TV star and charity campaigner Penelope Keith was the star guest at a celebratory luncheon marking 150 years of local news for one weekly paper.

The Mid-Devon Advertiser series, owned by Sir Ray Tindle, hosted the event in honour of the landmark occasion – and invited the much-loved actress to unveil a commemorative plaque.

The Newton Abbott-based title first hit the streets in 1863, reaching almost 40,000 people a week,

Penelope, who has starred in classic British sitcoms The Good Life and To The Manor Born, is a friend of Sir Ray’s and has joined forces with him on a number of charitable causes  in the past.

Newspaper owner Sir Ray Tindle and actress Penelope Keith unveil a plaque honouring 150 years of the Mid-Devon Advertiser series.

The entire staff of the Advertiser series were also invited to the event, held at the Ilsington Country Hotel, along with local dignitaries and the Friends of the Mid-Devon Advertiser Series group.

Advertiser managing director Sandra Perraton said the event had been a chance to reflect on the “wonderful, if changing” newspaper industry.

“We have been bringing our community news of the district for a century and a half, a milestone of which we are very proud,” she said.

“With the pace of change ever-increasing it seems perhaps it’s all the more reason why a community needs a local paper.

“We live here, take part in what’s happening, observe and record for posterity. We are often called on to champion the underdog too, to give a voice to those who might otherwise not be heard no matter how valid their cause or complaint. What a fantastic thing to be able to do.

“We don’t always win friends in high places that way of course – but as Winston Churchill once said, ‘good, that means you’ve stood up for something’.”

As part of the newspaper’s celebrations, the team have launched a series of campaigns and projects to mark the milestone.

Schoolchildren were invited to design their own version of the paper’s masthead, while the Advertiser archives were plundered to find a selection of the biggest and best news stories from its history to go into a book, entitled 150 Years of News.

In addition, the local Hunter’s Brewery produced a limited edition ale called Hop Off the Press.