Veteran journalist Lawrie Simpkin, who worked at the Leicester Mercury for 28 years, has died.

He was 69 and had battled against cancer.

Lawrie joined the Mercury as its chief soccer writer, and when he retired 28 years later he was the paper’s executive editor.

He began his career as an apprentice journalist in Nottingham before spending two years in the RAF Bomber Command as a non-commissioned officer.

After resuming his journalistic career, he worked in Grantham and Ilkeston before being appointed chief soccer writer at the Leicester Mercury.

He later became news editor, and subsequently assistant editor, deputy editor in chief and finally executive editor.

As the paper embraced new production methods and various technologies, he stressed to journalists the need to never lose sight of basic news values – “the stories people argue about in the pub”.

After retirement in 1988, he set up a home-based public relations company, working with the Church of England, the Conservative Party and the Referendum Party.

Mercury editor Nick Carter said: “Lawrie played a significant role in the development of this newspaper and was a mentor to many reporters who went on to make their own contributions to journalism.

“He understood the importance of a paper being involved in its community and his own involvement continued long after he retired.”

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