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Anne returns to "grass roots"

With more than 30 years in journalism under her belt, Anne Edwards has returned to the “grass roots” of newspapers as the new editor of the Great Yarmouth Mercury.

Anne, (49), has taken over from Martin Throssell who retired after 10 years at the helm of the paper.

She joins the Mercury from the Newcastle Journal where she had worked for the past six years – the last two as deputy editor.

Anne (left) said: “The Mercury is a lot different from working on a daily morning paper.

“This is really the grass roots – I’ve spent the majority of my 30-plus years in journalism at weeklies and it is where I have been the happiest.

“I lived in Whitley Bay when I was at the Journal and I wanted to stay on the coast so I just moved down the East coast to Great Yarmouth.

The Journal was a wonderful place to work and it will always have a place in my heart. Working as the deputy editor was good fun.”

Anne has been spending a lot of time in her first two weeks at the Mercury establishing links with the local community.

She said: “I have really been trying to get my feet under the table. I’m getting to know the people in the community here, which was something I missed on a morning paper.

“The Mayor held a reception for me and I’ve also been talking to local businessmen and women.

“I haven’t made any changes to the paper yet, but there will be some. At the moment I’m just trying to get the circulation up.

“It’s hard work but enjoyable. I’m returning to what I enjoy most – I like to be kept busy and people may think that going back to village news is a change of pace but it isn’t!”

Anne began her career in journalism at the Melton Times in her home town of Melton Mowbray. After spending 17 years there, she took up an editorship with the Herald & Post group in Northamptonshire and later became group editor.

She then joined the Peterborough Evening Telegraph before moving north to join the Journal.

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