Wirral-born David Kessen is a long standing journalist with The Star. David started his career in journalism as a trainee on the Worksop Guardian in Marsh 1994, running the title’s Eckington Leader free newspaper for much of that time, a title which covered North East Derbyshire and South East Sheffield. After passing his professional exams, he moved to The Star, initially at the Doncaster office of the paper in 1996, later becoming its Doncaster district editor. He now works at The Star’s Sheffield office, covering South Yorkshire's biggest city. A resident of Sheffield since the 1970s, he was educated at Tapton School and Liverpool University, where he graduated in psychology, before studying journalism at Sheffield College’s Stradbroke site. He is proud of Sheffield and believes it is one of the best cities in the UK to live and work, with its beautiful parks and wonderful pubs and restaurants, as well as its position as the birthplace of football in the 1800s. He also loves the city’s cultural life, enjoying the city’s museums and theatres. David’s favourite part of the job is getting out and meeting people and believes that local newspapers and their websites are a vital part of the community.