The Northern Echo has paid its annual sporting tribute to a colleague whose death led to a campaign to improve coronary care in Britain.

Photographer Ian Weir, a father-of-two, died in 1999 from a heart attack while waiting for a bypass operation. He was 38.

The tragedy prompted The Echo to launch its Chance to Live campaign, which succeeded in prompting Health Secretary Alan Milburn to launch the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease.

Since Ian’s death, colleagues on the newspaper have met annually to compete for the Ian Weir Memorial Golf Trophy.

Twenty golfers started this year’s competition, which culminated with six finalists playing off in a final at the Stressholme Golf Course, Darlington. The finalists were Peter Barron, Colin Tapping, Audrey Darling, David Horsley, Steve Baker, and Adam Murray.

It was a hard-fought contest which went right to the last hole with David Horsley (pictured), a sub-editor on The Echo, narrowly outpointing chief sports writer Steve Baker, for second place with deputy editor Colin Tapping third.

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