A free, twice-a-year newspaper to promote Hamilton, its people, attractions and businesses has hit the streets.

It is called City Limits, and has been produced by Jarae Thompson, who launched The St George’s Crown, its sister paper, three years ago.

The first edition of the paper has a print run of 8,000 and is being snapped up by visitors and locals looking for information about the city and the people who help make it tick.

Business owners Mstira Weeks, Glen Wilks, and David Hamshere are among those profiled in City Limits, which also features places of interest in the city, the work of the City of Hamilton, and a section focused on North Hamilton.

Both papers are a hit with visitors who enjoy reading them and often take copies home as a vacation keepsake of their time in Bermuda. Copies are distributed through visitor information centres, hotels, cafés, and Airbnb properties.

Mr Thompson studied graphic design and digital media at universities in England, and is responsible for the design and layout of the newspapers, as well as illustrations and most of the photographs.

He was inspired to launch The St George’s Crown in 2017 after seeing the success of the The Dockyard Times, a free newspaper that he is not connected with, in the West End.

The Crown is also a twice-a-year publication. It started with a print run of 3,000 per edition, but is now at 8,000.

“It grew with every passing newspaper that came out. We started really enjoying it and getting into it,” Mr Thompson said.

When asked what led him to do a Hamilton paper, he said: “City Limits started when one of our friends said we should produce a paper for Hamilton. We got right on to it.

“We got in touch with the Mayor of Hamilton, along with the BEDC. They were very keen and right on board with it.”

Kelli Thompson, the mother of Mr Thompson, is the manager of the papers. She said the City of Hamilton has been a major supporter of City Limits.

“Great thanks to the Mayor of Hamilton, Mr [Charles] Gosling. We gave him a call and he directed us to his team, Jessica Astwood, Sideya Dill, and Zoe Mulholland,” she said.

Ms Thompson added that the BEDC had supported the entrepreneurial endeavours of her son, and thanked Erica Smith, Ray Lambert, William Spriggs, and Jamillah Lodge.

“It was really a great effort by everyone to get the first edition out. It was a lot of fun. And a big thank you to George Frost and professor Calvin Shabazz, they were instrumental to helping us push it forward,” she said.

Also involved in the newspaper production team are Alison Outerbridge and Cris Valdes-Dapena.

The newspapers have allowed Mr Thompson to hone his graphic design skills and his expertise with software programmes Adobe InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. He is looking to grow City Limits, and said: “Hopefully, we can get more in it, and more support.”

The papers include some local business adverts. Ms Thompson, who owns Saltwater Jewellery Design, on Water Street, St George, said the Corporation of St George had been the biggest supporter of the Crown, and Skyport had also been a major supporter since the first edition in the summer of 2017.

“We’ve had a good feedback from visitors that pop in here, on the St George’s side, and say how wonderful the newspaper is. The majority of them take it back with them, off our shores, as a keepsake because of the historic content and the information that is in there,” she said.

Visitor Information Centres have copies of the paper, as do hotels and Airbnb rentals. Ms Thompson said: “There has been good feedback from Airbnbs, who pick up copies from distribution spots and ask if there are any more.

“A lot of morning/breakfast eateries and cafés have them as well, as does Miles grocery store, the pharmacies, the aquarium and Crystal Caves — all those hotspots for visitors.”

The current winter editions of both papers have 16 pages. Asked if things have become harder now there are two publications to prepare and distribute, Mr Thompson said: “It’s not very difficult. It can get daunting at times, but it depends on how you manage your time.”

•Mr Thompson can be contacted at 705-1714, and on e-mail at jaraethompson@hotmail.com