A local newspaper known as “The Tizer” has marked its 200th birthday by honouring those who have made a positive contribution to the life of its community.

The Berwick Advertiser, which circulates in Berwick-on-Tweed and North Northumberland, celebrated the bicentenary with a gala dinner at the town’s Marshall Meadows Hotel.

The paper used the historic landmark to hand out a series of community awards recognizing the service and achievements of local people.

Tweeddale Press Group Managing Director Keith McIntyre said: “There is no more fitting way of marking 200 years of publishing in Berwick than by celebrating the achievements of the businesses and people who make up such a vibrant community – we are proud to have served this community.”

The dinner was hosted by BBC North East broadcaster Wendy Gibson. Speakers were Tim Bowdler, chief executive of Tweedale’s parent company Johnston Press, and local MP Sir Alan Beith.

In his remarks Mr Bowdler congratulated the paper on its bicentenary adding that Johnston Press was “immensely proud to own such a fine example of a local paper.”

“You may think that a relatively small local paper like the Berwick Advertiser would be overlooked by head office – quite the contrary, the Berwick Advertiser and papers like it are the lifeblood and the very foundations of Johnston Press,” he added.

Sir Alan, recently knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, added: “Local newspapers like the Berwick Advertiser, which has a fantastic tradition stretching back 200 years, are extremely important to community life, and are to many people their main source of information.”