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Events, News, Press Release

Wolverhampton Building Supplies score sponsorship with Express & Star Wolves podcast

By on

30th November 2018

- Events, News, Press Release

A local construction provider has scored itself a sponsorship win with the infamous Express & Star Wolves football podcast.

Wolverhampton Building Supplies, based on Bilston Road in the city, has bagged the position of headline sponsor for the Wolverhampton Wanderers podcast with Tim Spiers and Nathan Judah.

The sponsorship will run for the rest of the season, and has coincided with live recording at Molineux for the 100th episode.

Sports writer duo, Tim and Nathan, will be recording the centenary special live and uncut at Molineux’s WV1 bar on Thursday December 6 at 7pm.

Tim and Nathan will be chewing the Wolves fat with plenty of fan interaction throughout the night, including a special ‘Abuse of the Week’ live edition and a live Q&A.

Simon Patron, who owns Wolverhampton Building Supplies, said he is excited to be part of this opportunity.

Simon, who is a lifelong Wolves fan, said: “My business has been going for four years and we are official partners with Wolverhampton Wanderers and are lucky enough to have a company box.

“The club has been instilled into my family and I even worked as a steward there for 20 years previously, so to now be a part of the podcast is an exciting opportunity.

“The reason we got involved is because there is such a large number of listeners and viewers. The popularity of the podcast is what attracted us to be part of it.

“It is about brand awareness for us and our company can grow with the podcast.”

We have a dedicated team on the trade counter who can offer you guidance on your project as well as excellent customer service.

Wolverhampton Building Supplies have three delivery vehicles in operation with reliable drivers who will provide you with fast and efficient deliveries.

The team supply products, plastering, tools, timber and much more.
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Events, News, Press Release

Martin Wright appointed Editor-in-Chief for MNA

By on

20th November 2018

- Events, News, Press Release

MNA Print managing director Graeme Clifford writes: I am pleased to confirm that Martin Wright has been appointed as Editor-in-Chief for the Midland News Association.

Martin will take overall responsibility for the MNA’s daily newspapers Express & Star and Shropshire Star, as well as our weekly portfolio and the monthly magazines. He will also lead on digital editorial content moving forward.

Martin joined the MNA as editor of the Shropshire Star in 2013.

His new role will see him lead a refocused editorial department to ensure greater collaboration takes place while our journalists continue to deliver the high standard of news coverage which readers expect from our titles.

On behalf of the MNA, we wish Martin every success in his new role.
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Press Release

Keith Harrison to leave MNA after 25 years

By on

16th November 2018

- Press Release

After 25 years with the Midland News Association, the last five as Editor of the Express & Star, Keith Harrison is to leave the organisation.

In a statement, Keith said: It is with great sadness that I am to leave the MNA after 25 years with the company.

Since joining as a Senior Reporter in 1993, I have seen many changes and, after spending almost half my life in Queen Street, I feel it is now time for a new challenge.

It has been a privilege to serve the company in numerous roles, particularly in 2011 when I had the honour of editing the Shropshire Star, and since 2013 as Editor of the Express & Star.

In that time, it has been great to see our efforts as a team rewarded with various awards for our campaigning, our website and the overall quality of our work.

It has been fantastic to work with so many talented journalists down the years and to have learned from some of the best in the industry.

I would like to thank my colleagues past and present for their help and pay particular tribute to the Graham family for their unstinting support.

The Express & Star is a special title in a special part of the country. It will always have a huge place in my heart and I wish it every success in the future.

It has been an honour and a privilege to be part of this fantastic organisation and I’ve loved every minute.

I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Print managing director Graeme Clifford said: On behalf of the MNA, I would like to thank Keith for his contribution during one of the most challenging periods in the history of our industry.

Amid significant upheaval for regional news publishing, Keith has proved to be first a formidable journalist and then a highly capable editor.

Keith has led the editorial team with great energy and leadership, building upon the MNA’s heritage for first rate local news coverage.

A decision on his successor will be announced in due course.
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Events, News, Press Release

Chronicle Week launches as Britain’s biggest free weekly newspaper

By on

1st November 2018

- Events, News, Press Release

A leading regional publisher is to launch Britain’s biggest free weekly newspaper for readers in the Black Country and surrounding areas.

