Sunderland Speaks: Tell us what life is really like in the city

Well, here is your chance.

Today, the Echo launches a new series, Sunderland Speaks.

We want to hear from you about what life is like in your part of the city. What you’re proud of in your community and also what you don’t like about your neighbourhood.

It’s also a chance to hail the people who make a real difference to the area where you live. The unsung heroes and community champions who you feel deserve a bit more credit.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be going out and about across different areas of the city to produce a series of features on what life is like in those neighbourhoods. So if you’ve got something to highlight, then now is the time to do so.

Joy Yates, JPIMedia Editorial Director North East, said: “The Sunderland Echo has always been at the heart of the city and our new Sunderland Speaks series is a chance for people to tell us about life where they live.

“It’s about telling us what’s great about where you live, what could be better and who are the people that deserve praise for their efforts in our communities.

“We know from previous feedback that issues like litter matter to people, which is why we launched our ongoing Clean Streets campaign for a tidier Sunderland.

“Now, with Sunderland Speaks, we hope to really get to the heart of what matters to people in their local neighbourhoods and I’m hoping we receive lots of responses.”

SUNDERLAND SPEAKS - WHAT IS IT?

It's exactly what the name says.

It's YOUR chance to have your say on life where you live.

Over the coming months, the Echo will be coming to a street near you to profile what life is really like across Wearside.

We'll be putting a series of features together about what goes on in the different neighbourhoods across the city - and we need your help!

We want to hear from you about what it is that you love most about your neighbourhood - whether it's beaches, parks, a favourite shop or pub, a popular community class or an unsung charity champ who deserves a bit of credit.

And we also want to hear what you think could be better about where you live. Again, that could be anything. Be it litter, law and order, public transport. It's your call.

HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?

It's very easy. Take part in our simple survey and answer the easy-to-follow questions. Click here to do the quick survey.

These will help us get to the heart of what matters most in the areas where you live.

Each community in Sunderland will have different priorities, so the more you tell us, the more we can highlight the right issues.

And if you want to feature more prominently in any of our reports then you can also get in touch via the same 'Sunderland Speaks' email, which is [email protected].