Princess Anne gave the royal seal of approval today when she officially opened the new home of Trinity Mirror’s Birmingham titles.

The Princess Royal took a tour of the Fort Dunlop building, about five miles outside the Second City, home to the Birmingham Post and Mail and Sunday Mercury since November.

After meeting staff and seeing the various departments at work, Princess Anne received a posy from a Birmingham Mail ‘Local Hero’ – a ten-year-old boy who saved his father’s life following a seizure despite only having one first aid lesson.

She unveiled a plaque and also received a copy of today’s Mail featuring a photo of her arrival on the front page (above). In 1965, her aunt Princess Margaret opened the Post and Mail’s former home in the Colmore Circus area of the city.

She said: “Considering this is very much a state-of-the-art media building, and all that information technology can throw at you, I am hugely relieved it is a very traditional unveiling which I think I can probably manage. I know it is not the first, but I hope this will be a very good move.”

Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson said: “Our newspapers play a crucial part in this city, keeping readers up to date, fighting battles on their behalf and helping bind together our cosmopolitan population.

“It is therefore fitting that the Princess Royal felt our work important enough to come and see and hear about what we do and formally unveil our new headquarters.”

Post editor Marc Reeves added: “After a year of considerable change for the Post and its sister titles, this is a welcome opportunity to take the time to reflect on the success and importance of all our titles and websites.

“Her Royal Highness’ visit is a great way to thank the staff at BPM Media for all their hard work and dedication as we strengthen the business as a truly multimedia publishing operation for the 21st century.”

Princess Anne unveils a plaque to officially open the new home of BPM Media

With Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves (centre) and Mail/Sunday Mercury editor Steve Dyson

Seeing news conference in full swing

Taking in a tour with Trinity Mirror group architect John Steel

Comments

All Subbed Out (27/05/2009 14:32:45)
Blimey. News from ‘today’ being printed and distributed ‘today’ by a (former) “evening” newspaper. Now there’s a rare novelty these days – must be a one-off souvenir edition after all. Was the royal guest the only person to get a copy?

Steve Dyson (28/05/2009 11:38:17)
You tease, methinks, ‘All Subbed Out’! The Birmingham Mail’s first edition does not go to press until 9.45am on all weekdays, with the main city edition printing at 12.35pm and the central city final rolling off the presses at 1.50pm. Plenty of time to get Princess Anne’s visit in – and all other breaking news.