Tim Flanagan gave us an entertaining talk on writing for the Press, interspersing ‘nuts and bolts’ aspects of his chosen profession with amusing anecdotes about highs and lows experienced over the years. One of the highs was being sent over to the Falklands in 1983 to report on the work of our local regiment of Royal Engineers. His visit coincided with Valentine’s Day and he took with him loving messages from the families left behind, returning with commissions from some of the soldiers to deliver flowers and chocolates to their wives. To avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings, Tim made sure that his own wife Liz accompanied him on those visits!
From 1977-88, during which time he became chief reporter for the Harrogate Advertiser, Tim worked for Ackrill Newspapers. He recalled a few faux pas in the laying out of some editions of the newspaper, the worst probably being when the obituary of a much loved grandmother appeared in the classified advertisements under Light Removals. On another occasion, the omission of a few words from the original copy resulted in a highly distinguished defence counsel, who just happened to be the son of the current Mayor of Harrogate, being dubbed ‘an habitual drug user’.
Tim spent the following three decades working in public relations, but has ‘bookended’ his career by becoming a senior reporter and ‘our person in Ripon’ for the Stray Ferret . This is very appropriate, because Tim, now resident here, has a huge knowledge of the city and surrounding district. With an ear permanently on the ground, he is often the first to cover local news as well as writing about seasonal, social, cultural and political events.
When his busy schedule permits, Tim enjoys sharing his poetry and prose at open mic sessions and he has contributed to Ripon Poetry Festival anthologies.
