An award-winning regional daily journalist has left the paper for a new role in regional television.

Sam Blackledge bade farewell to the Plymouth Herald after five years to become a production journalist with ITV Westcountry.

Sam was named Daily Print Journalist of the Year at the final set of EDF Energy South West Media Awards in 2015.

He was also named as Journalist of the Year at the Mind Media Awards in 2015 for his work on the Herald’s Safer Spaces campaign, which aimed to highlight the issue of mental health patients being detained in police cells.

Sam, pictured above at the Mind awards, said: “I’ve had a wonderful five years at The Herald and I’m sad to leave, but excited for fresh challenges.

“It has been a long-held ambition of mine to work in TV, and I look forward to getting started with the ITV Westcountry team.”

Other recent job moves in the regional press include the following:

* Bristol Post business editor David Clensy has left the paper to join South West Business Insider as editor. Krishan Davis has taken over his role on an interim basis.

* Bronya Smolen as has been made homepages & social media editor for Essex Live, the website for the Essex Chronicle, Brentwood Gazette Series and Harlow Star, replacing Sam Balls who left in July. Bronya was previously senior multimedia food reporter role at Inapub.

* Hollie O’Connor has become business reporter at Portsmouth daily The News.

* Press and Journal political reporter Jennifer McKiernan is moving to London to become the paper’s Westminster Correspondent next month, covering maternity leave for Lindsay Razaq. Her current political reporter position at the Scottish Parliament will be covered by Calum Ross.

* Gareth McPherson has been made political editor of Dundee daily The Courier, replacing Kieran Andrews who has left to join The Sunday Post.

* Lyn Barton has left her role as a senior reporter at the Western Morning News.

* Neil Vowles has left his role as a senior reporter at Brighton daily The Argus for a new position at the University of Sussex.

* Patrick Glover has joined the North Wales Pioneer as a reporter, replacing Annie Roberts who has left the newspaper.

* Joe Middleton has left the Kent & Sussex Courier to join Ferrari Press Agency.

* Owen Evans has left his role at a reporter at The Leader (Flintshire) to join the North Wales Daily Post.

* Senior reporter Kirsty James has left the Staffordshire Newsletter to join marketing and PR communications agency Purple Sprout.

* Ben Power has been made head of video at the Manchester Evening News, overseeing video content across all channels of the paper’s website.

* George Ryan has been appointed local government reporter for the Eastern Daily Press, Great Yarmouth Mercury, Great Yarmouth Advertiser and Lowestoft Journal.

* Sports reporter Dan Rose has left the Dorset Echo to join the Bournemouth Echo in the same role.

On the move yourself? Let us know via email at [email protected] or via Twitter @journalism_news.