A look back at Shropshire in the 1960s

The Shropshire Star was born on October 5, 1964. It was a decade of huge change, and the newspaper was there to record it all in detail.

Today, as part of our 60th anniversary celebrations, we launch a series of features looking at our last 60 years, decade by decade. We will be looking at some of the big events that defined those years, and how we reported it.Like the decades both before and since, during the 1960s the Star reported on triumphs, disasters, and disappointments.

But amid all those heartwarming and heartbreaking stories, there was one which cemented the place of the new newspaper in the community, in the view of our founder general manager, the late Alan Graham.

In October 1967 there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease at a farm near Oswestry. Despite efforts to try to contain the outbreak it spread with devastating effects on the agricultural community.

The Star’s response convinced Salopians of the need for a daily newspaper dedicated to the county, and from then on sales grew rapidly.

“It might sound strange but I think the biggest breakthrough for the Shropshire Star and its readers was that foot and mouth outbreak where we were able to be of support,” Mr Graham was to recall.