Former Halifax Courier editor dies aged 89

Lancastrian Dennis Taylor spent all his working life in journalism. In 1961 while a journalist and music correspondent with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph in Blackburn, he was one of the first journalists from outside Liverpool to interview The Beatles.

In 1965, he left the Lancashire Evening Telegraph in Blackburn to become the first editor of the Evening Star when it launched in Burnley.

It was he who instigated the campaign to get a motorway built between the two main centres of East Lancashire – Burnley and Blackburn – a successful campaign that led to the M65 being built. He also launched the Sports Pink to carry in-depth news and reports on those arch-rivals, Burnley FC and Blackburn Rovers.

Back in the 1970s, between editorships, he also worked subbing shifts on several nationals and Sundays at their Manchester offices.

In 1978 he became editor of the Halifax Evening Courier before leaving nearly 10 years later. Before officially retiring he worked as a sub-editor at the North West Evening Mail in Barrow-in-Furness and finally theWestmorland Gazette in Kendal, the town where and his wife Ida moved to in 1988.

He also helped out with producing walking books and with Talking Newspapers for the Blind.

A keen sports player in his younger days and a fan of many sports all his life, he was a more-than decent golfer right up until his late eighties and played cricket for his home town Chorley in the Northern League.

A fan of Burnley Football Club, he struck up a firm friendship with the enigmatic Clarets chairman, Bob Lord.

Four of his six children - Michael, Carolyn, Simon and Philip - have all enjoyed long careers in journalism.