Belper News

It was founded in 1896 as The Belper News but was renamed shortly thereafter to The Belper News and Mid-Derbyshire Mail. In 1901 it merged with the 1898-founded The Derbyshire Telephone and People’s Advocate, but rather than abridging any of the parts of the title it kept them all, becoming The Belper News and Derbyshire Telephone and Mid-Derbyshire Mail; and People’s Advocate. Not only that; it kept them until 1917, when it reverted to the original title. It became the Belper News, Allestree and Duffield News in 1985 and the Belper Allestree and Duffield News in 1992, then adopted its current title in 1996.

It’s published by Chesterfield-based Wilfred Edmunds (Derbyshire Times) Ltd, part of the Johnston Press group of regional newspapers.

It’s recently had to move editorial offices twice in 18 months. They were in Belper until June 2011, when its lone reporter was moved to Ripley to share with the Ripley & Heanor News. Then in October 2012 the Ripley office also closed, and the News was forced to move again to share offices with the Ilkeston Advertiser.

It comes out on Wednesdays.