Still pressing ahead with the news

8:30am Thursday 8th May 2008

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STILL proud to be serving the community after 109 years!

That's the Radcliffe Times which now spans three centuries and numerous generations of readers since the newspaper first rolled off the presses on Saturday, October 14, 1899.

The publication and the community it serves may have changed dramatically over the years but its purpose and remit remains the same: to report and reflect scenes of local life and to chronicle the progress and development of the town and its people Likewise, the style of journalism and the technology harnessed to produce the Radcliffe Times has changed considerably whereas the functions and values of a quality local newspaper have not.

The first edition of the Radcliffe Times and Whitefield and District Advertiser was printed from offices in the Radcliffe's Toad Street, now Deansgate. First editor was Mr George Holt and in the earliest issues of the newspaper, the Boer War featured prominently.

But it wasn't long before the first of many moves was made for the increasingly popular newspaper. In 1908, the business was flourishing. In the January it moved to a new printing works in Church Street.

And the First World War had a significant impact on the paper and it was the duty of the Radcliffe Times to report all the deaths of local men.

The next big change occurred in the 1920s with a decision to leave the Church Street building and lease it to the Ministry of Works and Buildings for use as a labour exchange.

In July, 1924, the order office and stationery department transferred to Blackburn Street and the paper was printed at a works in Terrace Street at Radcliffe Hall. In later years, the Radcliffe Times was printed at the Bury Times works in Cross Street, Bury.

In August 1925, the Radcliffe Times offices went back to Church Street. Journalists were based there until 1988 when new technology was introduced at the Bury Times Group's headquarters in Bury. The shop transferred to Blackburn Street but closed around five years ago.

In 1995, the presses at the Bury office closed down and printing was moved to Chesterfield.

A year later Johnston Press plc, owners of the Bury Times Group, announced an exchange of regional newspaper titles with Newsquest Media Group which included the Radcliffe Times.

And last year, the newspaper moved its publication day from Friday to Thursday and became not only bigger than ever, but better.