St Albans entrepreneur takes a new view

A local entrepreneur has come to the rescue of a struggling newspaper group. Jerry Ramsdale, who runs Fastner + Fixing Magazine, a magazine publishing and exhibitions company in Hatfield Road, has bought out View From, a south west newspaper group which w

A local entrepreneur has come to the rescue of a struggling newspaper group.

Jerry Ramsdale, who runs Fastner + Fixing Magazine, a magazine publishing and exhibitions company in Hatfield Road, has bought out View From, a south west newspaper group which was under threat of closure at Christmas.

The View From series has free weekly titles for five Dorset towns, including Lyme Regis where Jerry and his wife Rosemary own a 17th century hotel, and Jerry, who is 53, has also brought the View Online website.

Jerry, who lives in Hatfield and has six children, said that it was his first venture into newspaper publishing: "I have a lot of experience with magazine publishing but this is bound to be a bit different.

"It is a very exciting project and I really look forward to working with such excellent community publications."

He added: "Although these are difficult times for local newspapers, I believe there is an excellent future for community publications and their websites like the View.