A hyperlocal weekly newspaper in Kent is celebrating its 50th anniversary, 30 years after it was acquired by Tindle Newspapers.

Sir Ray Tindle bought the The Biggin Hill News in 1985, when it was a loss-making venture.

It is now one of 12 titles, pictured below, to be be published under the Bromley Borough and County Border News banner.

The News has also returned profits every year since 2012, and has seen sister titles the Orpington News and West Wickham News launched in recent years.

General Manager Paul Kerr said: “Over the past four years the company has pursued a hyper-local strategy, both in terms of our editorial focus and our sales efforts.

“The move has proved something of a masterstroke and, as profits continued to grow, the launch of a West Wickham edition followed in September 2015 under the editorship of Luke King.

“Our success can be attributed in part to the excellent relationships we have forged in the local community, especially among the business community.

“Our advertising sales representatives, for example, regularly attend networking meetings organised by local traders and, in some instances, even sit on their committees – all on a voluntary basis.”

Last year the News celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a well-received special souvenir publication that raised more than £2,500 for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

Paul added: “In 2016 we look to build on our successes and will concentrate on further developing our digital platforms, with dedicated pages for all of our titles.”