On Friday (Nov 2) the Midland News Association, publisher of the Express & Star, will deliver new print title Chronicle Week to more than 200,000 homes following a major rebrand.

With five editions covering Wolverhampton, Walsall, Sandwell, Dudley and Cannock, the title has been given a modern look to appeal to the target 272,000 readers, with the aim of generating a stronger response for advertisers.

Building on the heritage of the MNA’s free Chronicle series, which it replaces, the newspaper will be distributed to households with demographic profiles aligned with advertisers’ target audiences.



With a contemporary design and fresh advertising shapes, the Chronicle Week launch will see 210,000 copies delivered through door to door distribution. It will also be on sale in more than 250 newsagents across the area.

Local stories will feature throughout each edition, complete with a comprehensive round-up of the week’s regional news.

Express & Star Editor Keith Harrison said: “We are delighted with the new Chronicle Week and the prestige of laying claim to being the biggest free weekly newspaper in the UK. There is a focus on positive stories with human interest, alongside the hard news which readers expect from us, plus eight pages of leisure features.”

MNA advertising director Louise Burns said: “The new print title has an improved offering for advertising which we feel will help to engage with readers in a more targeted way. Conversations are already under way with advertisers to update them on the changes and the new opportunity to accelerate coverage at a lower cost per thousand, which have been received positively.”



The launch of Chronicle Week coincides with a marketing campaign to promote the new title to local advertisers. Alongside the new product, the MNA will continue to publish the free weekly Stafford Express & Star.

MNA print MD Graeme Clifford said: “The launch of Britain’s biggest free weekly newspaper is a prime example of the MNA’s commitment to continuing to invest in print. A lot of time and hard work has gone into making this product what it is, and we are very excited about its launch.”

The MNA publishes two of the UK’s biggest regional newspapers, the Express & Star and its sister paper the Shropshire Star.

Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448, rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk

NOTES: Readership figures based on current JICREG Chronicle Series readers per copy
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Events, News, News Titles, Press Release

The MNA has turned red for Zac

By on

28th September 2018

- Events, News, News Titles, Press Release

The county of Shropshire is turning red today for brave Broseley four-year-old Zac Oliver – and the MNA is support.

Staff across the offices are wearing red clothes and the Shropshire Star has also changed its website’s colour scheme from blue to red for a day – all in support of Zac.

The youngster, who has an extremely rare form of childhood leukaemia, called Near Haploid, needs to travel to Philadelphia in the U.S. for specialist CAR-T therapy currently unavailable on the NHS.



His family are trying to raise the £500,000 needed for the treatment, and so far, the response has been fantastic.

Schools, businesses and shops are wearing red today, and are sharing pictures with the #wearredforzac hashtag.

And everybody involved is asked to donate at least £1 towards the total.

How YOU can help:

Anyone who wants to support the fundraising campaign should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zac-oliver

Anyone donating is asked to make sure they post a picture of themselves wearing red on September 28 on Facebook or Twitter with the hastag #wearredforzac

People can also join Zac’s Facebook support page which is called ‘Zachariah’s’s fight against Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia’.

People can also donate using their mobile phone by texting ZACH75 £1 to 70070.


Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448
rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk
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Events, Press Release

Express & Star and Wolves to team up for Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run in support of Carl Ikeme

By on

28th August 2018

- Events, Press Release

The Express & Star and Wolverhampton Wanderers are teaming up to recruit a ‘Wolf Pack’ to take part in the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run for Cure Leukaemia.

This is in support of goalkeeper Carl Ikeme who recently announced he is in full remission.

It is over 12 months since the Nigerian International goalkeeper, who has played for Wolves since 2003, was diagnosed with acute leukaemia. The news of his diagnosis shocked the entire football community.

The fans, Wolves and the Express & Star immediately rallied in support of the shot stopper. Wolves approached Cure Leukaemia to be the focal point for all the fundraising and over £110,000 was raised in 2017 by the Wolves family.

Now, following Carl’s announcement that his leukaemia is in remission and that he is retiring from the game, the club, fans and Express & Star are keen to show their support once again.

The team want to assemble a huge team of runners for the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run on Sunday October 14th 2018.

Express & Star digital sport editor Nathan Judah ran the Disney Dopey Challenge for Cure Leukaemia at the turn of the year, raising nearly £4,000 in support of Carl. He has signed up to run again for the charity this October.

