JOHN Elworthy, news editor of the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard has scooped one of the top honours in this year's East of England Media Awards. And photographer Brian Purdy achieved a highly commended award for a portfolio of stunning pictures taken in

JOHN Elworthy, news editor of the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard has scooped one of the top honours in this year's East of England Media Awards.And photographer Brian Purdy achieved a highly commended award for a portfolio of stunning pictures taken in the past 12 months in the Fens.Mr Elworthy, who joined the paper four years ago as a senior reporter, won the Weekly Journalist of the Year award, beating off three other shortlisted categories to win the EDF Energy East of England Media Award title.More than 200 editorial staff from newspapers and the regional broadcasting industry attended a luncheon at the Radisson Hotel, Stansted, on Monday to see who had been named the best in their fields.EDF Energy regional media manager Claire Byrd said judging had involved some very difficult decisions, especially in the most popular categories such as Reporter of the Year."The standard of work generally was very high, so everyone shortlisted is a winner," she said.Judges included Steve Hall, editor of the Derby Evening Telegraph, and Tim Robinson, managing director of Lincolnshire Newspapers.The judges praised Mr Elworthy's portfolio of work which included a background to the Warden drugs trial in Wisbech."The winning reporter turned round a cracking crime story in just 24 hours and produced two pages of news and an eight-page supplement that prompted a 15 per cent circulation lift," said the judges."It was the sort of reporting any daily newspaper would be proud of."Mr Purdy, a previous winner of the Archant Photographer of the Year Award, was highly commended for a series of photographs that included close up animal pictures and the visit to the Fens of the Princess Royal. The category winner was James Fletcher, of the East Anglian Daily Times. All four shortlisted photographers work for Archant, the parent company of the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard.It was a great all-round occasion for Archant whose journalists and publications triumphed in many categories, which included the award to the Norwich Evening News for daily newspaper of the year, beating off strong competition.Archant also won the award for the daily paper journalist of the year, with winner Mark Nicholls of the Eastern Daily Press praised for a series of "belting stories".