TRIBUTES have been paid to Bradford-born journalist Colin Slater, who earned a distinguished reputation as an award-winning football broadcaster before his death, aged 87.

A former student of Belle Vue Grammar School, Mr Slater was editor of the Shipley Guardian in the late 1950s. He also covered sport for both the Bingley and Shipley Guardians including, Bradford City and Bradford Park Avenue, before he left the district in 1959 to move to Nottingham.

There he became local government correspondent of the Nottingham Evening News which later merged with Nottingham Evening Post.

At the same time he started covering Notts County FC to begin a life- long association with the club, covering some 2,700 matches over 55 years, 2,200 of them for BBC Radio Nottingham, before he retired at the end of the 2017-18 season.

Mr Slater, who was known as the Voice of Notts County, won various accolades for services to broadcasting, including life achievement awards from the Sony Radio Academy in 2010 and Notts County FC in 2018.

After his retirement he was made a vice president of the football club. He was also president of their former players association and wrote the history of the club to celebrate their 150th anniversary.

Mr Slater left newspaper journalism in 1969 to become Nottinghamshire County Council's first public relations officer. He also worked for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club as head of their marketing department for eight years from 1988 to 1996 and was PA announcer at Trent Bridge.

Former T&A Yorkshire county cricket reporter David Warner, who worked with him on the Shipley Guardian, recalls: "Despite his strong links with Nottinghamshire CCC Colin continued to follow Yorkshire's fortunes avidly and with a critical eye. He was a regular attender at the annual Sir Leonard Hutton lunch at Headingley, a prestigious event founded by Bradford League president Keith Moss. It attracts some of the best cricket speakers in the country and a few years ago he proposed the vote of thanks with a beautifully constructed speech of his own."

Mr Slater was a magistrate in Nottingham for 27 years, including a spell as chairman, was made a freeman of the borough of Broxtowe in 2010 and served on the Church of England's General Synod for many years

He was given an MBE in 2001 in recognition of his services to broadcasting and the Nottingham community.

Although he has not worked in the Aire Valley for more than 60 years Mr Slater never forgot his roots and eight years ago he began helping to organise annual reunions for journalists who worked together on the Guardian newspapers in the 1950s.

Former T&A sports journalist David Markham, who began his career at the Bingley Guardian, said: "We last saw Colin at our reunion in Bingley in October. He was determined to attend despite ill health. We shall miss his convivial presence, his fund of stories and sense of humour but we shall meet again this year in his honour."

Another former Guardian colleague, Derek Woodcock, said: "A unique character and talent may have left us, but his influence carries on."