HOW important is your local newsagent?

There are places at the heart of our communities where you can’t help but bump into neighbours and catch up on the gossip, whether you are buying a newspaper or popping in for a pint of milk.

Now the Basingstoke Gazette is asking readers to tell us why their newsagent or convenience store is the best.

How important is your local newsagent to your community? Has it done anything remarkable? Has it seen generations of residents walk through the door?

Does your Basingstoke Gazette always arrive on time? Or are you just welcomed with a smiley face by the newsagent and able to pick up exactly what you want?

All those nominated will be in with a chance of being crowned the Newsquest Hampshire Newsagent for Weekly Titles of the Year.

The winning newsagent will not only get £100 in vouchers but will also be able to hang up its own plaque in the shop telling its locals it is the best in the South.

There will be a glitzy awards ceremony on May 8 at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading, where your most deserving newsagent will take the stage and be recognised for its tireless efforts in the area.

Now it is in your hands and you need to tell us which newsagent goes the extra mile.

Just a short stroll away, these independent shops have worked hard to serve the community around them and now it is your chance to give something back to them.

Nomination forms are on page 23 of this week's edition of The Gazette, on sale now. 

The deadline for nominations is March 20.