Former Advertiser colleagues pay tribute to fine newsman and office character who has died aged 74

The former colleagues of a ‘fine newsman’ who lived in Dunchurch and worked for the Advertiser in the 1980s have paid tribute following his death.
By Alex Green
Published 21st Apr 2022, 15:51 BST
Updated 21st Apr 2022, 18:20 BST
The Advertiser's old office on Albert Street, where Leigh worked as the deputy editor.The Advertiser's old office on Albert Street, where Leigh worked as the deputy editor.
The Advertiser's old office on Albert Street, where Leigh worked as the deputy editor.

Yesterday, April 20, Hold the Front Page reported that Leigh Robinson had died aged 74 and his former Advertiser colleagues were keen to pay tribute.

Leigh was appointed deputy editor of the Advertiser in the 1980s by then-editor Brian Dennis.

Brian contacted this newspaper to pay tribute.

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He wrote: “Outward going, an asset to any newsroom Leigh interacted with juniors and seniors with equal aplomb, always a smile on his face and a cigarette in hand.

“He was loyal and I could rely on him to watch my back. He had an excellent contacts' book and, to use a dated phrase, he was a man about town.

"I would describe him as like the cars he liked, a sporty hatchback.

“He did not wait for a story to come to him on a screen (Facebook had not been heard of then) but believed, like me, that news was information which someone, somewhere did not want published, everything else was advertising.”

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Richard Howarth, who worked alongside Leigh as a senior reporter for a year in the late eighties, said: “There was lots of banter in the office – he was a big Man United fan and he knew I was a big Arsenal fan.

"There would be lots of bets – often over football, but he would bet on anything. We genuinely had bets over raindrops on the office window.

“He was a great newsman, he was very popular in the newsroom and he was one of my favourite people in industry.”

Leigh left the Advertiser in early 1988 – going on to work at the South Wales Argus.

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Richard said he recalls speaking to Leigh after the move, with Leigh recounting that the Argus had sent him around the country to discover what newspaper promotions were the most successful for boosting sales – with a rather amusing outcome.

"He discovered that a free Pot Noodle promotion had been the most popular,” Richard said.

Leigh is survived by his partner Lisbeth and daughter Julia.

You can read Hold the Front Page’s article, which includes tributes from Leigh’s family and other colleagues from different publications, by visiting: bit.ly/3ExDRlC

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