Tributes to former Journal deputy editor and award-winning journalist

Diane Ashton, 76, from Meliden, died on Saturday (November 23) at Prestatyn’s Priory House Residential Home with her family at her side.

The wife of former Prestatyn mayor and fellow Rhyl Journal journalist Ken Ashton, Diane was a journalist throughout her professional life.

She started on the Warrington Guardian, and both Ken and Diane worked on various newspapers in the Northwest before moving to North Wales in the 1970s.

Diane Ashton with her husband, Ken (Image: Rachael Wheatley) Diane joined the Journal as a reporter in 1986, quickly becoming chief reporter and later deputy editor.

She also worked for the Journal’s sister paper, the Leader, before retiring in 2004, after a career spanning almost 40 years.

Daughter Rachael Wheatley, who lives in Meliden, said: “Mum was a formidable journalist.

“She was relentless in the pursuit of truth, meticulous in her accuracy, and had a writing style that was crisp and enjoyable to read.

“She trained countless numbers of journalists over the years.

“Mum had great empathy for people and told their stories with sensitivity, which earned her a well-deserved reputation as a journalist to be trusted.

“To the end, mum retained her keen eye for detail, and nothing got past her. She could spot a half-truth or a misplaced apostrophe from a mile away!”

The daughter of a BBC musician, Diane grew up in Sale, Manchester, and her first job was on BBC’s Top of the Pops.

Diane also featured in many national radio plays and auditioned for a role on ITV’s Coronation Street, but missed out because she was an inch too tall for her potential co-star.

Diane Ashton and her husband, Ken, at work (Image: Rachael Wheatley) Rachael added: “Mum grew up in an unusual household where famous names would come and go.

“But there was nothing starry about her; she was always very much a home bird and loved gardening, particularly on sunny days.

“Married to my dad for 52 years, Mum reserved her greatest strength for her family; she looked after and loved us all fiercely.

“So, we are all beyond grateful to the Priory House team and district nurses who moved heaven and earth to enable us all to be together in mum’s last few months.”

It was Diane’s express wish not to have a funeral. Instead, plans are being made to support a project close to Diane’s heart, with details to be released later.

Alongside Rachael and Ken, Diane leaves her grandson, Jacob, his partner Keira, and son-in-law and friend, Wayne.

Her former colleague, Elwyn Edwards, also celebrated Diane’s life.

He said: "Perhaps too often do we expound the virtues of colleagues, and yet, in Diane, nothing could be further from genuine memory.

“I was fortunate to engage Diane's talent at a time when the industry was on a severe technological curve, requiring more than just journalistic skills.

“Fortunately, the Journal had both in Diane. In the years that followed, her superb investigative mindset produced some of the paper's eye-catching headlines, leaving those involved in no doubt about her ability to sift through jargon and bluff.

“Each story or campaign, and she led quite a number, bore her mark, and her bylines were themselves an indication of the quality beneath.

“Local media has produced some amazing journalists over the years, and Diane was a leader among them."

Terry Canty, regional print audience and content editor at the Journal, added: “Diane was my first chief reporter and will always be remembered as a trusted mentor, valued colleague and friend.

“A conscientious journalist with an unrivalled passion for local news, she would provide a wealth of experience and gentle encouragement to myself and other fresh-faced reporters, given the task of finding our feet quickly in what can be a demanding industry.”