He had, until only a few days before, been active in organising next year’s exhibition at the Lowry celebrating 100 years of Manchester-based Guardian photographers.

It was Don who rescued historic plates of the Irish Civil War taken by the Manchester Guardian’s first photographer, Walter Doughty, from a Deansgate darkroom floor.

But his major contribution lay, along with Denis Thorpe, in keeping the Manchester office fully represented day by day after both news desk and picture desk moved to London in 1976.

Don’s placid nature hid a steely determination. Hard news training, starting aged 17 with the Stockport Express, was essential background. Yet observation, compassion and humour are what made his 2005 exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery outstandingly popular.

He is much missed by Guardian colleagues, by the North West photographic community, and by readers worldwide. His wife Lillian, daughters Lizzie and Ailsa, son Nicholas and three grandchildren survive him.

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