Four sister weeklies in the South West have adopted distinctive new mastheads as part of a series of redesigns.

The Wells Journal, Shepton Mallet Journal, Central Somerset Gazette and Cheddar Valley Gazette all unveiled their new looks last week.

Along with the new mastheads, other front page changes include a brightening up of the blurbs and a heavier font for the splash.

Inside the papers, the page 2 index aims to provide better signposting, different sections are now colour-coded and the opinion pages have been given a cleaner look.

The new look Wells Journal.

The old Wells Journal

There have been no cover price increases as a result of the new look at the titles, which are part of Local World’s Mid-Somerset News & Media.

Editor Bede MacGowan said: “We’ve spent weeks painstakingly working on the new look for the four titles.

“The aim? To modernise and move with the times while staying true to our roots, and to give each title its own strong and distinctive identity, in keeping with the community it serves.

“The newspapers have continually evolved through decades so this is just the latest step.

“At the same time we’ve enhanced the content in both our Weekend lifestyle and entertainment supplement and our Property section.

“But these strong new brand identities also herald a fresh push in our commitment to being a strong voice for our communities as we embrace the future with real confidence.”

The new Central Somerset Gazette

The old Central Somerset Gazette