A former newspaper editor has swapped weeklies for monthlies after taking over a top-selling regional magazine.

Adrian Braddy, left, who had edited the Craven Herald & Pioneer for the past two years and before that the Teesdale Mercury for seven, has now taken the helm at the Dalesman, becoming only its sixth editor since 1939.

The move has opened the door to a swift comeback for one of the Johnston Press editors axed in the recent restructure of its South Midlands titles.

Matt Cornish, who lost his job as editor of the Daventry Express when it was merged with that of the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, takes over at the Skipton-based Herald & Pioneer.

Said Adrian: ““It was a big step to move from newspapers to magazines, but the lure of running Dalesman proved too strong.”

“I first read Dalesman as a child on holiday in the Dales when I leafed through old back copies, hunting out the cartoons and jokes. I could never have imagined that one day I would be in the hotseat, writing the jokes myself.”

The 34-year-old Yorkshire-born journalist added:  “Dalesman is as much a part of Yorkshire as the pudding and the tea, so the role comes with a huge responsibility to maintain the standards upheld by my illustrious predecessors.

“It is a challenging and tremendously exciting job that was once described by the late Richard Whiteley as “the best in the world”.

Previous Dalesman editor Paul Jackson is retiring after 20 years in charge but he will be continuing to edit sister national magazine The Countryman, as a freelance from home.

He said: “I will hopefully be spending more time enjoying the great Yorkshire countryside – and improving my photography.
For me it is the end of a memorable and challenging stint with Dalesman stretching back almost 20 years.”