Local papers initiative seals Camelot deal

National Lottery organiser Camelot Group is backing this year’s Local Newspaper Week, the initiative designed to promote the importance of local newspapers to their communities.

This is the first time that the initiative, organised by the Newspaper Society, is to be supported by a commercial company. Partners in the past have included The Prince’s Trust and Cancer Research UK. ChildLine is also involved this year.

The Newspaper Society, which promotes the regional press to advertisers, is putting together a press pack for local newspapers that will feature editorial ideas.

This year the pack includes information on the National Lottery, its games, winners and the good causes. A lottery scratchcard promotion will also run through Featurelink, a Newspaper Society mechanism for syndicating advertising features to the local press.

This is the eighth Local Newspaper Week and it runs from May 16 to 22. Other activities include syndicated interviews with celebrities on the importance of their local newspaper.

Last December, the Newspaper Society appointed Robert Ray as marketing director. Just before that, in September, the society had launched a strategy targeting brand owners under the banner Regional Press: Closer to Home, replacing the Creating New Perspectives strapline (MW September 16, 2004).