TRIBUTES were paid to "great" local papers when the chairman of one of the UK's top newspaper groups opened a new £17 million printing centre at Wingates Westhoughton in November, 2001.

Newsquest, which is owned by the American Gannett company, hosted a reception to mark the official opening of a modern plant which now prints the Bolton Evening News, Blackburn's Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the Bury Times and 16 other titles across Lancashire and Cheshire.

It replaces the facility in Cranfield Road, Lostock, which had printed the BEN and other newspapers since 1987.

Jim Brown, chairman of the Newsquest Media Group, told about 50 guests: "When one talks of Lancashire, we tend to think cotton, football and now technology.

"But, I would argue, much of its proud history must also lie with its so-sensible newspapers. The great papers of Bolton, Blackburn and Bury, to name but a few, have played their part in the protection and development of their communities."

He revealed that when he first came to Bolton the previous owners, Reed, intended to close the print facility in Mealhouse Lane and print the Bolton Evening News at Thomson's Blackburn plant.

"After a few days we persuaded Reed's then chairman to let us buy a new press, but to do it we had to sell the Mealhouse Lane building to pay for it," he said.

Mr Brown paid tribute to the "confidence and commitment of our American owners".

He added: "From this magnificent press will come newspapers which I believe their Lancashire and Cheshire communities can trust and add to their proud heritage. We have here one of the finest newspaper plants in the country and I know our journalists across all the titles will match the best with the best."

The opening event was attended by guests including the Mayor and Mayoress of Bolton, Cllr Kevan Helsby and Mrs Alice Kilcoyne, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Bury, Cllr Paul Nesbit and Mrs Nesbit.

But the presence of 86-year-old Mr Marcus Tillotson provided a visible link between today's modern newspaper operation and the tradition established when his grandfather, William F Tillotson, established the Bolton Evening News in 1867.

At half a penny it was the cheapest paper in the country, Mr Tillotson said. He said the first newspaper press printed 1,000 copies an hour -- a big contrast with the new Wingates plant which can handle 60,000 an hour.

Cllr Helsby praised Newsquest for its investment in a "superb facility" which helped the image of the town.

Newsquest, which owns about 300 newspaper titles throughout the country, was formed through a management buy-out of Reed Regional Newspapers in 1996.

It was acquired by Gannett in mid-1999. Gannett is an international news and information company which publishes newspapers and runs television stations throughout the United States.

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