After more than 40 years out of print, local newspaper the Christchurch Times has been relaunched to once again cover news and sport in the historic Dorset town.
The weekly title, owned by Newsquest which also publishes sister title the Bournemouth Daily Echo, has its own “dedicated reporting team” of three journalists and will cost 40p from newsagents.
Andy Martin, editor and head of news at the Daily Echo, the Bournemouth Advertiser and the Christchurch Times, said: “This is a very special project for us.
“Christchurch is a great town and a wonderful place to live. The newspaper will have a particular feel about it, covering the issues, profiling the different communities across the borough and providing lots of news and information.
“We will also be featuring lots of nostalgia and reporting on local sport.
He added: “The Christchurch Times has its own dedicated reporting team including Nick Churchill, Luke Hastings and Jason Lewis.
“It is very rare for newspaper publishers to launch new print editions so we are delighted and proud to be doing that in Christchurch.
“Everyone knows there is a big debate going on about the future of historic Christchurch and so now it’s a great time to launch a heritage title. You could say it’s back to the future.”
The first edition of the Times was handed out for free yesterday.
The Mayor of Christchurch, Cllr Trish Jamison said: “We love our town and we love having our own dedicated newspaper. There is always a lot going here and it is great to see that reflected in the Christchurch Times.”
