When a video of me popped up on social media, shared by creator Evan Bnormal (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4Df_CgbhHWU), I never imagined millions of people would watch it — or that I'd end up on a trip to Iceland because of it.

But I'll tell you myself: the trip isn't the story.

The story is what happened next. People from Kenya, the USA, Australia, Singapore and Italy started reaching out — not just to say kind things about a video, but to ask how they could help. And what they were responding to was something much simpler: a group of volunteers who gather once a month to read the local news aloud, so that someone who can't read a printed paper doesn't lose touch with their own community.

That's what the Hambleton Talking Newspaper has quietly done for years. For people who are blind or partially sighted, or who simply can't read for themselves any more, losing access to the local paper can mean losing the thread of everything — who's died, what's happening at the church hall, whether the road's closed, what the council's decided. It's often one of the last regular links to home for someone who's largely housebound. Without it, isolation creeps in fast.

I never expected anything like this. But what's meant the most to me isn't the trip — it's knowing people understand why this matters.

Behind every recording is a small, dedicated team of volunteers and staff, gathering monthly to bring the news to life. It costs £8,600 a year to keep it running — and from September, we're taking on a paid editor to protect quality and reliability as demand grows.

We've never had a moment like this before. We may not get one again. Please help us turn a viral video into a year of guaranteed listening for the people who need it most.