David Helliwell is making a return to Lancashire to take up his first editorship - at the Blackpool Gazette.

The newspaper is already on the up, having recently been named Regional Newspaper of the Year at the Newspaper Society's Newspaper Sales and Promotions Awards, and has a rising circulation.

And the 34-year-old, who began his career on the Lancashire Evening Post and is currently assistant editor at the Yorkshire Evening Post, is hoping to maintain that success and take it on to bigger and better things.

David (pictured) said: "I'm delighted to be taking on the role. I've worked in Lancashire before and have friends there, so am delighted to be returning.

"I'm looking forward to building on the sales success of the Gazette. It's also done very well with awards recently and I will be looking at ways we can improve and move the content forward.

"It has recently launched a couple of new supplements which have made the paper stronger, and I will be looking at the other days of the week."

David began his career as a trainee reporter at the Lancashire Evening Post in 1988 and later became the paper's crime reporter.

He then worked on the paper's newsdesk before joning the Yorkshire Evening Post in 1996 where he spent five-and-a-half years as news editor before becoming assistant editor 18 months ago.

He will join the Gazette in May.

David said: "I'll miss the Yorkshire Evening Post and Leeds itself, but I'm looking forward to a new job and a new challenge."

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