An editor who was made redundant after a 27-year spell of running regional media titles is bouncing back by taking charge of a national publication.

Andy Cooper has been unveiled as the new editor of Coast magazine,  which covers the British seaside, a little over a month since his departure from Archant was announced.

Andy ran Devon Life and had served as group editor for Archant’s South-West magazine titles for a decade, prior to his role being made redundant by the publisher’s new owner Newsquest.

He previously held posts including editor of the Brentwood Gazette, regional editorial director of Northcliffe’s South West weeklies and editor-in-chief of Cornwall and Devon Media.

Coast is run by Kent-based Kelsey Media, who Andy says “truly understand and value the brands they publish”.

Andy, pictured, told HTFP: “I am delighted to be continuing my career in journalism and to be editing such a prestigious national publication.

“It is already a brilliant magazine and I look forward to working with the team at Kelsey Media to develop it further.

“They are proper magazine people who truly understand and value the brands they publish and I can’t wait to join them and execute strategies to develop Coast editorially and grow commercial revenues.”

Andy, who will begin his role ahead of the publication of Coast’s January 2023 issue,  started his career as a trainee reporter on the Harborough Mail in 1985, moving two years later to the Melton Times.

He then served as chief reporter of Suffolk weekly the Bury Free Press from 1988 to 1990, news editor of the North Herts Gazette from 1990 to 1991 and assistant editor of the Diss Express between 1991 and 1993.

At that point, he returned to the Free Press to become assistant editor before moving on to serve as assistant chief sub-editor of the Colchester Evening Gazette from 1994.

His first editorship came at the Brentwood Gazette in 1995, beginning a 17-year association with Northcliffe, now part of Reach plc.

Andy went on to become regional editorial director of the group’s South West weeklies and editor-in-chief of Cornwall and Devon Media for seven years.

He joined Archant in 2012.