A long-serving weekly newspaper editor has announced his retirement after 27 years in the chair.

Doug Melloy, left, joined the Rotherham Advertiser as editor in 1985 having previously edited the Derbyshire Times.

He will celebrate his 65th birthday in June and announced this week that he would retire on this date.

The Advertiser’s owners, family-owned Garnett Dickinson Publishing, are now advertising on HoldtheFrontPage for a successor.

Scottish-born Doug began his career in journalism on his hometown paper, the Blairgowrie Advertiser in 1963.

He joined the Derbyshire Times four years later, rising through the ranks from reporter to sports editor, chief sub-editor, deputy editor and finally editor before moving to the Advertiser.

Said Doug:  “I’m not sure how I’m going to react to being unemployed for the first time in my life as journalism and being a newspaper editor has opened so many doors and given me so many opportunities, not least exposing corruption and championing the underdog.

“As I have been living in Chesterfield and working in Rotherham, I shall miss my colleagues and the many contacts and friends I have made in Rotherham but I’m looking forward to continuing with scuba diving and travelling, not least to Scotland, so much of which I have not seen after more than 40 years living in England.”

Doug was national president of the Guild of British Newspaper Editors (now the Society of Editors) in 1996/97 and served as a member of the Press Complaints Commission’s Editors’ Code Committee from 1997 until last year.

He was also chairman of the Northern Training Committee of the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Outside journalism, he was a director of Rotherham Chamber of Commerce for a number of years, serving as president in 1996, and a director of Rotherham Training and Enterprise Council until it was abolished in 1997.

An active Rotarian, he was President of Rotherham Rotary Club in 2005/6 and edited its monthly bulletin for 12 years.

Doug is also chairman of Chesterfield Operatic Society in his home town and has taken a number of leading roles in musicals.

His other intersts include cooking and scuba diving in which he is a qualified rescue diver.

He and his wife, Dawn, celebrate their silver wedding this year, and he has two daughters and three grandchildren

Added Doug:  “My wife is retiring at the same time so we are looking forward to spending quality time together.”