Passed away on 8 August 2023 at the age of 73 at Poole Hospital, four years after his leukaemia diagnosis.
He battled his illness with courage and determination right up until the very end. Roger was born on 5 May 1950 to Tom and Connie Guttridge in Redhill, Surrey. The family moved back to Connie’s native Dorset in the early 50s. Shortly after commencing studies to become a librarian at Loughborough University, Roger realised that he needed a more exciting channel for his love of literature, and embarked on a 53-year career which embraced a wide range of media work including newspapers and magazines, book writing and publishing, PR and marketing, radio and television.

He worked as district reporter, chief reporter and deputy news editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo, authored 20 books and edited several others. He was well known for his books on Dorset and his local history columns for the Blackmore Vale magazine, and as a speaker across the area. Roger also took part in or advised on many television and radio programmes.

His other journalistic speciality was the sport of swimming. He was the Bournemouth Daily Echo’s swimming correspondent from 1988 – 2018, contributed to the national Swimming Times magazine, wrote about swimming for newspapers including the Daily and Sunday Express and co-authored the London 2012 Training Guide: Swimming.

Roger continued to work right up until his last week when he was admitted to hospital. He is survived by his loving wife Sylvie and son Andy, and his granddaughter Eliza.
Services will be held at Poole Crematorium on Friday 25 August at 1pm. No flowers please. The family requests donations be made to the Dorset Wildlife Trust.