A journalist who retired last year after four decades at her hometown daily has put on her own exhibition at a local museum.

Janis Blower, who worked at the Shields Gazette for almost 44 years, was invited by bosses at South Shields Museum and Art Gallery to take a look around its vaults and put together an exhibition of her favourite pieces.

The exhibition, entitled ‘Janis Blower: A Personal Selection’, is on display now at the venue in Ocean Road, South Shields.

Janis, who left the Gazette in July, was known as a “true ambassador” for the paper and a “voice of authority” on the history of its patch.

Janis Blower at the museum

Said Janis: “How could anyone resist an invitation to go behind the scenes at the museum?

“Especially when the art store is one of this particular museum’s hidden treasures, a repository of paintings, drawings, maps and the like which are a window on to a largely vanished past.

“The afternoon I spent being guided through the collection by curator Adam Bell was both a pleasure and a revelation. Here was a pictorial jewellery box, from which I was being allowed to choose my favourites.

“In selecting the dozen or so images you’ll see, the journalist in me was attracted by works that were a matter of historical record.”

Each of the pieces is accompanied by a few words from Janis, explaining why she chose it.

The exhibition is on display until Saturday 25 June.