LAST November, The Northern Echo launched a campaign, Working for a Future.

It came immediately after Black & Decker, one of the mainstays of the South-West Durham economy, announced it was axing 950 jobs.

This was by no means the first high-profile mass-redundancy issue to affect the region, but it added to the stark perspective.

Manufacturing was dying and North-East communities were waking up to a new order in which diversification, entrepreneurship and inspiration was needed. The Northern Echo decided it was time to take a stance against the drain of jobs away from our economy.

Working for a Future also seeks to raise the profile of people who have turned adversity into success.

We hope the efforts of some will serve to inspire the futures of others.

To that end, we have dedicated this month's Business Echo to our campaign.

Over the coming pages, readers can see the diverse efforts people have made to keep food on the table and mortgages paid.

Politicians and business leaders will outline their views on the future.

And we have looked at efforts being made to inspire business enterprise.

We see this not as a maudlin reminiscence on what was lost, but as a positive approach to the future.

Mike Parker, Business Editor.

Read more about the Working For A Future campaign here.