Bryan Farthing, the former editor of Hardware Trade Journal - which became DIY Week - died on Saturday December 6. He was 82.
Bryan took over as editor of HTJ in 1978, having previously edited its sister title Nurseryman & Garden Centre, and remained at the helm for eight years, up to his retirement in 1986.

As well as overseeing what was then a weekly magazine, he was actively involved in the 1983 launch of Housewares Magazine, and of the Exclusively Housewares show which launched at the same time – in fact it was he who came up with the name Exclusively Housewares.

Bryan was one of the leading lights behind the launch of HTJ's own exhibition – DIY 85 – which later became DIY 86 and DIY 87 etc, eventually morphing into the DIY Show as we know it today.

He remained involved with HTJ as consultant editor for several more years, actively supporting his successor Colin Petty in relaunching the magazine as DIY Week in 1988, and compiling the magazine's 5,000th issue in August 1989.

He was also a long-standing board member of the Royal Metal Trades Benevolent Society (now the Rainy Day Trust), and served a term as RMTBS president in the 1980s. He was also active with local charities in East Sussex, where he lived – for many years he was a regular member of the St John Ambulance team at events in the area.

The funeral will take place on Monday December 15 at Peasmarsh Church, Peasmarsh, near Rye, East Sussex at 11.30am. Donations to MacMillan Nurses or Cancer Research c/o Mike Farthing, 3 Bowlers Town, Rye Road, Rye Foreign, East Sussex TN31 7UR.