Newspaper staff from Bath and Somerset have celebrated their successes at the region’s second annual Oscars awards.

More than 400 editorial, advertising and newspaper sales staff from Bath, Wells, Clevedon and Taunton gathered for the Nortcliffe-run event, where a host of awards was handed out in a ceremony at Centre Parcs in Wiltshire.

This was the first time editorial Oscars were included, and winners included Somerset Guardian chief reporter Wendy Walker, who was named Reporter of the Year.

Other winners included Cheddar Valley Gazette reporter Oliver Hulme, who won Best Features Writer, and Ken Edmonds from Mid Somerset Newspapers who picked up the best headline prize for his “Romance In The Stone” headline for a story about a stretch of motorway which was being built with millions of pulped Mills and Boon novels, mixed with concrete.

The Katharine Rainey Memorial Award for Trainee of the Year was handed out in honour of the Clevedon Mercury journalist who died last November. The prize was presented to Rachel Lancaster from the Clevedon Mercury.

Bath Chronicle editor David Gledhill, advertisement director Tina Veater and newspaper sales director Liza Grimes hosted the awards, while new managing director Andrew Calvert presented the prizes. Former managing director Phil Inman also made a return, to present the final six awards of the night.

A full list of editorial awards is below:

Reporter of the Year:
Wendy Walker, Somerset Guardian

Feature Reporter of the Year:
Oliver Hulme, Cheddar Valley Gazette

Photographer of the Year:
Steve Monk, Taunton Times

Design Journalist of the Year:
Julie Dann, Bath Chronicle

Sports Journalist of the Year:
Mike Tremlett, Bath Chronicle

Headline of the Year:
Ken Edmonds, Mid Somerset Newspapers

Scoop of the Year:
Tamsin Davis, Bath Chronicle

Editorial Assistant of the Year:
Diane Grabham, Taunton Times

Katharine Rainey Memorial Award for Trainee of the Year:
Rachel Lancaster, Clevedon Mercury

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