An editor has shared hopes her newspaper will continue for “many more years to come” after it celebrated its 150th anniversary.

Marjorie Kerr has thanked both staff and readers after the West Lothian Courier marked the milestone.

The Courier was first published in July 1872 from the former Bathgate Co-operative Society drapery premises.

It followed previous unsuccessful attempts to establish a newspaper in the town including the Bathgate Times, the Bathgate Hoolet and the Bathgate Star.

In a message to readers, Marjorie said: “As we celebrate this special landmark, it’s important for me to say a well-deserved thank you to those who work on The Courier week in and week out – our reporting team who source news and sport and write for the paper, our production team who lay out pages and our advertising and circulation teams.

“However, the biggest thanks must go to you, our readers, who continue to support The Courier by buying it each week, reading our online content and supplying us with stories each week.

“For that we are grateful and hope, with your ongoing support, that we will be here to continue to bring you all the news from across West Lothian for many more years to come.”

The title is now owned by regional publishing giant Reach plc.