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Regional daily newspaper editor to retire after 28 years at the top

Stewart Gilbert is to retire after editing local newspapers for 28 years.

The 60-year-old is currently editor of the Worcester News and the Berrow’s Worcester Journal, the world’s oldest continuously-produced English-language newspaper.

He will step down from his role in May, and will then spend time “doing nothing before deciding what to do”.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “I’m looking at various options, including studying for a degree in ancient history.

“I will also travel more. My wife, Eileen, recently retired as a senior primary school teacher, and we plan to go to South Africa to visit relatives in October.

“We also have a caravan so I am sure we will be driving everybody mad driving that around Europe.”

Before joining the Worcester News in 2001, Stewart had spent several successful years editing its sister papers The Hereford Times and Ludlow/Tenbury Wells Advertiser.

The multi-award winning journalist has also edited the Evesham Journal, Cotswold Journal, Stratford Journal and Admag Series, and before that was editor of The Solihull News and the Alnwick Advertiser in Northumberland.

Stewart said: “I will miss it a lot – it is in my blood.

“It will be a big change in pace – editing a six-day-a-week newspaper is quite lively!”

During his time at the Worcester News, Stewart has overseen the paper’s change from an evening to a morning paper, becoming one of the first evening titles to switch to overnight printing.

The paper is one of the top performing papers in the country, falling 2.9 per cent in the last ABCs. It now has a circulation of 18,682 (Mon-Fri, July-Dec 2006). Sustaining the circulation is something Stewart says it partly down to the switch.

He said: “I would say it is part of the package we’ve been working on to improve the product in all areas.

“This has also included concentrating on content and local relevance and a separate work stream concentrating on the presentation of stories.”

Over the years he has also seen many technological changes to the industry, starting his career with hot metal and engraved plates for photographs and moving to near-paperless production and overseeing the continuously updated www.worcesternews.co.uk

Stewart said: “Maintaining printed circulation and moving forward with the web and bringing in new readers, that will be the challenge for my successor and every newspaper.”

Newsquest is advertising for Stewart’s replacement with holdthefrontpage. They want “an experienced editor who will take an already successful title to further glory”.