He said: “Everyone is thrilled that Carl is now in remission for leukaemia and I am excited to help recruit runners for Cure Leukaemia to further emphasise our support for Carl.

“When I presented Cure Leukaemia with the funds I raised from the Dopey Challenge earlier this year it was inspiring to hear how every penny will go towards directly helping patients like Carl.

“I am sure that with Wolves and the Express & Star backing this campaign we can assemble a huge ‘Wolf Pack’ to take on the Simplyhealth Great Birmingham Run and I’m excited to get started.”
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Press Release

Training company move into new home at MNA offices

By on

7th August 2018

- Press Release

A leading training company has moved into the offices of Britain’s biggest regional newspaper the Express & Star as part of a new partnership.

Well Training has set up in the Wolverhampton headquarters of Midland News Association from their previous home in Gipsy Lane, Willenhall.

Director Lindsey Flynn and the Well team will be based in the offices at Queen Street, Wolverhampton, where they will offer a range of on and off-site management training and development courses.

They provide both accredited and non-accredited learning and development support ranging from leadership and management to apprenticeships through to coaching and mentoring.

Well have worked with a range of clients across public and private sector both in the UK and with recent expansion into Europe and the USA.

Lindsey Flynn said: “We are pleased to be joining up with the MNA in our new home to take Well to the next level.

“Training and staff development is vital to employers supporting them to improve productivity and profitability, so we plan to build upon our success to date to leverage the strengths of the region’s leading local publisher.

“Aligning ourselves with some of the best-known brands in the region will give us an opportunity to generate new business moving forward.”

As well as publishing the Express & Star, the MNA has its own in-house recruitment agency, Star Employment Services.

The MNA also publishes daily newspaper the Shropshire Star and a portfolio of websites, weekly newspapers and magazine titles.

Lee Smith, MNA director of recruitment services, said: “The arrival of Well marks the formation of a new partnership with the MNA and will draw upon our heritage in jobs and recruitment services.

“We will work with the Well team to build upon opportunities around delivering high quality training and development services to our clients and organisations in the regions we serve.

“Drawing upon our respective strengths we will work together to market Well’s services to the MNA’s audiences.”

MNA managing director Graeme Clifford said: “We look forward to working with Well to shape a comprehensive recruitment and training offering for the Black Country, Shropshire and surrounding areas, as well as clients from further afield.”

Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448
rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk
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News Titles, Press Release

H1 Search welcomes new team members

By on

30th May 2018

- News Titles, Press Release

The digital arm of a leading regional news publisher is welcoming new members of staff to the team, as part of a long term growth plan.

Specialist search engine marketing agency, H1 Search, is part of the Midland News Association. Two new recruits have joined the business to focus on search engine optimisation and pay-per-click advertising.

Matthew Fowell has joined H1 as PPC manager and has been in digital for six years, working for Five Rivers Group and West Midlands Media previously. His experience lies mainly in content, conversion rate optimisation and paid search. One of his biggest clients has been NBC group and he leads training groups on behalf of enterprise nation, on a national basis. He holds talks in Bristol, Manchester, London, Newcastle, Leeds and Birmingham.

Matthew has taken on the role as head of paid search and will be working on directing traffic to websites, for which an advertiser pays for each time the advert is clicked on. This could be search engine advertising, for example. His part is to help develop and upskill the team, create structure and ensure profitability of paid search within the business.

Steve Pavis has also joined the team as SEO manager. He has worked in SEO for 12 years, with a passion for organic search. He is responsible for the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to a client’s website through organic search engine results.

This involves using strategies, techniques and tactics to increase the amount of site visitors by gaining a high-ranking placement in the search results page of a search engine. He will be setting up SEO as a service proposition within the business. He is helping to secure new clients with an aim to grow the team as revenues increase.

Matthew said: “I am really pleased to have become part of the team at H1 Search.

“I am working on the PPC side of the agency,  whereby advertisers are only charged when a user actually clicks on their advert.

“I am looking forward to helping the agency progress and develop in the digital world.”

H1 Search offers support for organisations looking to grow their results from online searches through the likes of Google and Bing. Named after the page header tag used in web language HTML, H1 caters for clients wanting high volume pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) services.

