Staff at the Post and Times Series in Staffordshire got 'closer to home' - and to their readers - as part of Local Newspaper Week, by getting back to basics and vox-popping the public about their perceptions of the newspaper.

In each of the three major towns the paper serves - Leek, Cheadle and Uttoxeter - a reporter and photographer went out on to the streets and asked readers what they thought of their local paper.

The idea was based on this year's Local Newspaper Week theme Closer to Home, and news staff were greated with a generally positive response from readers.

A huge thumbs-up was also given to the series' new That's Life column, which turns traditional classified advertising content such as births, engagements and birthdays, into news stories.

Series editor Doug Pickford said: "At the Post and Times Series we are not afraid of getting out there on the streets and finding out what our readers want - after all, that's the best way to improve our titles.

"It has been a worthy exercise for us, not only to promote Local Newspaper Week, but to ensure we continue being the leading series of weekly newspapers in the area."

The vox pops also generated a double-page spread in the Leek edition and a page in both the Cheadle and Uttoxeter editions, as the paper published pictures of the three towns highlighting their strengths, and printed the views of its readers.