A regional lifestyle magazine is celebrating a circulation success after bucking the downward sales trend.

Sales of Archant-owned Lancashire Life grew by 6.4pc during 2009 according to the twice-yearly magazine ABCs published last week.

The Preston-based title’s newly audited figure is 25,010 compared to 23,496 in 2008.

Its ABC certificate confirmed this was achieved through 100 per cent by paid for sale – not give-aways.

Lancashire Life’s editor Roger Borrell, who is also group editor for Archant Life North, said success was down to a variety of strategic moves.

This included the amalgamation with Lake District Life, which turned the title into a more attractive platform for advertisers and readers.

“Despite difficult times, the Preston team has never taken its eye off the ball,” said Roger, a former editor of the Birmingham Evening Mail and Lancashire Evening Post.

Regional circulation boss Richard Shevlin added: “Our latest ABC-verified figures confirm the increasing dominance that our titles have in the North West.”