A regional journalist who went on to hold numerous senior national public relations positions has died aged 82.

Tributes have been paid to Brian McGuire, who worked for the Edinburgh Evening News and Glasgow-based daily The Herald before embarking on a career in PR.

His work in that field included stints at the Scottish Office, Edinburgh Corporation and the Church of Scotland.

While at the Corporation’s successor Edinburgh District Council, he was responsible for telling the Chinese authorities of the council’s decision to freeze the city’s twinning link with Xi’an after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

Former Evening News deputy editor Hamish Coghill told his old paper: “Brian’s whole life was media-related and he had very wide experience inside and outside newspapers.

“Everything he did he tackled in a very professional style.”

Edinburgh-born Brian began his career as a copyboy on the Evening News in 1958, later joining the reporting staff.

He moved to The Herald in 1962 and then to the Scottish Office as an information officer in 1964, where the opening of the Forth Road Bridge by the Queen was one of his first jobs.

Brian switched to Edinburgh Corporation, later adding tourism to his remit and ending up as acting director before taking early retirement in 1990.

He later returned to the Church of Scotland press office and also worked for the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Ann Davies, who headed the Church of Scotland press office at the time, said: “He was a very popular and helpful colleague.

“He really valued old friendships and loved making new contacts too.”

Brian died of cancer just short of he and his wife Frances’ 60th wedding anniversary.

He is also survived by daughter Rhona, son Douglas and grandsons Gabriel and Jacob in Scotland and Euan and James in Australia.