Local news for the community (From Barry And District News)

Local news for the community

YOUR Barry and District News and sister paper The Penarth Times are celebrating their success in the community by taking part in the Local Newspaper Week, starting Monday.

Bringing you all the local news and sporting action, the papers are proud to be a part of the most trusted form of media - the regional press.

Read by 40 million adults every week, it was no surprise local news was voted the most popular newspaper topic out of a list of 27, which included UK or British news, European news and sport.

It is not that we work harder than the national press, or have greater skills than journalists employed in other forms of media. But the news in your local papers is written by journalists who live in the communities we serve. We are more sensitive to the needs of those communities and we inspire a greater trust from our readers.

We care about the people we write about - you are our neighbours.

The Barry and District News and the Penarth Times have both been established in the Vale of Glamorgan for more than 100 years.

We bring you objective coverage of major issues - from the Town Hall and Central Park in Barry to the Glebe Street pedestrianisation and the battle to breathe life into Penarth.

We have also brought you the emotions when lives are cut tragically short - and we have cheered when there are events to celebrate - like the miracle recovery of Barry's coma victim Christopher Richmond, and Penarth's Helen Ford who scooped £500,000.

Come rain or shine, your local paper is there when you need it.

First place to turn for information THE BARRY and District News and Penarth Times have an advertising staff dedicated to keeping the thriving business section healthy and vibrant. Split across the two regional offices, in Holton Road and Stanwell Road, the team work tirelessly to make sure their clients' goods and services are shown off to their best advantage. Despite significant changes in media consumption, local business people still turn to their local paper for all their working needs. More than two-thirds of all businessmen and women in the UK read their regional newspaper. Whether they are looking for a local supplier, a new job, or they want to advertise their product, a high percentage of the local business community consider their local paper to be the most useful source of information. The highest number of people in the UK chose the regional press as the media they most refer to and find most useful for their general business advertising. The Barry and District News and Penarth Times are committed to all businesses, from the established department stores with many staff to the young hairdresser starting out on her own. No one enterprise is valued above any other. Our advertising department values loyalty while welcoming new customers.

Dee Finch has been with the Barry and District News for 19 years in total. She started as an accounts clerk and has worked up to Advertising and Office Manager. She has a strong background in sales and among her many roles is ensuring the smooth running of both offices.

Rachel Hopkins has been with the Barry and District News and Penarth Times for nearly five years. She started in telesales, but has recently been promoted to features co-ordinator. She has successfully developed the classified section of the business.

Anne Chick started in the Barry and District News and Penarth Times as a temporary employee in August 2000, but by January 2001 had been taken on full-time. As well as managing her role as classified telesales, Anne helps cover the Penarth office reception whenever required.

Joan Marsh's friendly face has been fronting the Penarth Times office reception for three years. With her rich history as a secretary and in PR, Joan also offers a strong advertising support, inputs the adverts and manages the office administration.

Margaret Phillips has been with the Barry and District News since 1988, working alongside Pat Colley since she joined 1990. Pat and Mags cover reception, are responsible for family notices and inputting advertisements. Pat is in charge of health and safety regarding the use of computers, and Margaret is the office administrator.

Jenny Wyatt joined the sister papers eight years ago and has a wealth of experience in advertising. She is responsible for looking after local retailers in Barry and the motor dealers across the Vale. Jenny is a consistent winner of awards for her successful sales work.

A relative new-comer to the team, Jackie Glassar joined the company just over a year ago. She is responsible for the retailers in Penarth and the estate agents in Barry and Penarth. Since being with the papers, Jackie has successfully enlarged the property section.

Peter John has worked his way up from reporter to publisher over a period of 30 years. He has a sound knowledge of both regional weeklies and daily papers, and oversees a large number of titles, including the Barry and District News and Penarth Times.

Sue Vincent-Jones was brought into the two titles as an injection of young blood. Aiming to make our local papers appeal to a wider readership, Sue was recently promoted. The circulation figures confirm she has vastly improved the content and the appearance of the titles.

Jessica Hinton has worked on the sister papers for just over three years. She was recently promoted and now runs the Penarth office as Sue's deputy. Jessica helped manage the two offices last year while Sue was on maternity leave.

Ian Bebb is the newest member of the team. He joined the papers in January and is largely based in the Barry office. Ian is multi- lingual and has previously worked as a translator in Belgium. He is looking forward to establishing roots in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Charles Booth came to the Penarth Times and Barry and District News around 18 months ago. He spent the majority of his time in the Penarth office before being transferred to Holton Road just after Christmas. Originally from Derbyshire, Charles speaks fluent Russian.

Jackie Woolford works in the Barry office. Although primarily a typist, Jackie compiles the popular 'What's On' listings. She also delights many readers with her careful selection of memories from the papers of by-gone years.

Kim Morgan works part-time in the Penarth office. She is also primarily a typist, but helps with the functions on the front desk too. Efficient, friendly and helpful, Kim balances a hectic family life with her role in the Penarth Times and Barry and District News.