A weekly newspaper that rivals said would “never last” is celebrating its second birthday later this month.

The Swadlincote Post – which its owner admits is operating without an editor or an office – has just published its 100th issue.

However, the Friday free is embracing the digital age – with everything stored on an iPad – and some issues even being produced from a Lanzarote beach.

But founding publisher David King says the reason his creation, which launched in the backyard of two regional dailies now both owned by Local World, is still “cutting the mustard” is down to belief.

The one-time nightclub boss said: “They said we’d never last. But we’ve had great support from advertisers and good response from the readers.

“They all clearly feel there is a need for the Swadlincote Post in this area.

“And I only started this newspaper because I believed in the town, which has boomed in population terms from 9,000 to around 40,000.

“The community deserves its own title and a place to turn to – somewhere to share its success.”

Grantham-born David, a former assistant manager of the Chicago Rock Café in Burton, only went into a career in newspapers eight years ago

He left his position as a sales manager with Northcliffe Newspapers in Tamworth to start the Post on 12 August, 2012 .

Swadlincote was already covered by two long-established daily titles – with it being in the heart of the then Iliffe-owned Burton Mail’s patch and also part of the circulation area of Northcliffe’s Derby Telegraph.

But the 34-year-old felt he could launch “under the conventional radar” and teamed up with former Johnston Press journalist Louise Birkett, who acted as the paper’s first editor. She has since left.

They produced a 24-page launch issue from their offices in the centre of the south Derbyshire town.

But having offices proved a financial drain on resources and David closed them over the first Christmas. “The overheads were crippling us and I decided to take three weeks off,” he added.

“I didn’t know whether we’d reopen after the festive break.” The father-of-three moved the operation to his home in nearby Newhall and began rebuilding the dream – using as much technological know-how as possible the paper’s survival.

“With my iPad I’ve brought the paper out from Paris and even on holiday in Lanzarote,” added David, pictured above taking the first issue off the press.

Now the freed tabloid, with an average 16 pages a week, has a current readership of 13,000. It relies on David, ad designer and page planner Tim Madew and freelance sports writer Dan Bishop to hit the streets each week.

“We’re not a journalist-based newspaper, relying instead of contributions. We don’t go out to get the news – it comes to us,” said David.

As for the future? “Who knows how long we’ll last,” he added. “I can’t predict whether we’ll still be here in six months or not.

But what I will say is that any business, whether newspaper or not, that’s survived the last two years in this climate must be doing OK.”

The businessman, who accepts it’s difficult to sell the printed word these days, is now in talks with a non-publisher who’s keen to buy into the Post. “These are interesting times,” he said.