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Business editor and columnist loses cancer battle

A business editor who chronicled his battle with cancer through his weekly column has died at the age of 47.

Nigel Scott, left, who lost his year-long fight with the disease on Boxing Day, worked for the Yorkshire Evening Post for 21 years in a variety of roles.

He was adamant that his ‘Middle Ages’ column would show the struggles he was facing as well as reflecting happier times in his life.

Readers took much from his descriptions of the soaring highs and desperate lows of cancer treatment.

YEP editor Paul Napier said: “Nigel was a great colleague and a friend to so many on the Yorkshire Evening Post, Yorkshire Post Newspapers and in the wider business community.

“He was well-known and well-liked – there can’t be many people in the Leeds business world who’ve not at some point spoken with Nigel.

“He carried his health troubles of the last few months with great dignity and seemed set on making the most of every minute of every hour.

“He was so obviously proud of his family, often writing in his column of home life with Melanie and of the delights of being a dad to his two girls. The thoughts of us all are with his family now.”

Nigel, who managed to work up until six weeks ago, was born in Scunthorpe in 1962 and decided at a young age to follow his mother’s career path in journalism.

After passing a course at Richmond College in Sheffield, he joined the Pontefract and Castleford Express as a reporter, later working for the Wakefield Express and Leeds Weekly News.

He joined the YEP in 1988 as a reporter and was appointed business correspondent in 1996, later stepping up to the post of business editor.

As a business and financial journalist he won a string of awards including the financial journalist of the year at the Regional Press Awards and was also named northern business newspaper journalist of the year, business reporter of the year and northern business journalist of the year.

Nigel is survived by his parents, wife Melanie and daughters Emily and Eleanor.

  • His funeral takes place on Tuesday at 10.30am at Pontefract Crematorium. Family flowers only are requested and donations in memory of Nigel can be given to the Prince of Wales Hospice, in Pontefract, or Macmillan Cancer Support for which a box will be provided at the service. Alternatively, they can be sent to R J Burgess funeral director, 18 Market Place, Normanton, WF6 2AU.
  • Comments

    Chris Maguire (30/12/2009 12:42:09)
    Scotty was a gentleman and will be much missed by all who knew him. I’ll remember him best for our times on the cricket field for the Yorkshire Post/Yorkshire Evening Post cricket team. Scotty never got many runs, wickets or catches but he took his love of cricket into his love of life. He lived a lot of his sporting dreams out in his two daughters, who he was deeply proud of. I feel very lucky to have known Scotty and my thoughts are with his family and work colleagues.

    Steve White (30/12/2009 15:06:32)
    Chris is right. Scotty was one of the good guys. He loved his cricket – he took many more wickets than I did – and he loved a laugh with the lads. Far too young…

    bob westerdale, the star, sheffield (31/12/2009 11:18:00)
    Such a decent, honourable, happy bloke, such a tragedy. My thoughts go out to his wife and family. Gone but never forgotten.

    Richard Spencer (04/01/2010 13:08:30)
    a real tragedy. Nigel was a great colleague in the time I worked with him