This year is the fifth edition of Hannah Directory.

That is an amazing achievement considering it has been reached with no other resources than people's good will and commitment to work together over a huge area, from Barrow to Sheffield, Newcastle to Liverpool and many places in between.

Several unique things have happened in Britain since the first edition in 2013, including the Scottish independence referendum, the Labour Party losing most of its MPs in Scotland because of it (and what that means for the many places in England's north that, rightly or wrongly, by tradition look to a national Labour government), the EU referendum, and, with the outcome unknown at the time of writing, the 2017 general election.

Regardless of where we stand on any of that, what those events have in common is that people wanted their voices to be fairly heard in the choices that affect them. As people living and working in places in England's north, we know that our voices are hardly ever heard in the national conversation, no matter who the government is.

Many of the choices that affect our lives are made by people in London and the Home Counties, who often make decisions based on what is best for their part of the country.

For us to have a happy and prosperous future in places in England's north, we have to work together to change that.

The unique things that have happened, with perhaps more to come, mean it's hard to know what Britain will be like by the time Hannah Directory reaches its tenth birthday, but it is more important than ever that we celebrate the great stuff happening in places in England's north, the smaller towns no less than the cities, and for people, places and organisations to work together for our common good.

The 2017 Hannah Directory has been created with advice and support from Rachel Bartholomew, Glenn Boulter, Toni Buckby, Charly Calpin, Vicky Carr, Steve Dearden, Steph Fletcher, Iona Holland, Jill Liddington, Hilary Machell, Alex McLean, Tamar Millen, Ilana Mitchell, Anita Morris, Gill Park, The Poetry Business, Elaine Speight, Sam Walby and Neil Winterburn.