A regional publisher has been named one of the top 50 firms when it comes to encouraging social mobility.

Reach plc has been ranked 46th in the Social Mobility Foundation’s 2022 Social Mobility Employer Index.

The Index analyses the work employers are doing to make their organisations more accessible and inclusive to individuals from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

In welcoming the announcement, Reach praised the work of its ‘ReachPotential’ committee, a network of staffers from around the business dedicated to ending educational inequality.

The group is co-chaired by Sunday Mirror editor Gemma Aldridge, pictured, and the group’s planning director Jenny Shevlin.

In a statement, Reach said: “We’re delighted to announce that Reach has been ranked at number 46 in the Social Mobility Foundation’s 2022 Social Mobility Employer Index.

“We’d like to thank our colleagues for their efforts to get us here and particularly the ReachPotential committee.”

The BBC was the only other news organisation to feature in the list, coming in at 27.