Alan Cooper

He was born in Bradford and educated at Bradford Grammar School. He started in journalism on the Shipley Times and later joined the Yorkshire Post. He was then taken on by the Daily Mirror in Manchester, leaving in February, 1954 with another reporter, the late Stanley Vaughan, to set up a news agency.

They intended to open up in Nottingham but found they were not the only journalists to have that idea: an agency was already operating there.

Alan and Stanley decided there was no point in trying to compete, but having given up their jobs they had to open up somewhere. They chose Huddersfield and operated successfully for several months before Stanley decided to return to the Mirror.

In October, 1954, Stan Solomons, who was on the Surrey Mirror in Redhill, joined Alan, who trained him, and the pair later went into partnership. The agency expanded to take in pictures and sport, working with the late Max Jessop and photographer Brian Worsnop, covering mainly Huddersfield Town and Halifax Town football clubs, Huddersfield and Halifax rugby league clubs, Huddersfield and Halifax league cricket and Halifax Speedway.

The agency supplied news and sport stories and pictures to the national daily and Sunday papers, the regional press and BBC radio and television and commercial TV.

Alan's voice was particularly suited to radio, and he was often called on to record events for the BBC as well as working behind the scenes preparing newscasts for BBC Television. In the early years of the agency he worked in front of camera for Granada TV who covered the Yorkshire area before the advent of Yorkshire TV.

When he looked back over his long career, it was a cause of satisfaction for both him and Stan that the agency had trained many journalists who went on to greater things in newspapers, radio and television.

With affectionate memories of those early days in their careers, many returned to their old stamping ground in West Yorkshire to attend Alan and Stan's 40th anniversary celebration in 1994 at the Outlane Golf Club where Alan was a playing member.

Following Alan's death, Martin Lipton, chief soccer writer of the Daily Mirror who worked at the agency from 1989 until 1993, phoned from South Africa where he is covering the World Cup. He said: "I was saddened to hear of Alan's death. He was a great bloke and a great journalist and I shall always be grateful for the chance he and Stan gave me."

Alan, who helped found the National Association of Press Agencies, was twice chairman of the Huddersfield branch of the National Union of Journalists and for some time served on the branch's Press Ball Committee

Apart from golf, his main interests were walking and reading and going on holiday with Wendy, his partner of 17 years, in Spain and Norfolk.

Alan, who had been married twice, is survived by Wendy and his married daughters Catherine and Rachel and grandsons Jack and Josh.

Stan Solomons said: "Alan was a very fine journalist with a terrific news sense and an excellent writer."