BBC Look North’s Harry Gration is dead
It is no exaggeration to say that Harry Gration’s name is as synonymous with Yorkshire as tea itself.
Awarded the MBE for his tireless and selfless commitment to the county, Harry was truly one of us and one of the good ones.
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He served on the BBC for life; 42 years with the station during which it became a household name, a Yorkshire institution in its own right.
His cheeky smile across the living room from the television has been a staple of our lives for so long, but his affable demeanor never compromised his journalistic tenacity.
And that is why it is with immense sadness that we have to give you the news that Harry is dead. A familiar face on the cobblestones of York, he leaves behind his wife Helen and the children he loved.
Although the waves have not been the same since he left his role on the BBC, Harry has never stopped working hard for his family and for the county.
Make sure there will never be another like Harry Gration. Yorkshire has lost more than just a news reader. We lost someone who had shoes impregnated with white rose mud, always the first to get hooked on any challenge and who would walk to the limits of the county for people less fortunate than him.
Although, in his wake, it goes without saying that we are all the lucky ones: the ones for whom he did his job and the lucky ones to benefit from his heartfelt charitable efforts.
Harry, we will miss you so much. From the fun moments with your intrepid meteorologist Paul Hudson to the moments when you fought our corner. Life in Yorkshire is better for your contribution. Rest easy.