| PAUL NAMED SHEPHERD NEAME KENT JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR
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Paul Francis, of the Kent Messenger, was named Shepherd Neame Kent Journalist of the Year at an awards lunch held at the brewery visitor centre in Faversham.
Paul, who also won the Kent's Best Newspaper Journalist of the Year category, was described as exhibiting integrity, bravery and a passion for the area he serves, working to the highest standards.
Other winners included Daniel Keel from the News Shopper, who won the Kent Feature Journalist of the Year Award, Glenn Garrett from Courier Media Group, who picked up the Spitfire Kent Sports Journalist of the Year Award, and Robin Gibson, from BBC South East Today, who was named the Bishops Finger Kent Broadcast Journalist of the Year. Katie Alston, from the Kentish Gazette, was the WF Deedes Kent Young Journalist of the Year.
The Gravesend & Dartford Messenger won the Canterbury Jack Campaign of the Year Award for its Everyone Counts campaign, which raised £200,000 in two months to save the Ellenor Lions Hospice. The News Shopper won the Shepherd Neame News Service of the Year Award, earning praise for its online coverage, providing useful and critical information to readers during heavy snowfalls and once again during major power cuts.
Veteran Kent Messenger journalist Ron Green received a Shepherd Neame Lifetime Achievement Award.
This year's awards were judged by a panel comprising former BBC Radio Kent broadcaster Barbara Sturgeon; Kim Fletcher, former editorial director of the Telegraph Group and chairman of the NCTJ; Tim Luckhurst, professor of journalism at the University of Kent and a former editor of The Scotsman; and Justin Allen, from the sports desk of The Sun and the News of the World.
Jonathan Neame, chief executive of Shepherd Neame, said: "We have been sponsoring these awards for more than 20 years and we're proud to be able to reward the achievements of Kent's best journalists and the valuable news service they provide the county. It has been a tough time for media groups but we're very encouraged by the dedication and quality of the entries we received."
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Shepherd Neame Kent Journalist of the Year - Paul Francis, Kent Messenger
Kent's Best Newspaper Journalist of the Year - Paul Francis, Kent Messenger
Highly Commended - Yamurai Zendera - Dover Express
W F Deedes Kent Young Journalist of the Year - Katie Alston, Kentish Gazette
Highly Commended - Simon Tulett - Gravesend Messenger
Bishops Finger Kent Broadcast Journalist of the Year - Robin Gibson, BBC South East Today
Highly Commended - Ria Chatterjee, BBC South East Today
Master Brew Kent Feature Journalist of the Year - Daniel Keel, News Shopper
Spitfire Kent Sports Journalist of the Year - Glenn Garrett, Courier Media Group
Highly Commended - Jonathan Harvey, Courier Media Group
Canterbury Jack Campaign of the Year - Gravesend Messenger
Shepherd Neame News Service of the Year - News Shopper
Lifetime Achievement Award - Ron Green, Kent Messenger
