The Stratford Herald newspaper has come up with a novel way of marketing its latest lockdown edition – with a Hollywood-style movie trailer.

The family-owned weekly Warwickshire paper, which celebrates its 160th birthday this year, has kept publishing throughout the pandemic, making strategic adjustments such as changing its format from broadsheet to compact and with newsroom staff working remotely from home.

The latest edition includes stories on a local star from Britain’s Got Talent, otters returning to the River Avon and an exclusive isolation interview with comedian Adrian Edmondson, alongside vital information on the region’s response to the coronavirus crisis.

And the paper has come up with the movie trailer to entertain readers on social media and draw attention to the challenges that the editorial staff face in bringing out the paper each week. Dreamed up and created by staff photographer Mark Williamson, the trailer sees editor Richard Howarth headlining the credits in the imaginary film Stratford Herald: The Lockdown, interspersed with pages from the latest edition.

Howarth said: “The Herald, along with many other businesses, has had to adjust how it operates. The government has highlighted the role of local newspapers at this time in keeping people in contact with key information from their areas. We have had to respond quickly to ensure we can do so.

“Part of the change has been to move to a compact format. We have suspended publication of our free paper the Midweek to concentrate all our efforts on keeping the Herald at the heart of the community – and recording the history of the community – as it has been since 1860.”

To view the movie trailer, visit the Herald’s website.