Research into local newspapers

The name - 'Braintree and Witham Times'
Similarly to the Halstead Gazette, The Braintree and Witham Times features the location which it intends to serve in the title. Unlike the Halstead Gazette, this newspaper covers a wider area; two towns, and therefore is likely to include more stories, information and a variety of adverts. The font is serif and mainly green, with a green bar underneath featuring the date, price, and a brief summary of where the newspaper covers. The price is 60p, which is more expensive than the Halstead Gazette.

Main article 
The main article regards the local maternity ward in Braintree and the plans to move it further away. This main story will affect a more younger generation compared to the Halstead Gazette, as the average age of first time motherhood in the UK is 29 years of age, thus implying that the article, and therefore the newspaper, would in theory appeal to that age group.

Adverts
The three adverts featured on the front page include a unisex hairdressers, window sales and a financial loan company. The hairdressers advert features no images, and uses simple colours. Arguably hairdressing is something that people of all ages need and therefore the advert is more likely to be designed to be age and gender neutral in order to attract a variety of people. The advert for windows uses bright blue colours to stand out, and features images of a conservatory which has the companies windows installed. It also has a picture of a hand holding a wad of money, as it promises a scrappage offer. This advert is likely to appeal to an older target audience, as they are more likely to have a disposable income to spend on windows, and may be keen to do so in order to conserve energy and heat in their homes. The advert for loans uses blue and green colours and no images. It uses a '£' sign as a substitute for an 'L' in the word 'loan' in order to grab the readers attention and show what the advert is regarding instantly. It would appeal to most ages, as cash flow can be a problem at any age, however due to the brighter colours it may be purposely aimed at a slightly younger audience as it is common for young people to be short of money.

Photos
All the photos on the front page are in colour to be more eye catching. The largest photo features local MP Brooks Newmark, alongside the beginning of a story. This is the equivalent of a celebrity picture, which entices many people as they recognise Brooks and therefore want to read the article. There is a cut out of a mans head next to the first section of the main story, possibly of a hospital boss which relates to the story. The other picture shows a vicar followed by mourners dressed in black, relating to the story which is about the towns recent deaths.