Staff at the Coalville Times have welcomed a new editor, with the appointment of Robert Tollman.

Previously editor of the Trinity Mirror-owned Gwent Gazette, Robert succeeds Malcolm Harrison, who is now working for the Leicester Mercury.

Originally from a small village near Abergavenny, Robert, (30), has worked on the Gwent Gazette for the past five years, starting out as a trainee.

But with redundancies at Trinity Mirror threatening to affect staffing levels at the Gazette, Robert decided the time was right to move on.

He said: “I wasn’t made redundant but they wanted to downsize my staff, which I didn’t approve of.”

Now he is adjusting to a new life in Leicestershire, taking on the three-edition Coalville Times and the North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire Leader.

Robert said: “It’s been interesting to adapt to a new area. Over time you develop strong contacts and I’m having to start all over again, which is good fun.

“There is a young and enthusiastic team here and it’s very exciting.

“Despite the redundancies, I parted with Trinity Mirror amicably and I did receive very good training.

“As a result I feel I can bring knowledge and experience to the paper and hope to make it more lively and user friendly with more human interest stories.”

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