A weekly newspaper styling itself as the ‘smallest in the UK’ has been launched by a former regional daily journalist.

The Tarporley News, serving the Cheshire village of the same name, has been founded by experienced print and broadcast journalist Victoria Williams along with business partner Emma Hunter.

The newspaper, produced as one portrait A3 sheet, double-sided, began in May and has been already won praise from readers and businesses on its patch for its “simplicity and overall quality of design” in the three months since.

Victoria, who works under her maiden name of Meakin, began her journalism career at the Bristol Evening Post and spent many years in local & national radio, including a spell at the BBC World Service.

The free paper, which is printed entirely in black and white, has a circulation of between 1,000 and 1,500 each week, and is available from locations across the village – around 11 miles from Chester.

Victoria and Emma describe themselves as “two hard-working mums juggling toddlers and children.”

Said Victoria: “Of course the local area has some truly respected old newspaper titles serving it, but we’re all aware of the unfortunate constraints that have faced printed media over the past couple of decades and gone are the days when dedicated reporters were dispatched to cover patches like Tarporley.

“That doesn’t mean however, that the local population’s need for real news has decreased.”

“The people of Tarporley have really embraced the newspaper. It’s widely read and collected by the community and locals make a point of visiting High Street shops on a Thursday morning to collect their new edition.

“We are regularly stopped during our delivery rounds by people on the High Street congratulating us on the paper, with some even saying that they have started reading papers again due to Tarporley News.”

She added: “Calling ourselves ‘The UK’s smallest newspaper’ was a deliberate nod to the paper’s size, and our intention to keep it that way. Our content is written to a high journalistic standard, entirely warranting a ‘newspaper’ description, as opposed to ‘newsletter’. And despite its concise size it truly is a newspaper, with its variety of content.

“We’re also the smallest newspaper in terms of a our team – it may look like it’s produced by a bigger pool of people – but it’s really two hard-working mums, juggling toddlers and primary school children in between producing a quality publication.

“The UK’s smallest newspaper is also reflective of the nature of our business. We are two working mums with a mission to bring reporting back to the area.

“It couldn’t be any more cottage industry if we tried. I work on content whilst Emma focuses on making sure the paper pays for itself, and does all of the weekly layouts. It is a two woman band, each half as critical as the other.”