A former regional press editor who went on to edit a group of lifestyle magazines is celebrating a top international award.

Cotswold Life was named best consumer magazine of the year at the Niche Magazine conference in Arizona, USA.

The Archant Life-owned title is edited by Mike Lowe, a former editor of the Bristol Evening Post, Derby Telegraph and The Citizen, Gloucester.

Said Mike: “I’m delighted at this international recognition of all the hard work put in by the Cotswold Life team and our talented freelance writers and photographers.”

The US-based conference was attended by more than 160 magazine publishers that focus on niche markets, whether geographically or topic based.

Archant Life group commercial director, Tim Thurston, who collected the award, said: “We know in the Cotswolds how well regarded our superb magazine is, international recognition is wonderful and a testament to the great team we have working on the title.”

Mike originally joined Archant four years ago after leaving Bristol in an shake-up of Northcliffe editors and is now group editor of all its ‘Life’ titles in the Midlands and West.

He is one of three former regional editors who hold such positons along with Roger Borrell (ex-Birmingham Mail) in the North and Simon Irwin (ex-Kent Messenger) in the South-East.

“It’s a completely different world,” said Mike. “Much more fun. I’m still getting used to the idea of year-on-year sales increases for a start.”

Sales of Cotswold Life were up by 4pc in 2009.

Comments

Viv Hargreaves (25/02/2010 09:23:51)
Congratulations – you’ve always been a great editor whatever the product.
Viv Hargreaves

Beer-tricks Potter (25/02/2010 17:42:20)
Well done, Mikey. Chuffed for you mate