A former national newsman who later took charge of a group of weekly titles is to bow out after 42 years in the industry.

Chris Gill, editor of the Herald and Post series in Northampton and Wellingborough, has announced he is leaving his role at the end of the month.

Until last autumn Chris was also series editor of LSN Media which includes award-winning weeklies Bedfordshire on Sunday and Luton on Sunday.

Chris’s departure comes shortly after the titles became part of the Local World publishing group, although he insists the decision to go is his alone.

LSN Media was part of Iliffe News and Media which merged with Northcliffe Media to form Local World before Christmas.

As reported on HTFP earlier this week, Andy Gough has since been appointed content director of all the former Iliffe titles within LW, with all editors now reporting to him.

Chris told HTFP:  “I have had a fantastic 42 years in newspapers and the last 12 at Iliffe have been brilliant too, but I think now is the time to move on.

“I’ve made a lot of friends here and it’s been a really excellent time.  In my first year Beds on Sunday won the EDF Energy East of England awards and we’ve had quite a few trainees coming through who have won awards themselves.”

Now 58, Chris started out in journalism as a 16-year-old trainee on the Journal of Commerce, a daily shipping news publication based on his native Merseyside.

After working for a number of local papers including the Wigan Evening Post he made his way to Fleet Street and spent 16 years on the sports desk at Express Newspapers, latterly as night sports editor of the Daily Express.

In 2002 he left to take up the post of sports editor of the Cambridge News where he stayed for seven years.

He took over from Steve Lowe as series editor of LSN Media in 2009.