A South Wales editor has left the regional press after a more than three decades in the business.

Robert Lloyd, left, has been joint editor of the Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal since March 2006 after starting his career with the Journal as a teenager.

The 49-year-old said: “I’m not retiring – it’s simply after 31 years I’ve decided to seek pastures new. I’ve got a couple of projects I want to get on with.

“I’m being a bit canny and not telling people what they are but I will say they involve books and PR.

“It has been a privilege to be the editor of two of the best-known weekly newspapers in Wales. Working with such a dedicated team has been a delight and an honour.”

Robert spent his whole journalism career in South Wales and will continue to live in Llanelli.

He says he “left school on the Friday and started work on the Monday” at the Carmarthen Journal.

From here he took on a variety of roles at the South Wales Evening Post, in Swansea, including sub-editor and deputy sports editor.

Robert joined the Llanelli Star as deputy editor in 1989 and took on the editorship two years later.

After nearly 12 years in the editor’s chair, he rejoined the South Wales Evening Post as deputy editor in October 2002.

In spring 2006 he became the joint editor for both the Llanelli Star and Carmarthen Journal as part of Northcliffe’s restructuring programme.

Looking to the future, Robert added: “It’s very exciting and actually quite liberating to consider new challenges.

“I’ll probably go to see Llanelli (rugby union team) and play a bit more golf as well as some travelling plans.

“I might also consider the British Lions’ tour to South Africa next year.”

South Wales Evening Post editor Spencer Feeney said: “I’d like to put on record my thanks to Robert for the support he showed me as my deputy editor at both the Llanelli Star and the South Wales Evening Post.

“He was also a very successful editor, first of the Llanelli Star and most recently as joint editor of the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star.

“This was a newly-created post and Robert had to bring together teams of reporters that had previously worked for three separate titles – the Post, the Journal and the Star – and weld them into a single team working across these platforms and the company’s two websites.

“Robert was one of those journalists who adapted easily to new technologies.

“When the company introduced the Tera software system into editorial departments, he did a tremendous amount of work to ensure a successful and trouble-free transition. I wish him every success in his new ventures.”

Assistant editor of the Journal and Star Cathryn Ings is now the acting editor of both titles.

Comments

Denise Barkley (10/11/2008 17:35:33)
Is this the Robert who was on the 2-month journalism course at Cardiff College of Food Technology and Commerce in Colchester Road in 1974/75. Probably not, but would like to know – he may remember me.