A weekly newspaper which moved from its base of 39 years in August has found a new home for its archives thanks to a local heritage society.

The Mansfield Chad moved from its offices on Newgate Lane to new headquarters in Sherwood Oaks Business Park but there was no room for its newspaper archives, which date back to the 1950s.

Readers were asked to help find a new home for the collection and Chad news editor Stephen Thirkill put out an appeal on BBC Radio Nottingham.

Now Bilsthorpe Heritage Society has agreed to store the newspapers and put the collection to good use.

“We are really happy that Bilsthorpe Heritage Society is going to put our archives to good use,” Stephen told HTFP.

“The archives offer a wonderful historical record of how life and society in general, as well as our economic outlook on life has changed forever across Mansfield and Ashfield.

“The archives vividly capture the many memorable moments in our district’s history such as the collapse of the coal industry, the final moments of the Black Panther on the run, Mansfield Town’s famous matches and the rapidly changing face of our proud industry.

“Losing these archives forever would have been a sad loss and we are thankful to the Bilsthorpe Heritage Society for helping preserve our history forever.”

The title moved to its new base in August, telling readers that its current office had become too large for its staffing levels and the site had been put up for sale.