Welcome to a new year.

As we all know, the stroke of midnight often comes with a sense of “new”, from new adventures, new goals and a new outlook on life.

While many of us have locked in one or all of the above, what brought us to make that commitment differs.

In some cases, people are keen to break away from bad habits or experiences, while others simply want to embrace the clean slate 2024 can offer, or carry on what they started in 2023.

For me, 2023 was full of unknowns and challenges. However, it’s important not to let those times overshadow the good. And, as I look back, there were plenty of great moments that will be forever etched in my history book.

At the top of that list was, without a doubt, marrying my best friend.

A few challenges followed soon after, including my redundancy from Alexandra Wastebusters, which closed down in the middle of the year.

While it was tough on my bank balance and mental state, I’ve come out the other side, back into the world of journalism.

So, here I am and I will be forever grateful.

I’ve had a great time reconnecting with Central Otago’s wide ranging communities, from sports groups to artists and social clubs to service groups and everyone in between.

Our team at The Central App takes a lot of pride in being able to share your stories and we can’t wait to tell many more of them in 2024.

So, if you hear of someone doing great things, or you have your own story to tell, we want to hear about it.

Let’s see how much news we can pack into 2024 together.

You can share your news by emailing [email protected]