A “newspaper man of the old school” who spent most of his career with the same newspaper has died aged 93.

Tributes have been paid to Cecil Purdy, who spent many years with the Mid Ulster Mail.

Cecil, pictured, also worked as a stringer for the Belfast Telegraph, Belfast News Letter, BBC during his career.

He had began his career on the Tyrone Courier before moving to the Mail.

In an obituary for Northern Ireland World, Stanley Campbell wrote: “Cecil was a newspaper man of the old school, perfectly relaxed in an office where the constant banging of typewriters and ringing of telephones (landlines) was deafening, as reporters worked to get that week’s paper out.

“When the Mid’s front and back pages had been sorted on a Tuesday afternoon and the paper ‘put to bed’ it was time for a game of darts which Cecil always enjoyed – especially if he was winning – as he enjoyed playing bowls for the town and attending hockey matches in Cookstown.”

He added: “Cecil was made a Life Member of the National Union of Journalists and was an active trade unionist throughout his career working to improve wages and conditions of local journalists and photographers.

“He was one of the founding members of the former Mid Ulster Branch of the National Union of Journalists which was later merged with Belfast and District Branch of the NUJ.

“He represented the NUJ on the National Council for the Training of Journalists and played a leading role in union talks with RUC chiefs which eventually led to the formation of Press Offices in Northern Ireland to assist journalists covering incidents during the Troubles.”

Cecil, whose wife Dinah died in 2019, is survived by children Norman and Laura, daughter-in-law Pauline and son-in-law Stephen, grandchildren Lynsey, Richard, Conor, Lyndsey, Shane and Chloé, and great-grandchildren Elliot, Grace, Rosie and Beth.