Society of Editors co-founder Bob Satchwell has been honoured in a memorial service and was also posthumously honoured with a lifetime achievement award.
The memorial was held at Fleet Street’s St Bride’s Church and was attended by hundreds of leading press industry professionals.
Readings were given by Moira Sleight, Sir Clive Jones, Charles Garside, Bob’s son Chris Satchwell and Anna Bridgeman. The choir sang Pie Jesu from Requiem, Ave Maria, Sailing, and Brindisi from La Traviata.
A reception followed at the Humble Grape when the toast was made by co-founder of the Society of Editors Geoff Elliot.
The Cambridge Evening News, which Bob edited for 14 years, also awarded Bob a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award and presented it in a ceremony to his daughter Ellie.
Bob, who passed away aged 73 in March, started as a reporter on the Lancashire Evening Post in 1970 and went on to become assistant editor for the News of the World before moving to Cambridge.
At the event, David Bartlett, Audience and Content Director at Reach plc, said: “Bob Satchwell edited the Cambridge Evening News as it was then from 1984 to 1998. He has been described as a “giant of the industry” – a title that is not an exaggeration by any means.
“During his tenure, the Cambridge Evening News became one of the most successful regional newspapers in Britain, winning six awards during his time at the helm.
“We all owe Bob a huge debt of gratitude for the years he spent fighting for press freedom and for being a shining example that every editor wishes to emulate.”