SJA member Anton Rippon has been named Columnist of the Year in the 2017 Midlands Media Awards in gala evening organised by the Birmingham Press Club.
For the last 17 years Rippon, a former Sunday Telegraph football writer, has written a weekly column for the Derby Telegraph, looking at life in the city, and for the past 10 years he has also produced a weekly column on Derby County.
A former Derby Evening Telegraph and Nottingham Evening Post staffer, and BBC local radio freelance, in 1982 he founded Breedon Books which he built into one of the UK’s most successful sports book publishers before selling the company in 2004 and setting up his own freelance agency.
He also works for Derby County’s media department – the club’s former players’ association gave him its merit award in 2015 – and last year the University of Derby awarded him an honorary masters degree for services to journalism. Rippon was editor of the 2016 and 2017 SJA Yearbook.
The MMA judges said: “Anton is a long-standing columnist, who, whether he is in a whimsical mood, deadly serious or downright controversial never fails to entertain and inform.”
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The SJA charity partner for the British Sports and British Sports Journalism Awards is Alzheimer’s Society. Unite now – text UNITE to 70677 to donate £3 a month or visit alzheimers.org.uk/donatetoday