About me

Colin Grainger by the Thames Barrier, Silvertown, London. Picture: Andrew Baker.

Welcome to my website

I’m Colin Grainger and I’m a journalist, living in London.

I worked at the Newham Recorder from August 1972 to December 2012, more than 40 years. I began as a trainee reporter and worked my way up through the newsroom to become the newspaper’s Editor 15 years ago. 

An east London lad, I was born in Plaistow and was educated at Drew County Primary in Silvertown and  Plaistow Grammar School.

Newham and East London has been and is my life and the Newham Recorder is a newspaper that was very close to my heart for a big part of my life. I am active in the Newham community and also in Havering and believe passionately in both communities and in “giving something back.”

I left the newspaper in December 2012 after the Newham Recorder merged with another newspaper and I am now taking up new challenges and looking for new opportunities in life.

I have been enjoying writing, subbing and production work recently and freelancing and I am currently working with a fantastically talented and thoroughly professional group of people at The Guardian newspaper.

I’m married to wife Lesley, who has been by my side for as long as I remember. We are childhood sweethearts and met at Plaistow Grammar. We have two wonderful children, Angela and James, and we live in Romford, Essex, with our cat Eddie, close to our family and friends.

I am truly blessed to have some of the best friends and family imaginable.

I am honoured to have been able to play a part in community groups and organisations, especially Community Links in Newham, the most remarkable of life-changing charities, and was gob-smacked to receive the Freedom of Community Links last year from them.

I have also been honoured to have served on parent-teacher associations and governing bodies.

Oh, and I’m a huge Tottenham Hotspur fan. I first went to White Hart Lane at the tender age of eight, and I fell in love with the Lilywhites straightaway. I’ve been hooked ever since and go to every home game and as many away matches as possible.  Come on you Spurs!

Thank you for visiting my website. You can see what I can do to help you in the section marked what I can do for you.