obituaries Settling in Bardsey, she travelled


the world, thought nothing of going to London to catch a show or see friends and completed a 12,500- foot parachute jump for charity. Martin Fisher, NUJ father of


Heather Clark


Heather Clark, an inspirational journalist, showed just what could be achieved no matter what life threw at her. She was a reporter and producer for ITV Yorkshire’s Calendar news service and deputy mother of chapel.


Her motto was nothing is


impossible, and she proved that many times, having been born with no limbs – her mother had taken morning sickness drug thalidomide. Heather, who died aged 57, grew


up in Leeds in the early 1960s and 1970s, when her disability was seen as a stigma – but she proved that anyone with preconceived ideas about it was wrong. With the support of parents, Tom and Christine, who always believed she should never be held back, Heather was determined to live life to the full. She attended a mainstream school and thrived. At four, using her artificial legs, she had ambitions to be a ballerina. Later she had riding lessons and dreamed of being a showjumper. Her father adapted a car for her as a teenager, using a joystick to steer and she was able to be independent. She started work at 19, ending up at Yorkshire Television, now ITV Yorkshire, where she enjoyed a 25-year career. The show jumping came into its


own when, aged 30 and working as a reporter, she discovered the Riding for the Disabled Association. She took up carriage driving, going on to win numerous national championships on her beloved horses Barney then Pickle, and competing at international level against able-bodied riders.


24 | theJournalist


chapel at ITV Yorkshire, said: “She was a remarkable woman. The sight of her mastering T-line while using her teeth was something I will never forget and put to shame anyone not putting the effort in. She was a staunch supporter of the union, joining myself and other colleagues on the picket lines during the strike at ITV in 2015. “Heather was a fine journalist, a


fighter and a friend and she will be sorely missed.” She was independent and feisty and determined to overcome any obstacles. However, even she admitted that her diagnosis with incurable ovarian cancer 18 months ago was a ‘blip’ – as she called her challenges. She is survived by a brother,


Howard, nephew Sam, and niece Georgia.


Ken Jackson


Ken Jackson was a highly respected West Midlands journalist who played a pivotal role in the launch of the Channel Tunnel during a distinguished 50-year career in newspapers and PR. He was director of corporate affairs at Wolverhampton-based Tarmac when the construction giant was lobbying for the contract to help build the tunnel. Ken, who died at the age of 76


following a lengthy illness, helped mastermind the Tarmac publicity campaign, which eventually led to the construction of the historic UK-France link. Born in Chadsmoor, Cannock, the


miner’s son began as a trainee reporter with the Cannock Advertiser before moving to newspapers in the north-east. He returned to the West Midlands in 1964 to work on the business desk of the Express and Star in Wolverhampton. He later joined the Birmingham Post as property editor before taking up his first PR job as public relations manager with the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth. He returned to newspapers with the Birmingham Evening Mail from 1970 to 1977 before switching back to the PR world after being headhunted by Tarmac boss Sir Eric Pountain. He enjoyed a 20-year career at Tarmac, rising to director of corporate affairs.


Ken eventually left the construction giant to found the Jackson-Brown PR agency, which he ran with his wife Hilary for many years from his home at Sandon, near Stafford. Over the course of more than 20


years, he worked for a number of well-known clients, including building firms Chase Midland, Mowlem, Maitland Selwyn, retailer Beatties and many others. He was a life member of the NUJ and a long-serving member of Birmingham Press Club. Family and friends recall a kind and generous personality who could find common ground with all walks of life. Former colleague and ex-Birmingham Post Business Editor Fred Bromwich said: “Ken and I first met up in the 1950s when we were both on the National Council for the Training of Journalists course and, as with many of his former colleagues, he had remained in contact ever since. Ken enjoyed a great career as an outstanding journalist in his field and he was the complete PR professional.” Ken leaves his widow Hilary as


well as daughter Debra and son Marcus from his first marriage.


Jon Griffin


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