A popular weekly newspaper in the north has ceased publishing, ending almost 180 years of journalistic service to Nairnshire.
The Nairnshire Telegraph was hit by a slump in circulation and advertising revenue following the outbreak of Covid last March.
But proprietor Iain Bain and his wife Maureen, who are both in the 70s, said they were also thinking about retiring and had finally decided to “call it a day”.
The last edition has now been published, in which the couple said: “Sadly the other story in the Nairnshire is that with this issue, the Nairnshire Telegraph will cease to publish.
“The combination of the pandemic restrictions, plus the age of the proprietor mean that we are calling it a day on nearly 180 years of our combined series.
“Our company The Nairnshire Telegraph Ltd continues to own the titles The Nairnshire Telegraph and Nairnshire Mirror and we are considering some other publishing projects.”
After numerous tributes online, the couple – whose family has had an association with the paper for more than a century – added: “Iain and Maureen are quite overwhelmed by the number of messages of appreciation of the Nairnshire that have come in since we announced the end of publication.
“They are so warm and generous and I would like thank everybody for their kindness and interest.
“The decision to cease publication was not an easy one and was a long time coming. The worst of it is that the Nairnshire still had life in it and your kind remarks prove that.
“I’m taking those into account as we consider the future of the titles and other projects.”
The couple thanked the readers and advertisers who had supported the newspaper in the last year.
It is understood the pandemic and lockdown had ended discussions on the continuation of the newspaper by another publisher.
Former Nairn Provost Sandy Park, a friend of the Bains, paid tribute to the Nairnshire and all those who have worked there throughout the years.
He said: “Iain Bain has always had Nairnshire in his heart. He was a great ambassador for the area and was always keen to promote Nairnshire.
“For me it will be a great miss every Tuesday. I remember queues waiting outside its offices on Tuesdays to buy the paper.
“It is obviously an end of an era.
“The editorials were always worth reading, even when critical of councillors like myself.
“It was always constructive criticism.
“I know the world of media is changing, but it would be nice if someone could pick up the reins and continue running a well-liked local paper.”
Nairn councillor Tom Heggie added: “I first came to Nairn as a minister in 1980 and valued the Nairnshire as a means of communicating with the community.
“I did not agree with every editorial, but have valued the local input of the freedom of the press.
“I have valued the fact that the local printed press has given a degree of balance between the extremes of the vigilantes deemed to be “social media” and absolute truth.
“I feel that Nairn will be the poorer for the lack of a local printed news outlet which has acted as a historical record of the community for an extended period of time.
“It appears to be a sign of the times and one to be regretted.
“I applaud the efforts which have been made to maintain the presence of the newspaper.”