Weekly children's newspaper First News has published it's milestone 500th edition.

With it's 500th edition, First News are launching a charity appeal to encourage Cambodian children to attend school.

First News, a newspaper written for children, published it's first issue in 2006.

Since then, it has been steadily growing in circulation.

The average circulation of First News today is on average 79, 431 copies.

First News is edited by Nicky Cox, under Chief Executive Sarah Thompson.

Thompson started the appeal for Cambodian children, after a trip to the country inspired her.

Editor Cox said: "They would not go to school, as their parents would advise them to go to the streets to beg, as they desperately need the money."

The First News appeal pays for children to receive a bag of rice as a reward for attending school, thus ensuring they receive both an education and a meal.

Cox spoke about the success of First News, saying "Other journalists originally told me that this idea would never work. We are single handily saving the paper industry as 86 per cent of our readers prefer the print version of the paper to others. The next generation will grow up reading print thanks to First News."