An award-winning journalist who covered her hometown in a career spanning five decades has died aged 71.

Tributes have been paid to Helen O’Neill, who spent most of her 43 years in journalism covering Corby for the Evening Telegraph, now known as the Northamptonshire Telegraph.

Helen, pictured, held management roles at the Telegraph including chief news editor during her time there.

She returned to reporting prior to her retirement in 2014, when her long service to the newspaper was mentioned in Parliament.

Former Harborough Mail and Stamford Mercury editor Tor Clark, who worked with Helen at the Telegraph from 1989 to 1994, told HTFP: “Over her time reporting Corby Helen got to know everyone who was anyone in the town. She was respected and trusted by the subjects of her stories and those who read them.

“She played a huge part in the development of the careers of scores of young journalists who went on to work at the highest levels of journalism all over the UK and abroad, none of whom ever forgot the excellent journalistic standards she had drummed into them.

“Though she insisted on the highest standards of journalism and demanded hard work from her fellow journalists, she was also the most kind, caring and entertaining colleague anyone had ever worked with, always modest and self-deprecating, but always a fearsomely excellent journalist.

“She was a brilliant journalist, small of stature, but with a huge heart, who was genuinely loved and respected by all who worked closely with her.”

Helen, née Helen Baxter, was born in Wellingborough to parents Katie and Tommy, and grew up in Corby attending Beanfield primary and secondary schools, and Kingswood Grammar School.

Having trained with the Evening Telegraph’s newspapers, including the Corby Leader, she had a spell with the rival Herald & Post free paper before returning to the Corby Evening Telegraph and its Elizabeth Street office as deputy news editor in the later 1980s.

Helen took over as news editor and held that role until the mid-1990s when she was called to the paper’s Kettering head office to become its chief news editor.

She went on to work on the paper’s sub-editors’ desk before retiring in 2010, but later returned to cover Corby as a reporter for the paper.

Stories she covered included the 1986 murder of schoolgirl Colette Gallagher and the decline of Corby’s steel industry.

In 1990, together with longtime colleague and friend Amanda Davidson, she won awards for her coverage of the tenth anniversary of the end of steelmaking at Corby Works in a commemorative ET supplement.

Her retirement in 2014 was noted in the House of Commons at the time by the then-Corby MP Andy Sawford.

Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, said in response: “I think that Helen O’Neill’s 43-year career in journalism is a testament to the fantastic contribution that local newspapers make to our democracy.”

Corby reporter Kate Cronin, who worked with Helen during her final years at the Telegraph, told the paper: “Working with Helen was a privilege. She had encyclopaedic knowledge of Corby and she told me stories about its history that I still call on today.

“She had such talent, and cared so fiercely about ensuring that light was shone into the darkest corners of her home town.

“Helen had a real talent for putting things in perspective and in a job that can sometimes be emotionally challenging, she always found humour. Most days we laughed until we cried.

“We will miss her so much.”

Away from journalism, Helen married Louis O’Neill and the couple had a son, Thomas, in 1981.

After retiring she enjoyed spending time with her son, grandson, friends and family, but for the last two years she had suffered from cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer of the bile duct.

Helen died at her home in Corby on Saturday  surrounded by her family.

She is survived by son Thomas and grandson Ruben, as well as her brother Tommy and their families.

Her funeral will be held at the Edgar Newman Chapel at Kettering Crematorium at 10am on Thursday 13th July, followed by a memorial reception at Corby Grampian Club.

There will be family flowers only at the funeral but her family have requested any donations in her memory to the cholangiocarcinoma charity AMMF.