LOCAL JOURNALIST and Saddleworth Independent founder Ken Bennett has been honoured with a distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ken Bennett was presented with the award by Chris Johnson, secretary of Liverpool Press Club, at their Presidents Luncheon attended by more than 150 media professionals.
The award is in recognition of 60 years dedicated to the profession by Ken, who is a member of the Dobcross Village Community Executive.
His career began at 15 years old as a junior reporter at a St Helens weekly newspaper before he joined Mercury Press Agency, a freelance agency working for national media.
At 19, Ken became the youngster reporter to be recruited by a national Sunday newspaper The People where he worked for five years until moving to the Sunday Mirror.
Climbing still higher, Ken was appointed as Northern News Editor of the Sunday Mirror for 13 years then group assistant editor of Express Newspapers in Fleet Street.
He returned north to head up PR for Emap Radio, the UK’s biggest commercial radio operator, for 12 years and founded the Merseyside Media Network, a contact point for more than 200 journalists.
He has covered some of the biggest stories of the 20th century, including The Moors Murders and The Yorkshire Ripper, and was admitted in 1986 as a Freeman of the City of London.
In April 2010 he founded and launched The Saddleworth Independent, which he published and edited until he sold it to current owner and editorAimee Howarth in 2013.
Ken, who was Head of Motivation, inspiring the team who organised the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, said: “The award came as a complete surprised and I am humbled.
“I’m delighted to continue to produce news and features showing every aspect of our diverse area.”
Chris Johnson said: “Ken has often devoted much of his spare time to working for good causes and fostering the development of communities and high professional standards among journalists.
“He is a past president of the Liverpool Press Club, where he remains a leading member to the present day.
“Ken richly merits this honour for the outstanding contribution throughout his career, his own achievements, the unselfish manner in which he has fostered talent in young journalists and the benefit he has brought to countless millions, whose lives he has touched and enriched through his journalism.”
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