A journalist fondly described by colleagues as ‘mischievous’ and ‘quick witted’ has died from cancer at the age of 58.
Clive Leighton, of Sutton Coldfield, worked in the newspaper industry for four decades, starting out as a reporter on the Cannock Advertiser.
He rose to deputy editor before moving across to become editor-in-chief of a weekly series of papers produced by the Birmingham Post & Mail.
After a stint in the late 80s freelancing as a sub-editor for the Evening Standard, Daily Mail and Leicester Mercury, he was recruited as editorial director of New Enterprise Publications.
Set up by US newspaper tycoon Ralph Ingersoll, the company took over the Walsall Observer and Solihull News and launched 39 weekly hyperlocal titles in Birmingham called Focus.
The Focus enterprise famously produced the first newspapers in the UK using the Quark Express design software on Apple Macs.
When the venture folded Clive moved to Plymouth as managing editor of the Western Morning News where he remained for seven years.
Clive eventually returned to the Midlands and his last staff role was as a production journalist for the Post & Mail.
After being diagnosed with cancer in 2008, Clive took voluntary redundancy from the Post but continued to freelance for the National Farmers’ Union magazine.
Colleagues said that despite sporadic health setbacks he stayed remarkably positive and constantly surprised friends and colleagues with his innate optimism, humour and quick wit.
Former Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves, who was recruited by Clive for the Birmingham Focus series, said: “Clive was a boss, mentor and a friend.
“He had an unending stream of bad jokes, puns and riotous anecdotes that would spur us on to bring out the very best newspapers we could.
“He had a delightful mischievous streak that would simultaneously subvert the management ‘suits’, as he called them, while getting the rest of us to work like stink.
“He was desperately passionate about newspapers and newspaper people, and it was always a joy to find yourself working the same shift.”
Clive was married for 33 years to Vanessa and had two sons, Jim, 32, and Richard, 28. He lost his cancer fight last Sunday at the John Taylor Hospice in Birmingham.
His funeral will be held at Woodlands Crematorium, Birimingham Road, Coleshill on Tuesday 5 July at 11am, followed by a gathering at the Purley Chase Centre.
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Clıve, old frıend, I never thought thıs comment would be addressed this way round. You were the cleanest living and nicest guy wıth whom you could ever wish to work. Your hand on any publication’s editorıal tiller was rock solid, your judgement the soundest. We worked together on and off for 11 years; were twice in business together – and I never heard one pesrson say an unkınd thing about you. The madcap world of journalism wıll mıss thıs joker and I, for one, will miss you more.
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Sad news indeed. Clive was one of a rare breed. A joker for sure, possessed of caustic wit – particularly of management. But he was also a team player who strove to produce the best results possible, always considering suggestions and translating them into some superb page designs. Not many like him about now.
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I spent a year working with Clive in Sutton Coldfield at The Sunday more than a decade ago and still smile when I think of him. His energy and enthusiasm were infectious, while he would always deliver plenty of humour to lighten any mood. As mentioned by others, he was a journalist through-and-through who disliked management. Now no longer a whippersnapper myself, I understand why! A real character, the nicest man in journalism I have ever met and he will be sadly missed.
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Clive was simply a terrific bloke. He was also a first class boss and a brilliant help to me and many others. RIP
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I shall miss him – a lovely man, good humoured, funny, adventurous and fairly mad-cap.
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I loved Clive’s quick-witted humour, unfortuately it could often be at expense of himself, and greatly admired his tenacity through tough times, particularly in his handling of his illness.
He gave very generously of his time and expertise to advice and support me in my attempts at the written word and was always very encouraging but still got his points across.
I have enjoyed knowing, him and he will be missed.
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Whilst I, like others enjoyed Clive’s jocular style, he was a really serious journalist.
A favourite saying of my is ‘second to none’ and Clive was exactly that.
Leader, friend and colleague he brought me from Post into the weeklies- and when I eventually took over the weekly role he and John Shepherd vacated, guess what, it was Clive who took the trouble to write and congratulate me as a worthy successor . That kind of careful consideration is the measure of a good man. RIP