Leicester Mercury reporter Katie Osborne continues her series on the paper’s new look, to be unveiled on March 1.

The features pages of the Leicester Mercury contain some of the newspaper’s most popular items.

The content of the new-look Mercury has been rearranged to make it easier for readers to find their way around.

After the busy news pages at the front, a new section has been created, containing most of our familiar features.

This run of pages starts with a new Focus feature that will bring readers the news behind the headlines, give them a more detailed report on local issues or examine different aspects of life today.

These pages are followed by Postbag – where readers share their views on issues or find out how the powers-that-be are responding to their concerns.

From March 1 the letters will be displayed across two pages, giving more opportunity to highlight important contributions. And for the first time, the Mercury’s Opinion column will be on the same spread.

Editor Nick Carter said: “Giving people the chance to express their views on what is happening around them is one of the most important jobs a newspaper can do.

“Many readers write to Postbag every day and we were determined to give this section more space when we looked at what went where in the newspaper.

“Putting our Opinion column on the same spread means the newspaper’s views will be appearing alongside those of its readers.”

Also sharing the two full pages will be a new column designed to present the latest views on local and national issues.

This column will be written by a variety of people, including local experts, our regular columnists and, occasionally, members of the public. It is designed to create debate on current topics.

The new features section includes our daily Life pages, looking at a different topic of interest to readers.

Lifespan tackles health issues on Monday, Learning Life deals with education every Tuesday, the environment comes under the spotlight in Greenlife on Wednesdays, Shelflife handles consumer matters each Thursday while This Life features aspects of life in the new millennium.

The week is rounded off on Saturday with Lifetimes and its street interviews on current affairs. Each of these pages has been given an elegant and exciting new look by design consultant Lucie Lacava and her team.

Along with all the rest of the new-look Mercury, the features section was part of a survey asking how readers felt about the changes. They gave every page in the section their strong approval – with the new look for Mr Leicester being especially popular.

More space for readers’ pictures

Mr Leicester’s Diary is held in huge affection by a great many long-time readers of the Mercury. It has been running almost since the newspaper was launched back in 1874.

Originally a combination of diary information plus a chance to look back, in recent history it has concentrated on nostalgia, helped by memories and pictures sent in by readers.

The design team decided these contributed photographs were so interesting and generally of such good quality they should be given more room. So the new look for Mr Leicester sees pictures being used bigger, but still keeping the maximum number of different items on the page.

The journalist behind Mr Leicester today is Peter Gilbey, who has worked on the Mercury for 29 years.

He says: “Editing Mr Leicester’s Diary for the past 10 years has enabled me to share with readers some of the more enjoyable aspects of life, to give them a chance to take a breather and reflect in a world that has quickened in pace.

“It is a delight to receive some treasured photograph or memory which brings the past alive – happy memories for older readers and a fascinating insight into our past for younger readers.

“I am confident all my regular readers will enjoy the new look and new readers will find their interest in the past stimulated and will want to join in.”

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