The National Council for the Training of Journalists has paid tribute to its former head of accreditation Stephen Chambers, who passed away last weekend after a long battle with cancer.

Chambers joined the NCTJ in July 2006 and was head of accreditation for two years, continuing to be involved with the council as a consultant until he stepped down last year due to ill health, the council said.

A former NCTJ trainee, Stephen began his career on the weekly Hunts Post before working for the Bristol Evening Post and the Daily Telegraph. In the late 1970s he moved into television journalism and worked for ITN, Thames Television and Anglia TV, where he presented the regional evening news programme. Before joining the NCTJ he worked for six years as a media relations and public affairs consultant in his native Northern Ireland.

In tribute the NCTJ’s chief executive Joanne Butcher said he was a “much loved member of the NCTJ team, a wonderful colleague and a friend who I will miss terribly”.

His distinguished track record in newspaper journalism and successful broadcasting career made him a huge asset to the NCTJ. As head of accreditation he worked closely with course leaders and editors, a role he found both intellectually stimulating and fun.  He believed passionately in the importance of journalism standards and loved giving back to the cherished trade that had provided him with so much over the years.