A former weekly newspaper editor who went on to launch a charity providing homes and schooling to orphaned children in India has died aged 87.

Robin Radley was editor of the Farnham Herald from 1982 to 1994 before founding the Children’s Homes in Kerala State (Chiks) charity.

The charity subsequently opened a number of orphanages for children in the South West Indian state as well as providing care and education.

Newspaper colleagues remembered Robin, pictured below with some of the children from Kerala, as a man who was “always thinking of others.”

Photo: Liz Wakefield

Wendy Craig, former vice chairman of the Herald’s parent company Tindle Newspapers, said, “Robin was a man with a very kind heart and was involved with everything in Farnham while he was the editor of the Herald newspaper. He will be remembered by so many people.”

Colleague Sue Cansfield recalled him as “a kind and compassionate man whose main aim in life was to help others”.

She said: “When he employed me as his personal assistant way back in the 1980s it gave me the entry to the world of journalism that I so craved.

“Apart from all his charitable endeavours, he had a gift for the written word and the ability to produce the most beautiful script.”

“As a seasoned journalist he was happy to clatter away on an old typewriter until the powers that be brought in word processors or computers, something he found a bit of a challenge.

“We remained friends for many years and I will so miss a laugh and a chat with him,” she added.

Former Herald sports editor Carl Obert said: “Although he served long spells as sub-editor, assistant editor and finally editor at the Herald, Robin was always willing to stand in for me when I was on leave.

“He was particularly good with snappy headlines and created clean, imaginative layouts for the broadsheet pages.”

Ken Gore, who went on to become chief sub-editor at the Herald, added: “My job in antiquarian bookselling in Farnham came to an end in the 1980s and I applied for a sub-editor’s job at the Herald.

“Robin took a chance on me. I liked him, I liked my colleagues and adjusted to the switch quite cheerfully. It was all thanks to Robin whose faith in me was, and still is greatly appreciated.”

Through Chiks, Robin became a well-known charity fundraiser in Farnam, working closely with the town’s Lions and Rotary Club.

Lions member Keith Harris said of Robin: “Always thinking of others, always working to make their lives better, and always available to help anyone in need whatever the time of day. A true gentleman who will be missed by all who knew him.”