A newsdesk chief has said farewell to a regional publisher after 37 years of service.

Wendy Brading, pictured, has left Newsquest, where she has held senior roles at titles across Essex during her career.

Most recently, Wendy has served as deputy head of content at the Colchester Daily Gazette and six sister weeklies, including the Essex County Standard.

As a result of Wendy’s departure, James Dwan has been promoted from head of content at the Clacton Gazette and Harwich and Maningtree Standard to become print audience and content editor in Colchester.

Wendy told HTFP: “It has been an absolute honour to be a journalist and has given me experiences and opportunities I never thought possible.

“I consider it a privilege to have been trusted with people’s stories at their best or worst of times. I do believe journalism is a force for good and I hope, through campaigns and articles, I have made a positive difference.”

Wendy began her career on the Daily Gazette in 1986 and became chief reporter on the Harwich and Maningtree Standard two years later.

She moved back to the Daily Gazette in 1990, again in the chief reporter role, until 1993.

Since then, she has held newsdesk roles including deputy group news editor, County Standard news editor, Daily Gazette news editor and her most recent post.

James told HTFP: “I would like to pay tribute to my predecessor Wendy Brading, who has left Newsquest after 37 years as a journalist and news editor. She is hugely respected in our community and I wish her the very best in her future endeavours.”

He added: “I’m passionate about local journalism and the community here in north Essex – and I’m very much looking forward to taking on content editing responsibilities for the Colchester Daily Gazette.

“We have a wonderful news team here in north Essex and I’m proud of the excellent newspapers and online content we continue to produce.”