Higgs Group has announced that it has sold The Henley Standard and its associated titles to Baylis Media, which also owns the Maidenhead Advertiser and the Slough and Windsor Express.
The papers are operated by Baylis Community Media CIC, an independent publishing company.
The Henley Standard, which has served the town and its environs since 1892, says it will continue to be based at Caxton House in Station Road with Phil Simms as editor.
According to the publisher, readers, advertisers and the community can expect its close and friendly relationship to continue with no changes to the paper’s service.
The Higgs Group printing company remains unaffected and it has announced the appointment of Stuart Robinson as a director and board member.
Steve Luker, the joint chairman, said the Higgs Group has had a close association with Baylis for many years and is sure that the deal would allow the Standard to continue to thrive. He said: “We have come to understand Baylis Media’s commitment to publishing quality local news is a very close fit to ours. Like us, it values its staff, its local community and its customers.
“We are happy to have reached this agreement that we believe will give our publications the best chance to develop and prosper for many years to come. We are convinced that within the Baylis Group, the Henley Standard and all our publications will have a positive future.
“We would like to thank all our advertisers and readers for their support over the years. We would also like to thank all the staff involved with the Henley Standard, both current and past, for all their hard work and loyalty in producing an outstanding local newspaper over so many years. Our company and our town are very lucky to be served by such an outstanding team.”
John Luker, life president of the Higgs Group, said: “As someone who first started working full-time for Higgs & Co in 1955, I am naturally a little sad that the Henley Standard will no longer be part of the family company.
“During that time, many local newspapers have been taken over by large groups and, while many tried to keep their identity, they undoubtedly lost their individuality. Although I retired from the board as long ago as 2008, I have always been proud that the Standardhas continued for so long as an independent voice for Henley and its environs, due in no small measure to the efforts of successive editors and their loyal staff.
“The new publishers are committed to maintaining the Henley-centric ethos of the paper and are proven supporters of genuine local journalism. I am confident that they will retain this special nature and I look forward to an exciting new era.”
Peter Sands, who chairs the trustees of the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust, which funded the purchase, said: “We, as a trust, are very focused on independent local journalism and its function within the communities they serve — to inform, support and, where necessary, to question and investigate on behalf of the people.
“We have a long tradition of serving the local areas in East Berkshire and we are now very pleased to extend that service to South Oxfordshire.
“I would also extend my thanks to the Luker family for their considerable efforts running the paper for so many years and for having the excellent foresight to hand over the stewardship of this important asset to Baylis Community Media.
“I look forward to a long and successful future for the group through the coming decades.”
Jeremy Spooner, managing director of Baylis Community Media CIC, said: “We are delighted that we now publish the Henley Standard. We are aware of the unique position that it holds within the town and are proud to be the custodians of this wonderful newspaper.”
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