So long, farewell... (From Haringey Independent)

So long, farewell...

2:42pm Thursday 15th May 2008 in

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After 20 months reporting on all the goings-on in Haringey I am spreading my wings and leaving the newspaper.

Like a bird that’s not very good at flying (my bird knowledge is limited so I can’t think of one specifically) I am not exactly moving far and will now be reporting for our Barnet news titles.

Without turning this into a This Is Your Life esque speech, I came onto the Haringey patch knowing very little about the patch or about how to be a good journalist. Fresh from the conveyer belt of journalism training I landed my first job on the much-loved Muswell Hill Times. It was like a short-lived love affair and soon the paper morphed itself with the Tottenham Independent into the Haringey Independent.

I really do believe the Haringey Independent is a great product. In the past 20 months we’ve branched out into the whole borough, formed a comprehensive daily news website, started regular discussion blogs and we’re even producing video news. We’ve won a London-wide Newsquest award and have firmly established ourselves as a journalistic force to be reckoned with in the borough.

Which is why, despite being nostalgic and sad to leave the patch I know I’m leaving it on a true high.

I do feel like it’s time to try my hand at something else. I’ve had my fill of CPZ sagas, desperate housing stories, murders and protests. I’ve found my feet as a journalist here and now it’s time for a change.

So apart from wanting to thank my Mum, Dad, husband, sister, agent and all my public, I do actually want to extend a sincere thanks to everyone — residents and press-people alike — for helping me to help get people’s voices heard via this newspaper.

Haringey is such a diverse and interesting borough, crammed with people and organisations working to right what’s wrong, create opportunities and generally improve their surroundings. It’s been eye-opening and inspiring and Barnet has certainly got big shoes to fill.

Anyway, enough of my rambles now. Au revoir, so long, farewell...