A weekly newspaper highlighted the contrast between a crowded fast food queue and a deserted coronavirus testing station nearby – with a tongue-in-cheek nod to a wartime favourite.

The Basingstoke Gazette ran with the headline ‘We’ll meat again’ as it highlighted the lengthy queue at a freshly reopened Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, while a COVID-19 mobile testing unit stood empty on the same retail park.

The KFC drive-thru had opened under the proviso of being there to serve “key workers on their way back from essential journeys”, and Gazette reporter Bethany Papworth interviewed those who formed a line of more than 70 cars within an hour of the restaurant opening.

None of the people she spoke to were key workers, while an aerial image taken from a drone sent up by Solent News Agency, which the Gazette works closely with, captured the scene.

Gazette editor Katie French told HTFP: “Once I saw the aerial pictures, I knew one of those shots had to be on the front page. Who knew a photograph of a retail park could be so beautiful but the lighting was really good and it really encapsulated the chaos. Bethany described the atmosphere as ‘like Christmas’.

“In contrast, a mobile testing unit set up on the same retail park stood empty. It was hard to ignore the contrast between the two, which is why we included both images on the front.

“Writing and designing front pages is one of my favourite parts of the job and sometimes can be the hardest. But on this occasion, the headline came easily.

“Luckily, there is an amazing content editor Christine Stock who works at the Salisbury Journal and helps us on Wednesdays, usually bringing my scrappy designs to life.”

Katie cited the Queen’s use of the wartime Vera Lynn song as an inspiration for the headline.

She added: “It was also meant to be a bit lighthearted – and the headline fitted perfectly too. The headline tied in with the secondary theme for our VE Day supplement and our message to the public about why they need their local paper.”