HAZEL Bradley, the general manager of the Cornish Times, is retiring today after three decades in the newspaper industry.

Staff staged a big party at the paper’s offices in Liskeard to bid a fond farewell to Hazel, 65.

Speaking at the retirement celebration, Hazel said: ‘It’s been 30 years of the most wonderful times.

‘We’ve done everything together as a team. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, it has really been something very special.

‘I’ve had a brilliant team to work with over so many years.’

Hazel has enjoyed a long and successful career in newspapers but before she joined the industry she had significant success in the equestrian world.

Hazel had moved, when she was a teenager, to Polperro from Essex with her father Frank Smith and mother Elsie.

Her father had retired as a builder and had a trawler built which operated out of Polperro and Plymouth.

After leaving school, Hazel soon found her feet working with horses.

She was employed at showing yards in Cornwall, worked with racehorses and also taught riding.

Later she had her own Arabian stud at Minions, Langston Down Arabians.

‘We bred and sold showing horses,’ said Hazel. ‘We had great success not only at county, but also national, championship shows.’

However, a change in personal circumstances saw Hazel join the independently-owned Liskeard Journal and Saltash Journal newspapers based in Liskeard.

‘My divorce led to the change of career,’ she said.

‘The stud had to be scaled back and I had to have a steady income to put food on the table for my son and myself.’

Hazel, who took a job as an advertising sales executive, recalled with a smile: ‘We worked in a back office off Liskeard town centre – there was an outside toilet and sometimes we had to cut back the overgrowth to reach it!’

The papers were subsequently bought by Tindle Newspapers which owns the Cornish Times.

Hazel moved to the Cornish Times offices on Bay Tree Hill in the centre of Liskeard and progressed through the ranks to become the manager of the advertising department.

A few years after the Cornish Times relocated to its current premises at Webb’s House on the Parade, Hazel was promoted to general manager with responsibility at the time not only for the local paper for South East Cornwall but also for the regional Sunday Independent and numerous smaller publications.

Looking back over her career, Hazel said that official visits by Prince Charles had been among the most memorable moments and that she had particularly enjoyed meeting and working with Sir Ray Tindle who started Tindle Newspapers after the Second World War.

She said: ‘Over the years, I have seen staff come as school-leavers and later on have children and then come back again. Not only are they colleagues, but also friends.’

Hazel has suffered ill health in recent years and this has played a part in her decision to retire.

During her retirement, Hazel, who has four grandchildren, will be spending more time on her smallholding near South Petherwin which she runs with her partner of many years, Alan Rogers.