GAZETTE Newspapers has been presented with the mayor's prestigious award to business.

The presentation of the civic accolade was made by outgoing borough mayor Cllr Rita Burgess at the annual council meeting on Thursday.

Cllr Burgess - who has just completed a successful year in office, during which a magnificent £42,000 was raised for her mayor's charity appeal - said that the mayor's business award was not made every year but she had decided to present it this year to Gazette Newspapers.

Before she handed the award to editor Mark Jones, Cllr Burgess said: "The Gazette has been around for a long time -125 years this year.

"I have found the staff to be a great bunch of people. Under the editorship of Mark Jones, they have produced a really informed newspaper. They were very supportive of my chosen charity CLIC (Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood) during the past year.

"But none of this is the reason why I have chosen them to receive the award.

"The factor which prompted this decision is that, not content with just reporting and photographing, I have found them taking part in events in the community to raise money for charities. They are very much a part of the community that is Basingstoke and Deane."

Mr Jones was delighted to receive the award on behalf of Gazette Newspapers, which publishes The Gazette on Monday and Friday as well as The Basingstoke Extra free newspaper on Wednesday.

After the presentation ceremony, he said: "I would like to thank Cllr Burgess for choosing Gazette Newspapers to receive this splendid award and very much appreciate her kind words about our staff.

"This is a terrific and very important honour for everyone at the company. It means a lot to all the employees, particularly so this year - the 125th anniversary of The Gazette.

"Gazette Newspapers is proud to be at the heart of the Basingstoke community, and staff from all departments are always keen to support local events for good causes."