She has written her own headline this week by becoming the first woman to take the editorial lead, following the early retirement of Ken Smith after seven-and-a-half years in charge.

And she paid tribute to her predecessor.

"It will be hard adjusting to working without Ken, who has been a positive influence on the paper for much of the time I have worked here," she said.

Tanya (46) lives at the Broom of Moy with husband Neil and daughter Charlotte (15). She grew up in York and graduated BA (Hons) in modern languages with political studies at Sheffield Polytechnic in 1987. She moved to Moray with her first husband, Dominic Gilbert, a pilot based at RAF Kinloss who died in a plane crash in 1995.

Tanya re-trained in media studies at Moray College, worked at 'The Northern Scot' for just over two years and in March, 2001, was appointed to the editorial team at the 'Gazette'.

She has obtained a detailed grasp of local issues and a deep knowledge and understanding of the local community.

"The Gazette is lucky with the amount of support it gets from the public," she said.

"People are always dropping into the office, phoning or e-mailing with stories of all descriptions, whether it be personal achievements, fund-raising ventures, controversial topics or stories of great interest to the whole community.

Looking at her first week in charge at the 'Forres Gazette', Tanya McLaren (left) with advertising representative June McIntosh.

"I trust they will continue to let us know about what is happening and give us their views. A local newspaper is only successful if it forges a close partnership with people in its community, and I certainly plan to do all I can to make sure the paper is reflective of what is happening all around us and reflective of the views and concerns of local people.

"We are constantly striving to make the 'Gazette' brighter and newsier. There have been great changes over the years, not least in the introduction of colour, and especially colour pictures, and we aim to make the most of the technology that is available to give as good a reader experience as we can to those who buy the 'Gazette'."

Tanya has established a reputation for tackling issues that matter to the community – and she will continue to do so.

"A message I want to get over more than most is that anyone is welcome to contact or call in at the office in High Street with news and bits and pieces of information which the 'Gazette' has come to rely on," she said.

"We have a great team here with June McIntosh in advertising, and Kath Rosie and Frances Murray in the front office, and Neil Ellison, helped by John Ireland, provides us with quality picture coverage.

"We aim to be a team that delivers results for our readers and advertisers."

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