A former regional daily reporter known as ‘the Pope’ has returned to visit its modern-day newsroom 60 years on.

Mike Morrissey, 86, worked on the Bournemouth Echo in the 1950s, and visited its Richmond Hill office to recall the start of his journalism career six decades ago.

A native of Liverpool, Mike moved to work in Bournemouth, where his uncle Lindsay was the town clerk, in 1951.

During his time at the Echo, Mike worshipped at a local Catholic church, picking up a number of stories in the process.

Mike, left, talks to Echo journalist Darren Slade during his visit

He said: “I was known as the Pope of Bournemouth because I got news from the local Catholic community. I used to get stories from the pulpit.

“I also ran the daily gossip column, called Richmond, for a few months.”

Mike added: “I was very young and it was my first time outside home. The town clerk of Bournemouth was my uncle so I knew the place a bit. He was town clerk for 10 years.

“I recall remember writing about a lot of motorbike accidents. I had a motorbike and I sold the darn thing, there were so many accidents.”

Mike went on to work in Manchester, Darlington and Middlesbrough, as well as in Australia and Nigeria.

He worked on the Northern Echo when Sir Harold Evans, whom he described as a “little dynamo” was in charge in the mid-1960s.

Of his former boss – still active as a roving editor for Reuters at the age of 87 – Mike said: “Whatever he’d asked us, we would have said yes. We didn’t want him to go.”

He added: “I’m a great believer in newspapers and I’m pleased they’re surviving. It’s up to the staff to use their brains and skills to ask politicians good questions.”