Reprinted from the first edition of the Worcester Evening News and Times published 65 years ago.

One Newspaper for City and County

This afternoon Lord Cobham, Lord Lieutenant of the City and County, initiated a new era in Worcester journalism when, by pressing a button, he started the presses which delivered the first issue of the Worcester Evening News and Times.

Lord Cobham was accompanied by Lady Atkins (Mayor of Worcester) and the Town Clerk (Mr C Digby-Seymour).

The ceremony took place in the offices of the paper in The Trinity and, and within a few minutes copies of the enlarged paper were being printed at the rate of over 30,000 an hour. Waiting newsboys and delivery vans were ready for despatch to ever part of the wide distribution area.

Thus is marked the merging of the old with the new - of the Worcester Evening Times, which saw its birth over 57 years ago - with the Worcester Evening News, which began its virile life less than three years ago.

From today the News and Times will be the county's only evening newspaper. It will retain the solid tradition of the more distant past, combined with the features of modern newspapers.

The merged paper is different in form from either of those it replaces. It consists today of 24 pages.

With the resources available the enlarged staff will be able to furnish Worcester and throughout the West Midlands each day a comprehensive record of local and national events, vivid portraiture of some of the principal happenings, as well as special articles and features which have become acceptable to readers of the papers now covered by one publication.

Modern day note: The actual launch of the new paper took place on November 1, some weeks after the agreement to merge the titles.