Former staff at the Oxford Mail reunite in the pub

It was an afternoon for nostalgia as former journalists at the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times held a reunion.

More than 30 packed into the Kings Arms at Kidlington to recall old times in the newspaper offices.

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These were the days when we had staff based not only in Oxford but in Witney, Banbury, Bicester, Thame, Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage, covering news from those areas.

Older journalists remembered when the hub of the organisation was in New Inn Hall Street in Oxford – the paper and hot metal days, with no computers or mobile phones in sight.

Reporters would use old-fashioned typewriters to create their stories on paper. After editing and headlines added, printing staff would set the text in metal type.

Metal plates would then be fitted to the press and printing of the paper would begin.

Older readers will no doubt remember the succession of Oxford Mail vans emerging from the narrow Shoe Lane taking papers to newsagents and other outlets throughout Oxfordshire and what was then North Berkshire.

Eight daily editions of the Oxford Mail were published – the third edition arrived on the streets in Oxford at lunchtime, the fifth in mid-afternoon and the seventh and eighth – called the final and late final – in late afternoon. The other editions went to county areas.

Another feature of newspaper production in those days was the Sports Mail – popularly known as the Green Mail as it was printed on green paper. It was published on Saturday evenings and contained all the football results.

Readers would queue outside newsagents waiting for the paper to arrive. Before the present widespread coverage on TV, sports fans would not know the results of football matches.

The first in the queue would relay the results to those further back – to cheers and groans, however their favourite team had performed. Those were the days!