At the end of my first week as editor of Teddington and Kingston Nub News, I thought I'd take inspiration from my predecessor Cameron and tell you a bit about myself.

First, I'll take a look at my connections to both places.

Then I'll share how I got into journalism and what I'm looking forward to in this role with Nub News.

Growing up in South-West London

As a long-term resident of Teddington who went to school in Kingston, I've spent a lot of time in both places over the years!

Childhood memories include picnics in Bushy Park, tours around Kingston's historic marketplace and Hampton Court, and swimming at the Kingfisher Leisure Centre.

Bentalls was a favourite teenage hang-out, as was the Kingston Rotunda where we enjoyed movies at the Odeon, eating pizza and occasionally bowling.

We also discovered the wonders of Teddington High Street and spent long weekend afternoons browsing the charity shops for hidden gems, then rewarding ourselves with coffee and cake.

But while these experiences have made me very fond of this area of South-West London, I'm well aware that these are personal recollections - and not nearly the full picture of what these towns have to offer.

There's so much more to explore in Teddington and Kingston and many great things to champion, and I'm looking forward to doing this as editor of both sites.

Getting into journalism and Nub News

I decided to become a journalist in my third year of university, when I realised I was spending more time chasing stories for the student paper than doing any academic work!

There were a lot of things I loved about this early experience of reporting: meeting interesting people, crafting a tightly-written article and the adrenaline rush of beating rivals to a scoop.

It convinced me to try journalism out as a career and when the coronavirus pandemic hit just before graduation, I decided I'd spend this period of uncertainty getting some proper training.

I moved home and trained with News Associates for six months, learning shorthand and media law as I completed the fast-track NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.

During my time on the course I had days set aside for work placements and I used these to contribute articles for Teddington Nub News, a relatively new website which was already making waves in the area I lived.

When offered the chance to take over from Cameron last month, a few weeks after I'd graduated from the course, I didn't hesitate to accept.

I'm looking forward to continuing his stellar work, making sure our sites are at the heart of the communities we serve and continuing to champion and report on all things local.