A regional Sunday newspaper has reproduced its first ever edition to mark the title’s centenary.

The Birmingham-based Sunday Mercury has celebrated 100 years in business with a souvenir which included a reproduction of its 29 December 1918 edition.

The Mercury’s 30 December 2019 edition also included a feature by Mike Lockley about the content of the first issue, whose front page reported on the aftermath of the December 1918 local and general election results.

In a message to readers marking the centenary, Mercury editor Paul Cole said the newspaper’s “principles remain the same: to inform, to entertain, to educate.”

He added: “You’ll see in our very first edition, from 29 December 1918, that readers of the Birmingham Gazette, asked what they wanted in their new Sunday newspaper, demanded news, sport and entertainment.

“One reader pleaded for ‘spicy love and divorce, and dope news’. Yes, you may find a wry grin spreading across your face. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

“So enjoy today’s recollection of the past, the celebration of the Mercury’s proud heritage. And thank you for being part of our continuing success story, for keeping the printer’s ink flowing through our veins.

“You’re the reason we do this. Without you, there’d be no Sunday Mercury. It is, at the end of the day, your newspaper, and I am simply its current custodian. Thank you for that privilege.”