Blackpool Gazette editor David Helliwell has been named as the new editor of Carlisle’s News & Star.
CN Group announced Helliwell’s appointment in a release this morning in which it said he will also take over the editorship of weekly sister title the Cumberland News and take on the role of deputy publisher of Cumbrian Newspapers Limited.
The vacancy came up after previous editor Neil Hodgkinson left the company to become editor of the Hull Daily Mail following the departure of John Meehan.
Father-of-two Helliwell became editor of the Gazette in 2003, replacing then acting editor Neil Hepburn.
Before joining the Gazette he spent five years as news editor of the Yorkshire Evening Post before being made assistant editor in 2001.
He started his career as a trainee on The Gazette’s sister paper, the Lancashire Evening Post, where he became crime reporter and news editor before moving to the Leeds title.
‘I owe huge thanks to all at Blackpool for their immense dedication and support during what has been an incredibly challenging and rewarding time,’he said.
“It will be a wrench to leave but opportunities like this do not come along every day. I look forward to joining the team in Carlisle and helping ensure CN’s titles prosper and evolve whilst remaining true to the communities they serve.”
CN Group chief executive Robin Burgess said: ‘I’m delighted we have attracted someone with the experience and talent David has to join our group in what remain challenging but exciting times for our industry.”
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