'My pride at being named new Editor of your Yorkshire Evening Post' - Laura Collins

I can still remember the day I drove past the old Yorkshire Evening Post office on Wellington Street for the very first time.
Laura Collins has been named the new editor of the YEPLaura Collins has been named the new editor of the YEP
Laura Collins has been named the new editor of the YEP

It was my first day in Leeds as a student when my dad tried to navigate the perils of the one-way system on the Inner Ring Road, and I spotted the famous clock tower in the distance.

I vowed to myself and my parents that when I finished university I would end up working there.

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Journalism is in my blood. It's the only profession I've ever wanted to work in.

It still feels like only yesterday when I walked through the newsroom for the very first time as a trainee over a decade ago with a huge sense of pride that I had been chosen to report on the city I had fallen in love with and was proud to call my home.

It filled me with an enormous sense of duty - I still have my first YEP front page on the expansion of Leeds Bradford Airport.

Over the years I have become a familiar face and name to many readers as well as civic leaders, community organisations and the many, many people I was lucky enough to meet to help tell their stories.

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It's an honour to help share the extraordinary stories of the seemingly ordinary people who make Leeds such a wonderful place to live and work.

Nearly five years ago, I worked my way up to a role on the YEP newsdesk, and during my tenure we reported on many significant moments .

From the indefensible approach from the Government to the devastating Boxing Days floods which left huge swathes of Leeds under water to our Be A Hero campaign which recruited an army of lifesaving donors, as well as the tragic murder of much-loved MP Jo Cox.

There was a huge weight of responsibility in our reporting of her death. She meant so much to many people and we had to do right for her family and to honour her memory. She was one of ours and I hope we did her proud.

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I am incredibly proud of the Yorkshire Evening Post and passionate about what it stands for.

After starting at the newspaper as a trainee reporter in 2007, it’s an honour and a dream come true to be editor, and I will work hard to help make sure the city of Leeds is as proud of the title as I am.

We are lucky to have such a talented team of reporters, and it is my ambition to build on our reputation as the go-to, trusted source of breaking news in Leeds, as well as ensuring we deliver exclusive investigations, campaigns, insightful service journalism and showcase the lighter side of life in Leeds.

But above everything else it is you, the reader, who has to be at the very forefront of all of our decisions.

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I want to reconnect with the communities we serve and really get under the skin of life in Leeds so we’re in tune with the city's heartbeat.

After all, you should expect nothing less from the brand that has been trusted to deliver the news for the city of Leeds since 1890.