WE can now be in no doubt that our whole way of life is under threat from the new coronavirus, Covid-19.

We are battling a deadly new enemy - one that threatens our existence as individuals, and the local communities in which we all live.

In these challenging and uncertain times, we need to arm ourselves with one of the oldest and most powerful weapons we have.

We need kindness; but with social distancing and restricted travel, we need new ways of deploying it.

The National Emergencies Trust has been set up to respond to a crisis like this. It is raising money nationally to help those who most in need our support. By working with 48 local Community Foundations, across the country, we can get help to where it is needed most – at the local level, across North Yorkshire and County Durham.

If you are a local charity and need support, you can find your local Community Foundation at www.tworidingscf.org.uk.

And if you can donate anything at all, as an individual or business, please visit www.nationalemergenciestrust.org.uk.

We are all in this together, and we can all help each other.

Lord Dannatt, Chairman of the National Emergencies Trust, London