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Former weekly newspaper owner dies aged 89

A former joint proprietor of the Bury Times has died at the age of 89.

Harold Tomlinson joined the newspaper not long after leaving school and worked his way up to the role of managing director.

In 1966, the paper was put up for sale by its then owners, the Bentley Family, and Mr Tomlinson and editor Wilf Ainscow decided to buy it.

Under their tenure, the Bury Times became one of the first family-owned newspapers to go computer web offset and the first to introduce a web offset colour press.

Renowned as an innovator who constantly drove newspaper production technology forward, Mr Tomlinson was a former president of the Lancashire and Cheshire Master Printers’ Association.

He eventually retired in 1983 when Times was sold to Johnston Press.

Mr Tomlinson died suddenly on Christmas Eve at the Lavender Hills care home in Stubbins Vale where he had been a resident for six weeks.

He leaves a wife, Margaret, two daughters, Elizabeth and Sarah, and three grandchildren, Kati, Charlotte and Thomas.