The Western Daily Press has hosted a reception of senior editors to meet the chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Sir Christopher Meyer.

Editors of dailies and weeklies from across the South West travelled to the Daily Press head office in Bristol, including Evening Herald editor Alan Qualtrough.

Sir Christopher told those attending the lunchtime reception that the PCC was not just a regulator but was there to help too.

He said he hoped newspaper editors would feel they could just pick up the telephone if they had worries, ideas or questions.

He said: “We are not just there to regulate, we are there to help. We need to learn from you so that we are able to help and guide you.”

Praising the vibrancy of regional newspapers in the UK, he said he had made it his policy to travel around the country and get out of the “metropolitan bubble”.

He said: “Whenever I move out of London and go to a regional newspaper I always learn something which I didn’t pick up in the capital.”

Sir Christopher cited the new users’ guide for the Code of Practice – an idea from a similar gathering in Liverpool – which he hopes will be published before Christmas.

He said: “It will be extremely useful, not just for working journalists and editors, but everyone involved in self regulation.”

The guide will give recent cases as examples to follow.

Daily Press editor Terry Manners said: “This was a great opportunity for editors to put their point of view and come face to face with the man who chairs the committee which investigates complaints against the press from across Britain.”

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