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Regional daily celebrates 125th anniversary

A regional daily has celebrated its 125th anniversary with a special 24-page supplement and a BBQ for all staff members.

The Southern Daily Echo marked the milestone birthday yesterday with the pull-out, pictured below, which looks back at the paper’s coverage since it was founded in 1888.

The title has also been counting down to the anniversary with 125 days’ worth of heritage features from its archives, which have been backed with advertising.

To celebrate the birthday, a BBQ was held for all staff members at the paper’s Southampton headquarters yesterday afternoon.

Editor-in-chief Ian Murray also sent an email to staff, saying it was an “amazing achievement” to mark the anniversary.

He wrote: “Anyone who takes a look at that first edition of the paper will be hard pressed to find any company advertising in those editions that are still trading today. And yet here we are. Times may have seen the arrival of radio, television and more recently the Internet, yet the Echo sails on.

“This is in no small measure, I feel, to two important factors. The first of these is that our paper remains true to the founding principles stated in that first edition, to provide first class journalism and to represent not just one small group or even a majority of the community we serve, but everyone.

“No voice is too small for us to listen to and promote. By standing by those principles we have remained close to our communities and they have rewarded us with their trust and custom.

“The second factor is all of us…the staff at the Daily Echo. Through the decades there have been some amazing characters working at the paper in all departments, but more importantly there has been loyalty, professionalism and a sense of belonging to more than just another company.

“Anyone who has worked on the Daily Echo knows that the paper is a living creation and the beating heart of that body are the people who work on it in all departments.

“For myself I feel particularly proud to be at the helm as Editor on this date. It is a privilege to hold the post and I take very seriously my role as custodian of the heritage of the paper itself.”

Ian added that he believed the Daily Echo would continue to be published for many more decades.