Tributes after former Shropshire editor and trainer Brian, 79, dies on holiday

A former Shropshire newspaper editor who trained generations of journalists has died while on holiday in the Ukraine.

Brian Mason, 79, from Wellington, is thought to have had a heart attack while on a break with his wife Beryl.

Brian was the first editor of the Telford Journal, launched on January 5, 1973, a newspaper created specifically to serve the expanding new town of Telford.

In 1981 he became the training manager for the Midland News Association, training journalists for the Express & Star, Shropshire Star, and other company publications, overseeing the switch to emerging new technology, and served on the main board of directors of the National Council for the Training of Journalists.

Brian Mason, standing left, in 1976 with others from the original team of volunteers who set up the West Shropshire Talking Newspaper.

But he was also involved in a wide range of other roles, including helping to found the Shropshire Talking Newspaper for blind and partially sighted people, an organisation he worked with for more than 30 years.

"It's quite astonishing, looking back, to see exactly how much he was involved in," said his daughter, Caitlin Bisknell.

Brian died in the early hours of June 26. A memorial service will be held in Wellington on a date to be announced.

Caitlin added: "He had an enormous impact on many young journalists, and was editor of Telford new town's only newspaper at a time when there was a lot of change. It brought together the various communities and was critical in making sure the people of the area knew and understood what was happening and how they could have their say.

“Many of his trainees went on to work for national newspapers and media organisations.

Promoting

"He was a member of the National Union of Journalists locally, and was very involved with Telford Hornets Rugby Club, still being vice president there and playing for a number of years as captain of the thirds. Having grown up as a lad from Kent, cricket was another love.

"With mum he was very involved in the Wrekin and Telford Arts Festival, promoting the arts and helping to bring artistes and musicians to the area."

It's October 1969 and Telford new town is on its way. But old habits die hard as Brian Mason scratches his head over how to handle some village news sent in on the back of a recycled frying pan label.

Another love was motorcycling, about which he wrote a regular column, and among other achievements was the award of a gold badge for donating 50 pints of blood.

Brian is survived by Beryl; children Caitlin, who lives in Derbyshire, and Claire Heaton, Iain Mason, and Gavin Mason, who all live in Wellington; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Brian and Beryl met and married in Bexleyheath – they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 2011.

Starting his journalistic career in 1958, he was a trainee reporter on the Bexleyheath and Welling Times and, after three years in East Grinstead, moved to Shropshire and the Wellington Journal & Shrewsbury News in 1964, where the reporters' office was a caravan in the car park.

The paper was superseded by the Shropshire Journal, of which Brian became news editor, before becoming first editor of the Telford Journal.

As an in-company trainer he helped tutor NCTJ subbing courses and ran the Birmingham examinations centre for 10 years. On other professional bodies, he served on the Newspaper Society Training Committee and helped rewrite the new journalism NVQ standards.

He retired in 2000 after nearly 20 years training journalists.

Beryl held many posts in the local Labour party and was a Labour councillor for many years. She was made an MBE in 2003.