The popular - and at times controversial - Dover Forum website has taken on a new look this week after the editor who has run it for many years decided to stand down.

The forum, and all its various
sections, has become part of the Dover.uk.com website run by web
designer Chris Tutthill who transferred all the user accounts to
the new site overnight last night.

This morning Paul Boland (pictured
left) announced he was stepping down as editor "after a very long
run".

"I am in my 65th year now and the
old bones can’t take the daily slog anymore," he said, adding that
he had also been advised to stop on medical grounds.

"The challenge was to find a way to
keep it all going so that all the regular forum contributors and
large readership would not be let down, but would still have a
natural home.

"Chris Tutthill has worked with me
behind the scenes for many years, my technical man at the coalface
of the action, and he did a great job for us on Doverforum through
thick and thin, kept us going through spammers and hackers and
everything else.

"As Chris was doing something
similar to Doverforum with Dover.Uk.Com the natural path to
evolution was a merger between the two."

Howard McSweeney, who has been
associate editor of the forum, will continue, providing reports and
pictures on activities around the town.

Mr Boland thanked Mr McSweeney,
Colette Boland, Barry Wadsworth-Smith, Jan Tranter, and forum
stalwarts Barry Williams and Keith Sansum for their support. "It is
now a new exciting website," said Mr Boland, who said he would have
to remove his avatar with "The Boss" on it. "It’s had a long
run."

The forum can be accessed here