Members of the thriving Formby U3A heard a fascinating talk by Ormskirk freelance journalist Roger Blaxall as they 'held the front page' at their January meeting last Wednesday afternoon.

Roger has spent almost 45 years as a journalist, PR officer and freelance writer and now posts news six days a week on QLocal ormskirk.

He spoke of how journalists are born, not made and addressed the challenges facing local and regional newspapers along with free papers like the Champion as more and more readers of all ages are demanding instant news via the internet and are no longer happy to wait for their local news once a week.

He told his appreciative audience that QLocal now has 500,000 readers a month according to Google; many U3A members rue the day The Formby Times was closed by the former Trinity Mirror and bemoaned the lack of real news in The Champ which many saw as a mouthpiece for 'pop up' Bill - local MP Bill Esterson.

And Blaxall didn't leave empty handed, being presented with a brilliant new book 'A community in wartime' looking at life in Formby during WW1 - a review will appear on QLocal Formby and Southport in due course.

For more on Formby U3A, click here: http://www.formbyu3a.org.uk/