Trusted regional news brands throughout our group paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II with in-depth newspaper and online editorial coverage as the nation marked her life with national mourning.
Our titles across the country published compelling messages on their front pages in tribute to Her Majesty, alongside locally focussed stories on her many connections to their communities.
Colleagues on the digital teams produced live coverage as readers initially went online for reaction to Queen Elizabeth’s death, which saw an outpouring of grief and reaction from around the world.
When the news of Her Majesty’s death was announced, all advertising was removed from Tindle websites for 24 hours out of respect, with mastheads turned black.
With a main news story published across all websites, editors produced rolling news coverage in live blogs featuring reaction from local communities, public figures and readers.
Where the Queen had visited the local region, photo galleries of images from the time were published.
The printed editions also had mastheads turned to black alongside front page tributes to Her Majesty, who reigned for 70 years. Editorial-led supplements were produced throughout the group, with South West England titles the Mid-Devon Advertiser and Crediton Courier among those to feature multi-page sections on the former Monarch’s links to their communities.
Local memories
The Cambrian News shared memories of the Queen’s visits including a walkabout in 1986, while the Isle of Man Courier featured an interview with Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer on his memories.
The early days of Her Majesty’s relationship with HRH the Duke of Edinburgh was featured prominently by the Dartmouth Chronicle, with the headline “Their Love Story started here”.
The Queen’s close interest in horses formed the focus for the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review front page, which included an interview with Cecilia Lindsay of the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, who enjoyed a close link with Her Majesty.
Tindle Newspapers is one of the largest privately-owned local media companies in the UK, with newspapers and news websites covering communities in Cornwall, Devon, Isle of Man, Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Essex and Wales. The Group also owns market leading radio stations in the Channel Islands and Ireland, which had regular news coverage for local listeners.
Scott Wood, Managing Director of Tindle Newspapers Ltd, said: “Building upon strong knowledge of their regions, our editors demonstrated through their titles’ coverage the ‘local’ impact which the Queen had upon each of the communities we serve.
“Our teams pulled together to bring local readers all the news and memories they would expect from our trusted brands, both in print and online. With Her Majesty’s death dominating headlines around the world, colleagues’ efforts highlighted our strengths as a modern media business, valued to be first in our markets for high quality local news and information that matters to them.
Digital Editor Emily Woolfe said: “All of our editors and staff stepped up during this historic moment to ensure we brought our readers local reaction through our websites, as well as reflection on Her Majesty’s role in our communities and local visits. The content which appeared online formed the basis for the subsequent print coverage to ensure our newspaper readers got the high quality read they expect from our titles.”