Steve said: “Joining H1 Search is a new challenge for me. Most internet search users tend not to click through pages and pages of search results, so it is my job to make sure a site ranks highly in the results on engines such as Google.

“I am really enjoying my role so far, and am feeling confident about the future of our agency.”

The H1 Search team have now set up in a state-of-the-art workplace with creative and modern facilities to reflect the forward movement of the business.

The office, based on Castle Street in Wolverhampton, is now open plan with contemporary amenities.

The agency have worked for a host of clients, operating as part of the MNA Digital team, based in Wolverhampton. The MNA publishes the UK’s biggest regional newspaper the Express & Star and its sister paper the Shropshire Star, which is the UK’s eighth biggest.

To find out more information, go to: www.h1search.com

Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448
rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk

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Press Release

MNA’s digital arm moves to modern offices as part of growth plan

By on

25th April 2018

- Press Release

The digital arm of a leading regional news publisher is taking steps to grow, starting with a move to a new office.

MNA Digital, part of Express & Star publisher the Midland News Association, has set up in a state-of-the-art workplace with creative and modern facilities to reflect the forward movement of the business.

The office, based on Castle Street in Wolverhampton, is open plan with contemporary meeting rooms, team seating, a kitchen area and room for expansion.

The dedicated space, which will also be home to the MNA’s new digital search agency H1 Search, was created to provide an engaging and collaborative environment.

On April 6, the team moved from their previous location in nearby Queen Street.

Managing director Andy Hill said: “The new office has been a much-anticipated move, providing MNA Digital and H1 Search with the opportunity to grow. We believe this will benefit our clients and the people within the business.

“This modern agency space is reflective of the business we’re striving to become, offering an open plan environment that delivers plenty of positive and productive conversation.

“We’re excited to see what the future holds with significant growth plans in place and can’t wait to invite colleagues and clients alike into our new environment for our official launch.”

MNA Digital is a digital marketing business built on the trusted brands of the Express & Star and Shropshire Star which provides specialist support for SMEs including web design and advertising campaigns.

H1 Search offers support for organisations looking to grow their business from online search. Launched in January, H1 caters for clients wanting high volume pay-per-click (PPC) and search engine optimisation (SEO) services.

The MNA publishes the UK’s biggest regional newspaper the Express & Star and its sister paper the Shropshire Star, which is the UK’s eighth biggest.

Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448
rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk
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Press Release

New website launched for Star Public Relations

By on

23rd April 2018

- Press Release

A new website has been launched to showcase the services of a leading regional PR agency.
Star Public Relations, based in the West Midlands and Shropshire, have relaunched their website to give the brand a more modern, updated look.

The online platform for Star Public Relations, part of the MNA Media portfolio, is more user friendly, easy to navigate and up to date.
The redesign has been timed to coincide with the agency looking forward to another successful year of growth under director Sundeep Sehijpal.
The website now boasts sections that include a regularly updated blog and details about the bespoke services.
The team has now also grown to three permanent members of staff and already served six retained clients after 12 months of trading.

Clients include two skills and training firms, a leading furniture retailer and a large housing association.
In 2017 its highlights included staging a General Elections hustings for a client, eye catching time-lapse videos of a development site and a series of successful award entries for another business.
The agency offers a range of services to support individual business needs, such as press releases, campaigns, website content, sales materials and social media assistance.
Experienced PR agency account manager and former journalist Sundeep joined on January 3 last year.

Agency director Sundeep said: “The new Star Public Relations website has been launched to reflect a fresh approach. The platform is now easier to use and more straightforward for both existing and potential clients.

“Our bespoke services that we offer clients are explained on our site, with the opportunity to talk to a member of the team.
“Star PR offers a wide range of affordable PR services, including Media Relations, Content Creation & Strategy, Social Media Management and Communications Strategy, which will help get your brand in front of your target audience.”
Currently, Star PR is offering clients one month free if they sign up for a 12-month retainer.

Star Public Relations is part of the Midland News Association, which is one of the UK’s largest independent regional media organisations and publisher of the Express & Star and Shropshire Star newspapers.

To find out more, contact Sundeep Sehijpal on 01952 951601.

You can view the relaunched website at http://starpublicrelations.co.uk/

Contact: Rebecca Heyes, MNA communications executive, 01902 319448
rebecca.heyes@expressandstar.co.uk
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