Newsreader celebrates 21 years of Newbury U3A

Owen, who also presents a Saturday afternoon programme on Classic FM, entertained the gathering with anecdotes of his 40 years as a journalist – a career which began on a local newspaper, before moving on to Fleet Street and later into broadcasting, both for ITN and the BBC.
He particularly spoke of his six years as the corporation’s royal correspondent, a surprising job offer and a role he had never previously considered taking on, and which had included numerous trips reporting on the royal family’s many travels abroad.
He recalled entertaining encounters with the royal family – the Queen and the late Queen Mother in particular, the pressures now presented by 24-hour rolling news, and answered questions from the audience.
The members’ lunch, which included some founders of Newbury U3A, was hosted by the chairwoman Mary Blake and held in the Wicken’s Room at Newbury Rugby Football Club.
Among the guests was West Berkshire Council chairman Adrian Edwards, the mayor of Newbury Arthur Johnson, Volunteer Bureau West Berkshire director Garry Poulson, and Newbury News Limited editorial director Brien Beharrell.