A new newspaper is set to launch after a deal was struck between two independent publishers.

The Stroud Times will go into print for the first time after forming a partnership with fellow Gloucestershire title the Cheltenham Post.

It will be published as a free title with an initial print run of 10,000 across Stroud, Nailsworth, and Stonehouse.

The Times was launched as an online-only venture in 2021 by three former Stroud News and Journal colleagues, while the Post started out in print the previous year.

The Cheltenham title was launched as a free paper by Mark Cuzner, who worked in display advertising for the Gloucestershire Echo before going on to found Cotswold Style and The Cheltonian magazines.

Times editor Ash Loveridge, pictured, told HTFP: “Our announcement has caused quite a stir and been well received on social media by the public who want local news on their patch and a community-based publication that really cares and engages with the readers and has no cover price.

“I was approached by the Cheltenham Post to go into a joint partnership. They have a thriving free newspaper and can provide the nuts and bolts to get our website content into print and out on the streets, so we hope it will be a successful partnership.”

The Times, which vowed to shun “inane clickbait” when it was launched last year, will be available in print twice each month via a mixture of door-to-door distribution and pick-up points at local businesses and community facilities.

In a message to readers, Ash said: “We cut our journalistic teeth in print and people still have a thirst for print and we can’t wait to see the Stroud Times newspaper hit the streets of Stroud, Nailsworth, and Stonehouse.

“We hope our readers like it when our first edition rolls off the press on 10 June.

“Readers are fed up with doom and gloom stories, we pride ourselves in being the beacon for positive news and engaging human interest stories, comprehensive sports coverage, supporting and championing local businesses’ success, and leading the way with high-quality photography.

“We don’t use stories harvested from social media and we actually engage with our audience face-to-face.”