Prime Minister Gordon Brown will back Local Newspaper Week, which starts on May 5, by writing an article highlighting the importance of local media campaigns. A champion of local media, the PM has previously cited the industry as crucial in a “new era of politics”.

The Lancashire Telegraph has launched a new free text alert service for its readers. Subscribers will receive breaking news alerts in an initiative which the paper believes is the first of its kind in the UK. Over 800 people signed up to the service in the first three days.

Expansion of Archant’s Thorpe Print Centre in Norwich has been initiated. The company is increasing the facility from six printing towers and three folders to ten towers and four folders. This expansion will enable the group to print all of its newspapers in full colour and at a lower cost than at present. Following completion, the company’s Ipswich print facility will close.

A memorial fund backed by the Eastern Daily Press to honour soldiers killed in Afghanistan has hit the £300,000 mark.
The fund was established last summer in memory of nine soldiers from the Royal Anglian Regiment who were killed. Financial support will also be given to families and a further 120 soldiers wounded in the conflict.

Alistair Darling MP will be the guest speaker at the quarterly Newspaper Conference lunch on May 13. The Chancellor will be answering questions from regional press political journalists based in Westminster.
The Conference is chaired by the Yorkshire Evening Post’s political editor Mark Hookham and administered by the Newspaper Society. The lunches are held to give regional political journalists the chance to quiz prominent politicians directly.

The Huddersfield Daily Examiner and Dewsbury Reporter are joining forces to offer local school children a taste of journalism. The Trinity Mirror and Johnston titles are asking pupils in Years 10, 11 or 12 to write an article about sport in the Kirklees area.
Two overall winners will be taken with sports reporters to cover the Kirklees Youth Games Celebration before the Super League game between Huddersfield Giants and Bradford Bulls, in July.