A journalist has discovered her debut appearance in the newspaper where she now works – more than two decades before she joined its staff.

Derby Telegraph trainee reporter Anna Whittaker, left, has seen for the first time a picture of her as a New Year baby which appeared in the 2 January 1997 edition of the paper.

Anna, who joined the Telegraph full-time in June 2018, knew she had appeared in a newspaper on the day following her birth, but had never before seen the cutting.

The edition in which she had featured was found with help from colleague Martin Naylor, and Anna proudly shared the 22-year-old story on Twitter.

22 years ago today I made my debut in the Derby Telegraph…as a newborn baby! (alongside anger over bin collections, I would expect no less)?? pic.twitter.com/tvuE64fqbD

— Anna Whittaker (@journoanna_) January 2, 2019

She told HTFP: “I knew that I was in a newspaper the day I was born but I hadn’t given it much thought before that it would’ve been in the Derby Telegraph.

“When it came up in conversation at work one day, the court reporter Martin Naylor went off and five minutes later returned with printed copies of the paper from 1997 with a picture of myself and my mum.

“He showed me how he found it by looking through the archives and using the microfiche. It was quite special but eerie at the same time to think I’d come full circle from being in the paper as a baby to 22 years later working here as a reporter.

“Some of the other staff thought they could have written it too which was funny. I liked how it was alongside a story about anger over bin collections – some things clearly never change.”

Anna’s Twitter post was shared by former Telegraph editor Keith Perch, now head of journalism at Derby University, who coincidentally took up the job on the day the story was printed.

And it was my first day working as editor of the DET … https://t.co/kSL3kfGD4p

— kperch (@tipexxed) January 2, 2019