A journalist who has served as both news editor and sports editor of a regional daily has left the industry after more than 40 years.

Bob Westerdale, left, has said farewell to Sheffield daily The Star, where he has worked for more than 30 years, during which he also spent time as its crime reporter.

Bob joined The Star in 1988, and covered the Hillsborough disaster for the newspaper the following year.

His departure, which he says is “very much on his own terms”, comes after HTFP reported that his fellow Mancunian Chris Stratford had left his role as night editor (sport) at The Star’s JPIMedia sister title the Yorkshire Post on Monday after 46 years in journalism.

In a piece looking back on his years in journalism, Bob told The Star: “I saw things there that I don’t particularly enjoy recalling. That whole week was probably the most exhausting of my life.

“Stories were like confetti, including that nonsense about fans urinating on and pickpocketing the dead. I can remember that coming in, and thinking ‘I’ve got more serious stuff to look at’. Unfortunately papers did write that and caused an enormous amount of grief to a community that didn’t deserve it.”

Growing up, Bob’s ambition had been to succeed David Meek, then Manchester United reporter on the Manchester Evening News.

However, he was turned down by the MEN and joined the Stockport Express in 1975 after training in Cardiff.

Bob said: “I’m not the most educated person in the world, so when the Express said ‘Yes’, it was an incredible thing for me at 18 to get a job in the industry I wanted. I thought to myself ‘I’ll get a few years in and then become David Meek’. It never worked out that way, I actually liked the news side of it more than the sport.”

He added: “[The Express is] still to this day, out of the papers I’ve worked for, the closest to the community. They didn’t bother with the posh parts, they just went after where they thought they could sell – and did, in big numbers. It had that rugged edge to it. They were fanatically proud of Stockport but saw its problems.”

Bob later moved to the Lancashire Evening Post and also worked for the Sunday Mirror, in Manchester, before crossing the Pennines to join The Star.

After serving as crime reporter and news editor, Bob transferred to the sportsdesk.

Paying tribute to current editor Nancy Fielder, Bob said: “Nancy really wants to portray Sheffield in a good light but, on occasion, she doesn’t veer away from showing the other side of it. And of course she stands up for her staff.

“That means something to me. It’s not just turning up for work, cracking open your laptop, doing half a dozen stories and going home, it’s attaching yourself to things that matter.”

Bob will continue to cover the Sheffield Steelers ice hockey team on a freelance basis for the paper.

He added: “I’m fortunate to be able to still do some work for The Star which I feel good about. Digital news is quicker, cleaner and cheaper to provide but I can’t work for newspapers all these years and have anything but affection for them. Long may they continue.”