manchester

local press

www.therossendalefreepress.co.uk

The weekly, paid-for Rossendale Free Press began life in March 1883 as the Rawtenstall Free Press, in a building opposite the present offices in Bank Street, Rawtenstall.

It is at the hub of life in the Rossendale Valley towns, which is why it has one of the highest readership penetration levels in the North West. The emphasis is on reporting community news, not fighting shy of the harder questions in news, and the Free Press has a growing reputation as a campaigning newspaper, fighting on the side of the public in road safety, crime and environmental issues especially.

It is the only newspaper that offers advertisers full access to Rossendale homes, comprehensively outselling its only rival.

Industrially, Rossendale has undergone massive changes in recent times. Entire families in the main towns of Rawtenstall, Bacup, Haslingden and Ramsbottom once worked in footwear and textiles. Those days have largely long-gone, replaced by new-generation industry and the service sector. Unemployment is far below the national average. Also consigned to history are the imposing mills that dominated skylines, though a number have been preserved, giving the area a unique industrial and architectural heritage.

Rossendale is a semi-urban area surrounded by beautiful hills and valleys. Rows of terraced homes still dominate the housing scene, but value-fopr-money modern estates have become a magnet for commuters, taking advantage of excellent motorway links to Greater Manchester and all parts of the country.

Interestingly, before the arrival of motorways, many organisations had strong links to Rossendale because of its geographical central location.

*Readership Jicreg Aug 2004
Circulation/Distribution ABC/VFD Jan - June 2004