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Editor moves to trade magazines after six years at weekly

john-hooksA weekly editor has left the newspaper after six years to take up a new role in charge of a group of building trade magazines.

John Hooks, pictured, has joined Karen McAvoy Publishing as editor of Northern Builder, Plumbing & Heating and Ireland’s Electrical.

John had been editor of the Ulster Gazette for the past six years and before that had spent four years as editor of the Banbridge Leader and Dromore Leader.

The Ulster Gazette has hired former Newry Democrat editor Michael Scott as his replacement.

Said John: “I’m delighted to be joining the team at KMP. This is a company which is at the top of its game but still not content to rest on its laurels.

“There are exciting plans for continued growth and I’m excited to be on board.”

John originally went into journalism after his hopes of becoming a professional footballer were dashed.

As a teenager he was on the books at top-flight club Southampton and once trained alongside club legend Matthew Le Tissier.

Other recent job moves in the regional press and related sectors include:

* More community news reporters have been appointed under the Facebook-funded community news project being overseen by the NCTJ. They include: Sophie Atkinson (HUll Daily Mail), Kirsty Card

(Birmingham Mail), Belinda Dickins (The News, Portsmouth) Jacob Farr (Edinburgh Evening News), Lisa Letcher (Cornwall Live), Jess Molyneux (Liverpool Echo), Rema Mukena (Bristol Post), Elizabeth Roberts (Swindon Advertiser) and Nazrin Wilkinson (Southern Daily Echo).

* Darren Slade has been appointed group business editor of the Southern Daily Echo, Bournemouth Daily Echo and Dorset Echo. Darren was previously worked as business and special publications editor working across the Bournemouth Daily Echo, Bournemouth Herald, Poole Herald and Dorset Business.

* Caitlyn Dewar has joined the Edinburgh Evening News team as a freelance reporter.

* Ann Yip has been appointed audience and content editor at Newsquest North London, working across titles including Watford Observer & Observer Extra, East London and West Essex Guardian, Epping Forest Guardian and Barnet Borough Times.  She was previously a senior reporter at Surrey Live.

* Former Brightom Argus reporter Flora Thompson has been appointed home affairs correspondent at the Press Association.  She was previously its South East Correspondent.

* Caitlin Webb, previously local democracy reporter at the Kent Messenger, has left her role to join the Local Government Association.

* Isabel Finch has moved from her role as a dugital reporter at Chemist+Druggist to join the Manchester Evening News as a business reporter.

* Daniel Milligan has left his role as digital publishing editor at The Chronicle, Newcastle, to work for Yahoo in Canada.

* Imogen Braddick has joined the Ilford Recorder Series as a reporter from Archant sister titles the Saffron Waldon Reporter and Dunmow Broadcast.

* Bucks Free Press sports reporter Nicholas Tunney is to be additionally sports reporter for the Reading Chronicle, covering Readng FC as well as Wycombe Wanderers FC.

* Tara Fitzpatrick has moved from the Lennox Herald to join the Kilmarnock Standard as a reporter.

* Matt Elofson has joined the Leamington Spa Courier and Kenilworth Weekly News as a reporter, having previously worked as a reporter on the Stratford-upon-Avon Herald.

* Andrew McQuarrie has moved from the Shetland Times where he was a senior reporter to join the Bristol Post in the same role.

* Emma Ray has stepped up to become head of audience at the Coventry Telegraph, having been deputy head of audience at the title.

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