Having been born and brought up in Derbyshire, I already knew a lot about its people and places before I became a reporter covering the county - but I still learn something new on a daily basis.

I'd always wanted to be a journalist, and after my training I landed a trainee reporter's job at the Ashbourne News Telegraph. I then moved to the Derby Evening Telegraph.

But broadcasting had always been an ambition, which was realised when I got a job at BBC Radio Derby. While I was there I did almost every job in the newsroom...from reporting, producing programmes to reading the news...which isn't as glamorous as many people assume.

It was while at Radio Derby that I got my first taste of TV reporting - standing in occasionally for East Midlands Today's then Derbyshire reporter James Roberson.

And after a few years at Nottingham for East Midlands Today, I'm now back in Derby as part of the programme's presence in the county. I'm also trained to shoot and edit my own pictures as well - which means there's often no need to leave the county for a story to appear on one of our daily bulletins.

Career highs have included being praised by a judge for helping to catch an armed robber - through a story that is....I didn't chase after him.

But since I've worked at East Midlands Today there have been lots of less serious moments when I've had to dress as a hippie, nun, and a woman - I HAD TO, honest.

People often ask me where we get our stories from, and one of the best sources is the audience. So if you've got a story about ordinary people who've achieved extraordinary things, or something that's made people where you live angry or laugh out loud, contact me on 01332 375021 or simon.hare@bbc.co.uk