Colleagues from the world of newspapers will be congregating today to say farewell to Jill Hayden, a former colleague at The South Wales Evening Post.

Here is the notice of death as it appeared in the Evening Post . . .

HAYDEN Daphne Jill Peacefully after a short illness bravely borne at Singleton Hospital, Daphne Jill Hayden also known as Jill Forwood, wife of Brian and sister of Ruth, John, Howard and Lorna. Funeral service at Swansea Crematorium on Thursday 20th December 2018 at 2.30pm. Family flowers only please but donations in lieu if desired (cheques only please) made payable to Cancer Research UK c/o Graham Sullivan Funeral Directors, Ty Hedd Mynydd Garnlwyd Road, Morriston, Swansea, SA6 7QG Tel 01792 775262.

Here is a tribute published in the news column of the Evening Post –

Here is a something I wrote for the South Wales Evening.

Robert Lloyd, former deputy editor of the South Wales Evening Post and former editor of the Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli, said: “It was my privilege and pleasure to work alongside Jill at the Evening Post.”With her husband (Brian Hayden), who was chief sub-editor at the paper, she was part of a formidable double act playing a key role in the Evening Post’s daily production schedule – in those days we produced several editions of the paper ‘live and on the day’, all printed on a juggernaut press housed in Adelaide Street.

“The deadlines and the production schedule were demanding, but Jill remained unflappable throughout the mayhem and industrial language that characterised newspapers back in the days of hot metal production and then, later, computerised typesetting.

“She was a highly respected writer and had honed her craft (for it was a craft in Jill’s book) at the coalface of working as a reporter.

“Accuracy was everything in Jill’s book and woe betide a junior reporter who’d played fast and loose with their ‘copy’, quotes and the facts and figures.

“Always professional, Jill expected high standards in the newsroom and there are many journalists out there who appreciated and benefitted from Jill’s advice and encouragement to sharper their skills as wordsmiths.

“Many may not recognise her from her married name of Hayden, for she carved out her early career as a journalist under the maiden name of Forwood. Jill Forwood’s name was synonymous with quality writing.

“She was a classic ‘old school journalist’ in an age when these things mattered. Her focus on good grammar and accuracy certainly stood me in good stead as a journalist.”

Tagged funeral, Jill Forwood, Jill Hayden, South Wales Evening Post