Journalist made freeman of town he has served for 64 years

Gary Skentelbery (above left) said his father had helped to "change the face of the media"

A journalist has been made a freeman of the town where he has "championed" news for more than 60 years.

David Skentelbery received the honour from Warrington Borough Council for his contribution to the town and the surrounding areas.

The 86-year-old said the award came as a "complete surprise", adding that he had "written many articles" that were critical of the council "so they obviously didn't hold that against me".

Warrington Mayor Steve Wright said Mr Skentelbery had been an "exceptional servant" to the town "through decades of dedicated reporting".

The Manchester-born reporter moved to the Cheshire town of Knutsford as a child after his family were made homeless when the city was hit by two nights of air raids in December 1940.

He began his reporting career at the Knutsford Guardian, following in the footsteps of his journalist father, and moved to Warrington in 1960, after meeting his wife Patricia.

He said she deserved the honour more than he did "because she has had to put up with me being absent a lot of time".

Mr Skentelbery with his family, receiving the award

After working at the Warrington Guardian and Lancashire Evening Post, he set up Orbit News more than 50 years ago.

Mr Skentelbery, who lives in Lymm, went on to launch Warrington Worldwide with his son, Gary, in 1999.

He said he had covered thousands of community stories, but the most important was the IRA bombings in Warrington in 1993, which had "left a scar on my memory".

Mr Skentelbery, who has two grandchildren and one great-grandchild, said work had kept had "occupied" over the years, though he had also found time for cricket, which he played regularly until the age of 77.

He added that he had not yet come to terms with the honour he has received.

"Whenever I've heard of journalists getting awards from an authority, I've always made the comment 'he couldn't have been doing his job properly'," he said.

"Those words have come back to haunt me now."

Gary Skentelbery said his father had helped to "change the face of the media" by "spending thousands of hours working in the council chambers, ensuring local people knew what was happening in the corridors of power".

"He is probably the most modest person I have ever met in my life and will be wondering why he has been given this award for ‘doing his job’," he added.

Mr Wright said Mr Skentelbery had "put countless community causes and groups on the map, helping to shine a light on many successes within the borough."

"David has been an exceptional servant to Warrington through decades of dedicated reporting," he added.