Rutherglen Reformer
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The Reformer has been the cornerstone of the local community for 137 years, and continues to provide the best and most in-depth news, features and sport for Rutherglen, Cambuslang and the surrounding area.
The paper was created by Andrew King and John McAlpine, who both went on to become town councillors. We first hit the shelves on December 4, 1875, under the watchful eye of our first ever editor, Mr R M Russell.
In 1962, the Cambuslang Pilot was incorprated into the Reformer, with the name continuing to appear on the masthead until 1971.
In 1977, we became the South Side and Rutherglen Reformer, but that experiment lasted a mere four years. We remained as the Rutherglen Reformer. uuntil 1991 when we became simply ‘The Reformer’.
All of these name changes have been coupled with even more front page masthead changes. The original masthead was the basis until the 1970s when a plainer, simpler design was brought in. Since then, another five have been used.
Over the years, The Reformer has reported on all of the biggest events of the day, including detailed reports on the heroism of locals during two World Wars.
One of the longest-running stories was the plight of workers at the Cambuslang Hoover plant, which had been almost constantly cutting back on staff until its closure in 2005.
We have been in the thick of the action, reporting as Rutherglen was swallowed up into Glasgow District Council and the subsequent decline of the town.
Synonymous with that was theme was the decline of Rutherglen Town Hall. But we were there for its grand re-opening in 2005, an event that symbolised the town’s rebirth as part of South Lanarkshire Council.
The Reformer itself underwent a revamp and in 2009 we moved our offices to Hamilton.
But our dedication to the local community has remained and there are now more ways than ever for readers to keep in contact through our Facebook and Twitter pages.
The paper has played a vital role in the community for nearly 14 decades, but we couldn’t have done it without the loyalty of our readers, advertisers and newsagents. Thank you for your support.
