UK
Chris Shepherd, the former advertisement manager of LCN/LCNi, passed away peacefully last week on 8 March after a long and brave battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed both as a person and a personality in the textile care industry.
Chris Shepherd celebrated 50 years in business publishing on 22 April 2013 and for 47 of these at that time he was involved in the textile care industry.
After leaving school he joined Associated Iliffe Press in London starting in the post room, progressing quickly to the production department, and then into sales in 1969 on Power Laundry, a forerunner to Laundry and Cleaning News. He became advertisement manager on LCN in 1984 with the specific brief to increase the journal's international business, which he achieved with the help of Sue Ledger, his secretary for 38 years.
Sue Ledger told LCN: “I joined LCN's forerunner Power Laundry as secretary in 1977, and from the beginning Chris was a great friend and encouraged me to get involved in the industry, especially once he became advertisement manager. With his sense of humour he was great fun to work with, although demanding too, as our arguments over some trivial detail would attest. Nevertheless we worked well as a team until his retirement in 2015. I am greatly saddened at his passing and miss him very much.”
Former LCN editor Janet Taylor, who retired last year said: “This may sound old fashioned nowadays but Chris had his own code of practice and he stuck to it and was an honourable man. We got on well and I valued his friendship. He will be missed.”
LCN publisher and sales director Chris Milton, who took over from Chris Shepherd as advertisement manager on the LCN titles in 2015, also paid tribute, saying: “Chris was a force to be reckoned with and instrumental in making LCN titles the market leading publications they are today. His generosity in sharing his expertise and knowledge of the industry with me when I joined the titles has stood me in good stead over the past couple years and I am grateful for his thoughtfulness and kindness.”
Editor Kathy Bowry added: “I remember Chris from years ago when LCN was a title at Reed Business Information where he was a familiar face in the ‘publishing village’ at Quadrant House in Sutton. When I arrived at LCN last year, even though he had retired, he held out a helping hand and was instrumental in introducing me to valuable industry contacts and educating me on the history of the laundry industry, about which he was passionate, and its personalities. He made my transition as a newcomer to the industry so much easier – and with great good humour. I know his industry friends and colleagues who encountered him over his many years in publishing, so many of them related to the textile care industry, will miss him.”
Chris Shepherd’s funeral will be held on 24 March at Barkingside. Donations can be made to The British Red Cross c/o J H Kenyon Funeral Directors, 279 Kensington High Street, Kensington, London W8 6NA.
• A full tribute will appear in LCN international and UK editions.
