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Weekly editor quits Johnston Press to travel the world

A weekly newspaper editor has left Johnston Press after nearly ten years to travel the world.

Peter Hemmett has been editor of the Ilkeston Advertiser and Eastwood and Kimberley Advertiser for nearly three years but has taken voluntary redundancy from the regional publisher.

He started his career at the Mansfield Chad in March 2003 where he worked as a reporter for the Ashfield edition of the paper before becoming a sub-editor.

Peter remained at the title until February 2010 when he was appointed editor of the two Advertiser titles.

He was one of a number of journalists to leave Johnston Press at the end of last year under its voluntary redundancy programme.

Tweeting about his departure on 31 December, he wrote: “Has left the building. Goodbye to everyone at the Advertisers and the Chad. It’s been emotional! Time for a new chapter travelling the world!!”

Peter will now travel the world with his wife Amy for the next seven months, starting in Mexico and visiting Central America, Australia, India and the Far East.

In his role as editor, he was involved in an Ilkeston Advertiser campaign to get a new train station built in the town, which saw him travel to Downing Street to present more than 1,500 petition slips.

Johnston Press introduced a voluntary redundancy scheme in October in a bid to cut costs.

Those who have since left the publisher since then include Chad deputy editor Tim Morriss, who left the title after 33 years, and Buxton Advertiser editor John Phillips.

Other senior editorial departures from its South Yorkshire and North Midlands division in the past year have included former Matlock Mercury editor Amanda Hatfield.

All the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire titles now come under the editorial oversight of Derbyshire Times editor James Mitchinson in his role as  group editor of Wilfred Edmunds Ltd/North Notts Newspapers, which includes 18 weeklies.

4 comments

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  • January 17, 2013 at 9:57 am
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    Working for JP I’m amazed he can afford to travel around Ilkeston!

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  • January 17, 2013 at 9:59 am
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    Life is not local, then! Good luck to him and well done for having the guts to break free.

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  • January 17, 2013 at 12:52 pm
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    Good luck and happy trails! I left the sinking ship that is JP and never looked back.Your quality of life will improve ten-fold.

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  • January 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm
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    I did exactly the same thing 18 years ago and never looked back. Good for you, Peter, and the very best of luck!

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