A weekly journalist has taken up the editorship of his hometown newspaper and its sister title.

Nick Gill, left, has been announced as the new editor of Archant papers The Comet and the Royston Crow.

Nick grew up in Stevenage, where The Comet is based, and has worked there for the past six-and-a-half years.

The 28-year-old has served as news editor of both papers since October 2013, and will now lead a team of five reporters.

He takes the reins from Matt Adams, who had served as their acting editor since the retirement of John Francis in June 2016.

Matt will now serve as group editor for Archant’s four Hertfordshire-based titles, which also includes the Herts Advertiser and Welwyn Hatfield Times.

Said Nick: “When landing my first full-time job in journalism on my hometown paper, it’s fair to say I didn’t expect that one day I would be editor.

“The world of journalism has changed irrevocably since then, but I am proud the Comet remains rooted in the community it serves and feel privileged to be able to lead from the front in that respect.

“Given the sheer scale of what we do, it is inevitable that we will have our critics – but I know from my time here that we have a loyal print readership and a growing online community which looks to the Comet as a source of authority, and that must never change.

“We need to adapt to the demands of our readers and look at new ways of reaching and interacting with our audiences, but truth, integrity and a community focus must remain at the heart of what we do.”