Hastings: relocating to Liverpool
Alison Hastings, one of the few women to edit a regional daily newspaper, is quitting the Newcastle Evening Chronicle in the next six months "to put my family first".
Hastings – editor for six years – has made up her mind to relocate the family to the North West to support her partner in his new job as director of National Museums on Merseyside and save him from having to commute each week.
She is thought to be much prized by her employers Trinity Mirror and might still find herself working for them in another capacity when she moves to Liverpool.
"I am not a natural housewife but I would like to spend more time with my family," said Hastings, who had a baby nine months ago and recently had her appendix removed.
Her departure will spark a race for the chair at the Chronicle, where she is the only female executive. She is also Trinity Mirror’s only woman regional daily editor. She was deputy editor for 18 months before getting the top job and was previously in charge of editorial staff development at Thomson Regional Newspapers.
"Mine is a big job, a great job. The Chronicle is a Top 10 paper, an institution and it is a privilege to have looked after it. Circulation-wise it is in good shape," she said. "It will be a great challenge for somebody."
Steven J Brown, managing director of the Newcastle Chronicle & Journal, said: "Under Alison’s stewardship, the Chronicle has gone tabloid, enhanced its reputation as a campaigning paper and weathered the Morning News/ Metro storm."
By Jean Morgan
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