Former Brighton Argus reporter starts his own newspaper

A former Brighton Argus reporter has published the first edition of his own fortnightly newspaper.

Richard Gurner, 31, has started printing the Caerphilly Observer, which he set up as a website in July 2009.

The Observer is now a full-colour 16-page fortnightly tabloid newspaper with 10,000 copies being distributed free through newsagents and other shops throughout the community.

Mr Gurner went into print with help from a European Union funded business grant awarded to him by Caerphilly Borough Council.

He said: “The first edition went smoothly and the support we’ve had from advertisers has been nothing short of phenomenal.

Richard Gurner

“Seeing the first edition roll off the press at 3.30am has made all the effort worthwhile.

“Caerphilly Observer is now a physical presence in the world that people can pick up and take home. It is no longer confined to the online world.”

Since CaerphillyObserver.co.uk started  four years ago it has grown to attract an average of 50,000 page views and 20,000 unique visitors a month.

Mr Gurner said that the print edition was the only free newspaper to cover the whole of Caerphilly County Borough.

He added: “Caerphilly County Borough doesn’t have a newspaper dedicated exclusively to the entire area and it is this gap in the market that we will be addressing.

“The goal for Caerphilly Observer is to create a sustainable locally owned media that our readers can be proud of.

“Despite huge traffic numbers that we can be proud of, there are still large parts of our community unfamiliar with Caerphilly Observer.

“The print edition will expand our audience and grow our brand to reach people not already online.”

The Observer is receiving funding to help produce the first four editions from Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Caerffili Cwm a Mynydd Rural Development Programme Partnership.

The grant is part funded through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.