A long-serving production journalist has landed a new role as digital editor of a free hyperlocal title.

Richard Briggs, pictured, has been named as digital editor of The Cheltenham Post, a fortnightly title which has been distributed across the historic spa town for the past six years.

Richard previously worked for Tindle Newspapers as its national production hub, serving titles in the South East, Wales and Gloucestershire, but he left that role last Tuesday.

The following day he began work with his new employer, independent publisher All4One Media, which launched the Post in 2019.

Richard, who will have special responsibility for growing The Post’s website, has 38 years’ experience in regional newspapers across the country, principally in the South West.

He spent five years with the Somerset County Gazette Series and 12 years as sports editor of the Western Gazette before joining the Bristol Post as a production journalist.

He also spent time as a sub-editor with the Congleton Chronicle, two years running the copy editing team for Newsquest’s North West titles as its production hub in Newport, and a spell as chief sub-editor of View From Newspapers in Dorset.

He then joined Surrey’s Woking News & Mail, which was acquired by Tindle in 2022, as sub-editor and head of sport, before moving to the company’s production hub last year.

Said Richard: “I’ve always been impressed by The Cheltenham Post and I’m thrilled to be given the chance to help take it to the next level.

“I want to give readers the opportunity to access the best local stories 24/7 via cheltenhampost.co.uk.

“I’m interested in everything, be it hard news, soft news, community news, business news, lifestyle news, sports news… you name it. If there’s a story to be told, I want to tell it.

“Journalism has changed beyond recognition since I took my first steps in the 1980s. I used a typewriter for the first few weeks. And because the internet wasn’t readily available in those days, I recall having to visit my local library to do some research on a long-retired football legend who was coming to town.

“Around that time I was wowed by the fact that the entire contents of a telephone directory could fit onto a CD. I wouldn’t have dared to dream how far things would’ve moved on by 2025, when a mobile phone enables me to store hundreds of books, thousands of music albums, decades’ worth of photos and a library of games, can be used as a radio, a TV, a camera and a torch and lets me access news stories from around the world.

“I’ve loved technology since getting my first home computer in 1982, and I’ve kept up with all the advances over the past 43 years.

“The Cheltenham Post wants to embrace technology – and key to that is making the most of the opportunities that the internet offers.

“The stories that readers will see on cheltenhampost.co.uk won’t necessarily appear in the newspaper as well. So the Post is offering people much more to read. And the great news is that it’s all free of charge and it’s all local.”

Cheltenham Post founder and commercial director Mark Cuzner added: “We’re delighted that Richard has joined us.

“He’s such an experienced and motivated journalist and he’s exactly what we need to help us move to the next level.

“Progressing the website is something that the company has wanted to do for some time.

“Richard has the news sense, and the knowledge of managing newspaper websites, that we need. We’re excited to be working with him.”