A long-serving editor is swapping his position of newspaper custodian for the role of a professional carer.

Chris Saunderson is set for a change of direction after announcing he is leaving his role as content editor with a group of Scottish publications.

His exit from his role with The Northern Scot print and online and sister newspapers in Moray spells the end of a journalism career that spans 36 years.

Now Chris will swap the newsroom for frontline community duties as a support worker for Enable Scotland, which works with people with a learning disability, including their friends, family and carers.

“Leaving was a massive decision,” Chris said in an interview with the Forres Gazette.

“A lot of people are saying it is the end of an era. Folk will find it hard to believe that I’m leaving because they thought I would be here for forever and a day.

“I’ll miss my colleagues. We have always worked hard, but with a smile. There are good people here and there have been over the years.

“But all good things come to an end. After 36 years, it’s time to change and go in a different direction.”

Added Chris: “I like helping people in the community. It’s totally out of my comfort zone to be a carer, but it will be fine to help people who haven’t got the best situation and try to make their lives a wee bit better.

“It’s the normal folk that have done extraordinary things. I like that we do it in a responsible way. A lot of the people I have written about have become friends.”

“I love the newspapers because they are at the heart of the community and we have run a lot of campaigns.”

“That’s why I stayed in local journalism. I like being part of a community. National papers can dip in for big stories and disappear, but I like being there all the time.”

Lossiemouth-based Chris, 55, had been with Highland News and Media and its predecessor since 1994 and leaves on a high as the Forres Gazette’s longest-serving employee.

It marks the end of a journalistic career that began with work experience in his hometown at the Dumfries and Galloway Standard before he secured a reporter’s post at the Northumberland Gazette and Galloway News

He became group editor for the Banffshire Advertiser, Herald, Journal and Huntly Express in 2014 and three years later became joint content editor of The Northern Scot with Joe Millican.

Chris will continue to podcast and promote his book – ‘You Think It’s All Over – F**k That Stay In The Game’, which focuses on his experience with mental health and football.

“It’s been well-documented that I struggle with anxiety and that has always been a challenge,” Chris said.

“But I have always tried to do job with a smile, even with deadlines coming out of my ears with newspapers, websites and newsletters.

“The Northern Scot and its sister newspapers and digital brands have championed the cause of local communities for generations and still today, and I fervently hope this will continue for many years to come.”