A former editor who was made redundant by his hometown paper four years ago has penned a lengthy tribute to it as it marks its 179th anniversary.

The Southport Visiter claims to be one of the UK’s oldest local newspapers, having been first published in 1844.

Andrew Brown, left, edited the title for six years until he was made redundant by publisher Reach plc in 2019.

Now Andrew has published a history of the paper on a website he now edits called Stand Up for Southport.

Wrote Andrew: “The first ever edition of one of the UK’s oldest newspapers rolled hot off the presses on 4th May 1844. It has been a firm family favourite in the homes of generations of Sandgrounders ever since.

“It preceded lots of newspapers across Britain, with the Manchester Evening News not founded until 1868, the Liverpool Echo in 1879, the Lancashire Evening Post in 1886, the Yorkshire Evening Post in 1890, the Daily Mail in 1896, and the Daily Mirror (Britain’s oldest surviving tabloid) in 1903.”

In the piece, Andrew revealed that the paper was named with the aim of reaching both the inhabitants and ‘visiters’ of the seaside town and once included lists of all people staying in local hotels and holiday accommodation.

He added: “Listing the names and addresses of every one of Southport’s hotel guests is no longer something the Southport Visiter does!  But every week the edition brings readers all the latest news about life in Southport.”

The full piece can be read here.