I hope all County Times readers have enjoyed a very merry Christmas and are looking forward to the New Year celebrations.

As always, 2007 has been a busy year and Horsham has had a lot to feel proud of.

Summer seems a lifetime ago but yet again Horsham triumphed in the Britain in Bloom competition, taking gold in the large town/small city category.

And none of us will forget the Hornets terrific FA Cup run. Getting through to a second round replay was a fantastic achievement. That was an unforgettably dramatic home match against Swansea City.

We've also enjoyed Horsham Music Week, Horsham Town Centre Festival and Billifest.

There have been other successes too – after years of campaigning the new night-time ban means train horns no longer blight the lives of people living close to railways.

Added to that, the campaign for a new acute hospital to serve the people of Horsham and Crawley has continued to gather momentum. Local people continue to sign up to the campaign in their thousands and as more and more stories of East Surrey hospital operating at breaking point reach my office I feel more and more determined to press ahead.

I don't need to remind readers that the public consultation on proposals to close some of our local post offices has just come to an end and we are awaiting the final decisions from Post Office Ltd.

Earlier in the year, however, the people of Southwater proved just how valued their post office was – after a brief period of closure they succeeded in seeing it reopened.

This was all down to a community fighting together and communities throughout the Horsham area certainly united in doing everything they could to save their threatened local branches.

And so, who knows what challenges and successes 2008 will bring?

One thing is for sure – the campaign team will continue to press for a new hospital. We won't let the people of north West Sussex continue to have to put up with inadequate hospital service.

All that remains is for me to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous New Year!