Long-serving Derby Evening Telegraph sub-editor Arthur Aston-Jones has retired.

The 59-year-old has worked on his final edition after beginning his association with the paper as a 13-year-old paperboy.

He joined the Evening Telegraph in 1963 as an apprentice compositor working in the advert make-up department, and later operated Linotype machines.

After a six-year apprenticeship he qualified as a compositor, and was given the opportunity to train as a reporter in the early 1990s and then as a sub-editor two years later.

Arthur said that from a young age he would always be found with his head stuck in a newspaper.

He said: "I love looking at the construction of stories and the manner in which a blank newspaper page is transformed into the finished article.

"I still believe the local newspaper is the centre of the community and is valuable in giving people a voice of protest but also making sure people in authority are made accountable."

One of the busiest moments in his career involved being part of the team that produced the newspaper following the September 11 terrorist attacks in America.

He said: "I came in that day at 8am and our staff didn't leave until 4am the following day. Events like that have massive historical importance and to be in a newsroom while this was happening was very exciting.

"We worked throughout the night to make sure we gave out accurate details on the casualties, but what was especially satisfying was the manner in which we reported the event with such sensitivity.

"No matter what the story is, I would always remember that there are real people behind the headlines and think of the effect the story would have on them. Our coverage of 9/11, I think, did this perfectly."

Arthur plans to spend his retirement travelling with his wife, Brenda, who is also retiring.

He chose to donate his £200 retirement gift from the Evening Telegraph to the paper's Magic Laser Appeal, which was set up to buy a laser machine for Derby City General Hospital's gynaecological unit to treat women diagnosed with abnormal cells in their cervix.