Media colleagues are to honour one of their most revered figures at the industry’s premier event in the north of Scotland.

Mitch Reid, who died in July 2025, was a renowned journalist and communications manager and a long-time supporter of the Highlands and Islands Press Ball and Media Awards (HIPBMA).

Organisers of the event are to bestow Mitch with a posthumous special recognition award at the annual gathering on February 6 2026.

It will be presented to members of his family as part of the Highlands and Islands Media Awards ceremony.

Skye-born Mitch was as a reporter with the Press and Journal for 16 years, including a stint as fishing editor.

He then spent 27 years with the Scottish press office team at BT, becoming the public voice of the organisation and host at many media trips across the country, including at Hampden Park.

Under Mitch’s guidance, BT was one of the original sponsors of the Highlands and Islands Press Ball when it was revived in the 1980s and remained an important supporter of the event for more than 20 years.

Press Ball chairman John Ross, said: “Mitch was a wonderful friend and colleague and we were all deeply saddened by his passing.

“His support for the Press Ball in its early years after being revived was crucial to its development and is something that has never been forgotten.

“This special recognition award is a small token of our appreciation for all Mitch did for not just the press ball, but for the media industry generally.”