 40 million people read a local paper in print or online every week, and many of these are actively engaging with their local newspaper and the issues being covered.

Research shows that nine out of 10 people spend the majority of their time and money within five miles of home and they are proud of the area they live in.

In addition to its charity support, the Medway Messenger is also involved in initiatives to promote community engagement and celebrate the Towns' successes. These include Pride in Medway and the Medway Business Awards, which have run for 15 and 32 years respectively.