David Whaley to receive honorary fellowship

David Whaley

David Whaley, the managing editor of Rochdale Online's sister title in Oldham, the Oldham Chronicle, is to receive an honorary fellowship from University Campus Oldham in its 10th anniversary year.

David will receive the title at a graduation ceremony at Oldham Parish Church.

He is being honoured for services to the community and vocational education respectively.

David (54) first joined the Oldham Chronicle straight from North Chadderton School as a trainee in 1979. He then worked at papers in Lincoln and Birmingham from 1985 before returning as deputy editor in 2000.

Married with two children and two stepchildren, he became editor in 2010 and managing editor three years later.

David was diagnosed with throat cancer in April 2014, and won a special award at the North-West Media Awards for his series of “Keep Smiling” features written throughout his treatment.

He said: “Receiving news of the fellowship was a shock but I am excited to be taking part in the ceremony as I came into journalism straight from school 36 years ago and never went to university.”

Previous people to have received honorary titles from UCO include former actress Shobna Gulati and physicist Professor Brian Cox.