A regional weekly newspaper which has just celebrated it 125th anniversary has treated its readers to a special 16-page souvenir supplement.

The Somerset Standard launched in 1886 and the proud news team used the anniversary as an opportunity to show the strength of the paper in the community during difficult times.

The free supplement looked at how the Northcliffe-owned paper has covered news and sport in the area over 125 years.

Editor Sam Holliday said he was delighted with how the special publication had come out and that it was vital in these challenging times that newspapers remind their readers of how long they have been part of local life.

Said Sam: “People are often quick to say that newspapers are in decline but milestones like this give us a fantastic opportunity to show people the strength of our brands and their ongoing importance to local communities.

“We have been here a long time and we should constantly show our readers that we are proud of our past but also confident for our future.”

Sam said the supplement was a ‘fantastic team effort’ but he singled out reporter Claire Wilson for helping to get the idea up and running.

He continued: “It is easy to spot anniversaries when they are 100 or 200 years but it was Claire that got the calculator out and realised that as we launched in 1886, this was our 125th anniversary. After that we all hit the ground running but Claire was especially passionate about it all. She is the sort of person who has made sure we have survived and prospered for so long.”