Paola quits Bahamas beaches to go surfing

Paola Alvino, 36, has been appointed web producer of Newsquest Digital Media's popular thisisbolton, thisisbury and thisisleigh websites after a six-year stint as managing editor of Dupuch Publications -- the Caribbean's foremost publishing company and producer of www.caribbean.com and www.bahamasnet.com.

The second-generation Italian, born in the Isle of Man, left her job as assistant editor of the Warrington Guardian to take up the post in Nassau, where she had spent five years as a child.

In 1998, Miss Alvino moved to the tiny Abaco settlement of Hope Town and continued editing Dupuch Publications' prestigious Bahamas Handbook and tourism-related magazines as a freelance.

She also became Internet Manager of www.hopetown.com for a lettings agency dealing in million dollar island homes.

In February this year, Miss Alvino returned to Warrington and freelanced for the Bolton Evening News before helping launch the Leigh Journal's paid-for edition in May.

She continued there as chief reporter before taking up the position of web producer based in Bolton.

"I wanted to be back where the action is and I've certainly found it at Newsquest Digital Media," she said. "The traffic for the Bolton, Bury and Leigh websites has grown phenomenally in the last year.

"My challenge is to continue to build a loyal user base and increase the number of new users by being responsive to users' needs and wants, providing up-to-the-minute news and sport coverage, and introducing new content and links to make the sites as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible."

Miss Alvino can be contacted on 01204 361292 or by emailing palvino@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk. Paola quits Bahamas

beaches to go surfing

Paola Alvino.