The news editor of the Derbyshire Times had his suits made in the store and another assistant, Vincent Cleary, arranged an interview for Alan at the newspaper.
He became a junior reporter in 1965, One of the first stories he covered was the death of Horace Oakley, the Latin master at his old school and the man who first advised him to pursue journalism as a career.
Hardwick left Derbyshire to become a sub-editor with the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald in Swindon in 1969, then moved on to become a news editor for the now defunct Lincolnshire Chronicle.
After a short spell in the southeast he was a sub-editor and sports editor for the Scarborough Evening News.
The staff TV presenter, who was travelling by helicopter, was unable to land due to fog, so Alan stepped in.