“The first weekly newspaper in England appeared in 1622 so the local press can be proud that it has served the country for so long,” said Sir Ray. “Even my small group has papers which have survived many recessions… There are 1200 [local newspapers]. 1100 are local weeklies. We are the largest medium in our towns. We reach a higher percentage of residents in our areas than any other medium. Collectively we reach 38 million of our UK population – more than the internet or any printed medium – and we perform a different function.”
He told guests at Stationers’ Hall: “We take enormous pride in our longevity, our tenacity and our closeness to our communities. The British press is the finest in the world and we are proud to be a major part of it. Of course we’re having a tough time like most of the country but we’re tough, we’re adapting where necessary, we’re fighting back and coming through as we’ve come through recessions and slumps and world wars in the past.”
Sir Ray said that his auditors had confirmed that his own group’s profits were currently at similar levels to those being achieved before the boom which had preceded this latest recession.
“We are local papers,” he added. “For local traders there is no better or more economical way of reaching their potential customers without waste, and for local residents there is no better way of hearing in depth of the news of their schools and churches and courts and councils. No other medium gives the whole comprehensive picture of their town.”
Newspaper Society president Georgina Harvey, giving the vote of thanks, said the unprecedented donation was testament to Sir Ray’s love of local newspapers and promised to put it to the very best possible use with a campaign to benefit the whole industry. She spoke of the proud motto of the Tindle family coat of arms – Noli Cedere or Never Surrender – which appears on every one of Sir Ray’s newspapers.
“It could not be more appropriate Ray – you have never surrendered, you have never given up, and you never will,” she said. “It is an attitude and state of mind that has seen you rise from ‘General Dogsbody’ – your words, not mine – on the Croydon Times in 1947 to a Knight of the Realm celebrating 63 years in the newspaper industry. It has seen you grow a business from one small 700-copies a week title to a position within the list of top 10 newspaper publishers… a group which now comprises 220 local newspapers, sells or distributes 1.4 million copies a week and turns over in excess of £50 million.”
She told how the young Ray Tindle had been evacuated as a schoolboy to Torquay where the father of the family he stayed with was general manager of the Herald Express. Later, serving in the wartime army in the Far East, Ray launched and produced his first ever newspaper on the troop ship. And after the war he bought the Tooting and Balham Gazette with £300 of demob money.
“Your drive, entrepreneurial spirit and sheer zest for life has seen you and your business reach extraordinary heights… as well as [meeting] its challenges and dramas. And you have faced plenty of these but Noli Cedere, you never gave up and you relished the challenge. It’s that steel and sheer ‘chutzpah’ that’s been behind every action you have taken throughout your illustrious career. A career that has seen you continue to launch titles throughout several recessions and over the years save old established newspaper titles, some dating back 200 years.”
Sir Ray’s connection with the Newspaper Society goes back more than 55 years. He worked full-time for the Society as assistant to the Secretary in the 1950’s. He was elected president in 1971 and served as honorary treasurer for over 14 years.
