Tributes have been paid to a weekly newspaper’s former arts editor who continued writing a monthly column until his death.

Tony Augarde, left, who was 80, served in the role in a freelance capacity for the Oxford Times for 10 years.

He had battled cancer, but continued to write a column called ‘Wordplay’ for the Times until he died.

His work for the paper also included reviewing music, art and theatre across Oxford while he also worked for Oxford University Press.

Over the course of his career he compiled dictionaries such as the Oxford Intermediate Dictionary, Oxford School Dictionary and the Oxford Dictionary of Modern Quotations.

His On the Box television feature for the Times was regularly followed by readers every week for many years.

An obituary on the Oxford Mail’s website states: “He had a passion for words, word games, jokes and puns and regularly appeared on BBC Radio 4 and at literary festivals.”

Tony died on 24 February and is survived by his wife Fleur, his brother Alan, his two children Charles and Katharine, and four granddaughters.

His funeral was held yesterday (28 March) at Oxford Crematorium.