The ‘baby’ of a family of centuries-old regional weeklies has celebrated a special milestone.

Staff were joined by customers, business owners and local dignitaries at a party to celebrate the 120th birthday of the Somerset Guardian.

But the Guardian is just a youngster in the stable of three titles edited by Lynne Fernquest.

Her other two charges are the Frome Standard, still sprightly at 128 years young, and the “eldest stateswoman”, the Bath Chronicle, which has been in existence in various guises since 1743.

“Yes, the Guardian really is the youngster of the three – with the Chronicle way out in front at 271 years old,” added editor Lynne, who took over the trio two years ago.

The first edition of the celebrating weekly hit the streets at a time when coal mines dominated the landscape in Midsomer Norton, Radstock and the surrounding villages.

The newspaper began life as a broadsheet and stayed in that form until the 1920s when it went down to a smaller size before transforming again in the 1990s to a tabloid.

Today the lives and stories of local people still fill its pages and popular website of the Local World title.

Editor Lynne added: “We’re delighted to have been able to celebrate the Somerset Guardian’s 120th birthday with so many of our readers.

“All the staff at the Somerset Guardian are not only proud of our paper’s history in the county, but also excited about the future as we increase the number of pages, giving our readers a bigger, better newspaper.”