AN award-winning former Threshfield journalist has joined the PR team of a Greater Manchester creative and digital agency.

Gill Potts, who is originally from Wharfedale, has joined full-service agency Cornerstone Design and Marketing in Lees, on the border of Oldham and Saddleworth.

Gill (nee Longstaff) attended Upper Wharfedale School and Craven College in Skipton. She had a series of regular work placements at the Craven Herald weekly newspaper in Skipton as a student and then went to Darlington College of Technology for her professional NCTJ journalism qualification. Her journalism experience includes writing and sub-editing newspapers including the Manchester Evening News, Oldham Evening Chronicle, Rochdale Observer and the former Tameside Advertiser, where she won the national Newspaper Society Journalist of the Year award.

During her career she has worked on a number of high-profile news stories including the legacy of the Moors Murders, Dr Harold Shipman, the murder of British Army soldier Fusilier Lee Rigby, and the Manchester Arena terror attack.

In addition to news, Gill has magazine and feature-writing experience on topics including health, wellbeing, families, lifestyle, food and drink, fashion and consumer journalism.

In recent years, she helped launch Newsquest’s weekly Oldham Times newspaper and website, and worked as a copy-sub on the Liverpool Echo, Huddersfield Examiner and Manchester Evening News dailies. She has also been a freelance writer for agencies across the north of England.

Now at Cornerstone, her writing role includes producing content for business and consumer audiences for multiple channels. This includes writing press releases, website content and email marketing and social media campaigns.

A significant area of her new work covers the UK pharmacy sector for the Care range of family healthcare products, a brand owned by Huddersfield-based Thornton & Ross. This includes writing B2B and B2C content, updates and training resources for pharmacists and health care professionals across the UK, and also liaising with health, research and university and other stakeholders on projects.

Cornerstone Design & Marketing has made a number of new appointments across various departments, increasing its staff to 17.

The company, founded in 2007 by managing director David Wadsworth, moved to larger, bespoke headquarters late last year and enjoyed growth above 40 per cent in 2019 after multiple contract wins.

Cornerstone works with clients in sectors including gyms and leisure, tourism, arts, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, engineering, structural design and property. It also works with charity and research organisations including Cancer Research UK.

It has enjoyed joint success in the regional Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) awards for campaigns with the North West Ambulance Service and also been a finalist in the Oldham Business Awards and the Manchester Publicity Association (MPA) Awards.