Long-running community paper celebrates 45 years

A community newspaper thought to be one of the longest running in the UK is celebrating its 45th anniversary.

Echo is run by a team of volunteers and serves the Earlsdon, Chapelfields and Spon End areas in Coventry.

Over the years the cost has risen from 5p to 50p, with nearly 750,000 copies sold and 496 editions published.

Volunteers said they felt part of a community and also felt a sense of achievement each month when issues were completed.

Ann Groves founded the independent paper with husband Graham Partridge in April 1979, taking on the roles of treasurer and chairman respectively.

The pair came up with the idea after staging a six-month-long festival in Earlsdon and worked with a team to get the first edition published.

"I think we did 1,000 issues," Ms Grove said. "We just went into Earlsdon Street and handed it out and it just disappeared like hot cakes."

The Echo's first front page story was about the closure of the local Co-op for redevelopment.

Four years ago it reported the news of Mr Partridge's death from cancer.

Ms Groves, who still works as treasurer, said the paper was a large part of their joint history.

Current chair Keith Bushnell, who has been volunteering at the paper for 41 years, remembers typing copy on pieces of card that were cut up and glued into place.

"It's never been a duty. It's something that I really really enjoy doing and feel a sense of achievement every month when we complete an issue," he said.

Lesley Duff has distributed the paper to local newsagents, churches and shops for the past nine years.

"[If] it's not out and delivered by Thursday there's a lot of complaints," she said,

The team plans to celebrate when its 500th edition is printed later this year.

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