Tributes to ‘caring’ former member of the Journal’s advertising team

Val Lovibond died aged 82 on June 9, and is survived by her husband, Peter; her daughter, Sharon; her son, Stephen; and her four grandchildren.

Born in Liverpool Val moved with her family at a young age to a farm near Wrexham, where they stayed until she was in her mid-teens.

She and her family then lived above her parents’ newsagents in Sussex Street, Rhyl, before she went on to work at the town’s Tesco supermarket.

Val married Peter in 1959 at St Thomas’ Church, Rhyl; before beginning work in the Journal’s advertising department in the 1970s.

Val Lovibond (Image: Stephen Lovibond)

After a short, two-year break from the Journal in the mid-1980s, she returned and went on to train many of the new members of advertising and sales staff.

She stayed there until retirement, after which her life revolved around spending time with her family.

At the time of her death, Val was living in Abergele, and had done so for approximately 25 years.

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Her son, Stephen, led tributes to a “caring” and “thoughtful” woman.

He said: “If you worked with her, she had an effect on your life!

“Some of the girls she used to work with still stayed in touch with her; you could tell how close they were to her.

“She was very caring, thoughtful and fashionable – she always looked very smart. She was very personable and chatty, and would talk to anybody.”

Stephen added that she loved spending three months a year in Tenerife with Peter during the winter after retirement, and was a keen badminton player in her 30s and 40s.

Her work for the Journal’s advertising and sales department “seemed to keep her very much young at heart,” he said.

Val’s daughter, Sharon, also celebrated the life of her late mother.

She added: “Mum started dancing again during her later years with North Wales Newspapers (NWN), doing ballroom (dancing). She loved to dance.

“I remember her dancing with the DJ at her Journal retirement party - I knew him as a salsa teacher, and told him that my mum loved to dance, so he asked her to dance with him.”

Mandy Ellis, former coastal regional group manager who worked with Val for many years, said her late colleague will be “very sadly missed”.

She said: “I will always remember Val Lovibond with great fondness and also great gratitude. Val trained me when I joined the Journal in 1986 and mentored me through the ranks.

“As regional group manager, Val was the one person I trusted to train the coastal new recruits. She was thoughtful, thorough, dedicated and always wanted her new recruits to succeed.

“And they did, many becoming managers within the business.

“A lot of us have a great deal to thank Val for. She will be very sadly missed by myself and many others.”

Former features editor, Elwyn Edwards, remembered Val as having helped produce “some of the finest feature publications”.

He said: “Those who either met Val socially or at the workplace were of the same opinion.

“As one most happy to have experienced her unique sense of humour on both counts, she left an indelible impression.

“The Journal's advertising department’s young staff were, for many years, under her scrutiny, and undoubtedly the better for her professional guidance, which she shared willingly.

“I worked alongside Val, and together were tasked in producing some of the finest feature publications.

“Often amusingly abrasive and with a mind of her own, Val would not suffer fools gladly, and it was this approach to her task that earned her so much respect.”

Bob Gardiner, former NWN senior advertisement manager, added: "Val Lovibond will be dearly remembered by her many NWN colleagues for her steadfast commitment to training telesales personnel throughout the company.

"Her talents for assisting advertisement managers to achieve their revenue targets was invaluable.

"She was always positive and enthusiastic in all her tasks, consistently tendering kindness and consideration for all who she encountered.

"As a trainer, Val successfully supported senior management in a major companywide training initiative, helping raise standards of performance for all participants.

"On a personal level, I will be forever grateful for the support and encouragement throughout my career as an advertisement manager, particularly in the turbulent era of the Journal marketplace.

"A truly memorable lady deserving the highest of praise, thank you, Val; my valued work colleague and dear friend."

Rebecca Marchbank, another of Val's former colleagues, added: "I started working with Val at the Journal when I was 17.

"She was so patient with me during the training and unwaveringly supported me throughout my career.

"We became firm friends and kept in touch after her retirement, often meeting up and putting the world to rights. 

"She was a feisty and hilarious member of the Journal team and she will be dearly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of calling her their friend."