Helen Dalby

Vice Chair of the Board

Helen Dalby is editorial director for Reach in the North East, Humber, and Yorkshire region. In this role she leads the newsroom teams at ChronicleLive and The Journal and Teesside Live, ensuring the news brands reach the largest local audience in the most effective way, as well as shaping local content strategy and representing Reach externally.

Helen has worked in regional journalism for almost 20 years. Born and bred in Newcastle, Helen studied English Literature and Medieval History at the University of St Andrews. With a passion for writing, she stayed on to do a postgraduate MLitt in Creative Writing before returning home to Newcastle to start her career in journalism as a business reporter at Cobweb Information.

Helen is also chair of the board of the Chronicle’s Sunshine Fund charity, and has been a trustee for the charity since 2018.

“I have been an ardent supporter of the vision and ambition of New Writing North ever since I joined Reach and became aware of it through The Journal’s Culture magazine. The Journal continues to celebrate the North East’s creative industries through its Culture Awards and, like New Writing North, we believe talent is everywhere within this proud and passionate region, and must be both nurtured and championed in order to flourish.

“In my capacity as Reach’s lead on the Community News Project (CNP) and Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF), both of which aspire to make careers in journalism possible for individuals from across society who may otherwise be unable to pursue them, I feel there is a strong synergy with the aims and ambitions of New Writing North, and a great deal of collaborative potential.”