Berkshire - Gardner Leader acts in purchase of 133-year-old Henley Standard by Baylis Media

8th January 2025, Berkshire: Leading regional law firm, Gardner Leader, has supported Maidenhead-based, independent newspaper group, Baylis Media in the purchase of the 133-year-old Henley Standard weekly newspaper from Higgs Group.

The Henley Standard is now operated by the Baylis Community Media CIC, an independent publishing company, which also owns the Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express and Windsor Express. The Standard, which has served the town of Henley and its surrounding local communities since 1892, will continue to be published weekly and be based at Caxton House in Station Road with Phil Simms as editor. The Higgs Group printing company remains unaffected by the sale, and it has appointed Stuart Robinson as a Director and Board Member.

Steve Luker, joint Chairman of the Higgs Group, said: “We have come to understand Baylis Media’s commitment to publishing quality local news, which is a very close fit to ours. Like us, it values its staff, its local community and its customers.

“We are happy to have reached this agreement which we believe will give our publications the best chance to develop and prosper for many years to come. We are convinced that within the Baylis Group, the Henley Standard and all our publications will have a positive future.

“We would like to thank all our advertisers and readers for their support over the years. We would also like to thank all the staff involved with the Henley Standard, both current and past, for all their hard work and loyalty in producing an outstanding local newspaper over so many years. Our company and our town are very lucky to be served by such an outstanding team.”

John Luker, Life President of the Higgs Group, said: “As someone who first started working full-time for Higgs & Co in 1955, I am naturally a little sad that the Henley Standard will no longer be part of the family company.

“During that time, many local newspapers have been taken over by large groups and, while many tried to keep their identity, they undoubtedly lost their individuality. Although I retired from the board as long ago as 2008, I have always been proud that the Standard has continued for so long as an independent voice for Henley and its environs, due in no small measure to the efforts of successive editors and their loyal staff.

“The new publishers are committed to maintaining the Henley-centric ethos of the paper and are proven supporters of genuine local journalism. I am confident that they will retain this special nature, and I look forward to an exciting new era.”

Peter Sands, chair of the trustees of the Louis Baylis Charitable Trust, which funded the purchase, said: “We, as a trust, are very focused on independent local journalism and its function within the communities they serve - to inform, support and, where necessary, to question and investigate on behalf of the people. We have a long tradition of serving the local areas in East Berkshire and we are now very pleased to extend that service to South Oxfordshire.

“I would also extend my thanks to the Luker family for their considerable efforts running the paper for so many years and for having the excellent foresight to hand over the stewardship of this important asset to Baylis Community Media. I look forward to a long and successful future for the Group through the coming decades.”

Jeremy Spooner, Managing Director of Baylis Community Media CIC, said: “We are delighted that we now publish the Henley Standard. We are aware of the unique position that it holds within the town and are proud to be the custodians of this wonderful newspaper.”

The Gardner Leader Corporate and Commercial team acting on behalf of Baylis Community Media CIC included partners Diane Yarrow and Peter James and, Senior Associates Hannah Davies, and Vicky Schollar (Employment).

Philip Humphreys, Head of the Business team at Gardner Leader, said: “As a firm we’re committed to Maidenhead, as well as the wider Berkshire communities having recently celebrated 10 years in the town ourselves following our merger with Heath Buckeridge in 2014.”

“It’s been a pleasure to support another local business in Baylis Community Media CIC with the purchase of an important community asset, the Henley Standard. This acquisition highlights the strength and potential of the town and region’s business landscape.”

“We wish Baylis Community Media CIC and Higgs Group continued success for the future.”

Ends

Editors notes

With offices in Newbury, Thatcham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Swindon, Oxford and London, Gardner Leader is a leading law firm in the Thames Valley and South East, offering a wide range of legal services for businesses and individuals.

In the Legal 500 prestigious guide for 2022 the firm was described as ‘shining above all with their approachable and friendly way of doing things’, with Partner Niamh Minihane named as a “Next Generation Partner”, and Katie Dyson, Partner, singled out as a “Rising Star.”

In 2018 the firm won ‘Best in Business’ and ‘Best in Customer Service’ awards in the Newbury Weekly News award, and in 2016 it also won the LawNet award for Law Firm of the Year, and the Halsbury Legal Award in Business Development. Other awards include the LawNet Excellence in Employee Engagement award (2015), Highly Commended in the Regional Conveyancing Firm of the Year category in the 2015 National Conveyancing Awards and Commended.

The firm was first founded in 1895. It has over 160 staff. Its team of highly experienced and friendly solicitors are all specialist, specifically dedicated to their areas of expertise. Each team is driven by what matters to the client and committed to delivering results.