THE funeral of Chester businessman and former newspaper chief David Faulkner will take place at St Mary's Church in Handbridge.

At the church on Friday, September 21, there will be a celebration of Mr Faulkner's life starting at 10:45am.

The service will be followed by a reception at Chester Golf Club.

David Faulkner, 71, passed away on Tuesday morning after a sudden illness.

He spent 40 years in regional publishing including eight as managing director of NWN Media, publisher of the Standard and Leader titles, before it was bought by Newsquest this time last year. He left the company in November 2017.

A prominent figure in the city, he was also president of Chester Business Club.

Earlier this week, Barrie Jones, former editorial director of NWN Media Ltd said: “ I was very shocked to hear of David’s sudden death, we had worked closely together for some years and remained good friends.

“He was a newspaperman through and through after more than 40 years experience in the media industry. A larger than life character in many ways, he believed that life was there to be enjoyed and to be made the very most of at all times.

“He was a well-liked and respected businessman who was able to move with the times as the media industry changed beyond recognition in recent years. But he also had a very sensitive caring side and was a devoted family man.

“His career in regional publishing saw him in several Managing Director roles. These included running the Welsh Daily Post and the Chester Chronicle titles and other positions with the Mirror Group in the North West, South Wales and in the Midlands. He was also one of the founders of the Dee 106.2 radio station in Chester.”

Mr Faulkner also served on a number of bodies working towards an economically successful city and region, including: Chester City Centre Management, Chester Business Leadership Forum, a board member of CEWTEC and a director of Ellesmere Port Enterprise Agency.