Vancouver 24 hours celebrated its 7th birthday Thursday and was handed a special gift.

Annual newspaper results released on the same day of the anniversary of our launch show the free commuter daily is still the No. 1 free daily in the Lower Mainland. The 2011 NADbank data revealed an 8% increase in readers over 2010, with 272,300 daily readers.

"It's amazing where we've come and the NADbank numbers reaffirm our position on top," said 24 hours general manager Philip Tan.

Since its launch in March 29. 2005, 24 hours' impact on the market is evident, with both the Vancouver Sun and Province having lost print readership over the same period. "I want to celebrate the past and use this as a launching point for the future," said Tan.