A new free weekly newspaper is set to launch in Cornwall later this month.

The Penwith Advertiser will be the first newspaper to be published by Penwith Media Ltd, an independent web design company.

The new title will cover Penzance, Hayle, St.Ives and the major rural areas of Penwith - which are currently covered by The Cornishman and the Penwith Pirate.

Penwith Media Ltd managing director Gavin Riley said the launch coincided with what is an exciting time for Penwith, with many regeneration projects now taking place in the area.

He said: "The Penwith area is at the centre of regeneration programmes such as Objective One and access to the information and opinion provided by a local, editorially independent newspaper is essential if people are to be informed and enabled to play their part in the improvement of Penwith, while also giving businesses in the area a great opportunity to promote their products and services to the community."

Gavin said he hoped the paper would be welcomed by advertisers.

He said: "Feedback from our customers showed that they were unsatified with existing advertising avenues.

"Penwith is one of the poorer areas of Cornwall, but the cost of advertising still tends to be high and they aren't getting enough sales revenue back.

"Our newspaper will be the only one in the area with journalistic content that is delivered free of charge."

The first issue is due to launch on Friday, October 31 with approximately 96 tabloid pages, and will be distributed to 22,564 homes.

Printed by Northcliffe Press in Exeter, it will be edited by Gavin and focus on local news, sport and community issues.

Gavin said: "We have 15 staff working on the paper, which include two journalists, and we are looking to recruit one more.

"We have been planning the paper since January and are looking forward to the launch. This is a very exciting time for us as a company."