My latest exclusive in the Worcester News: Millions of pounds in council tax unpaid in Worcester.
This story is a great example of how useful FOIs can be in finding out information which is not readily available.
My latest exclusive in the Worcester News: Millions of pounds in council tax unpaid in Worcester.
This story is a great example of how useful FOIs can be in finding out information which is not readily available.
MAY: We visit Ombersley: Worcestershire 'poshest' village
An extended feature to finish off, Ombersley is a beautiful village and it was great getting to see it and hear all about it from the people who live there.
APRIL: Severn Trent road closure 'a living nightmare'
In a month dominated by local government stories ahead of the election, this one about roadworks was my favourite.
MARCH: Worcester Road crash victim hopes for strong sentence
Hearing a victim's story outside of court is very rare, so it was interesting speaking to Rebecca and Charlotte about their ordeal since Rebecca was involved in a crash in 2023.
FEBRUARY: Worcestershire Parkway users frustrated by fines
February was a great month for strong stories, but covering the evolving story of local government reform was a personal favourite, especially the live coverage from inside the Guildhall.
JANUARY: Birmingham University lecturer to be sentenced for child sex offences
This one took a lot of investigating but was a story that would otherwise likely have been reported and really shows the importance of court reporting.
DECEMBER: Worcester City move to Sixways
A bit of Sport to shake things up, this feels like a landmark moment for Worcester City, and hopefully we can look back at it as one in a few years time.
NOVEMBER: Storm Bert flooding
Slightly different one here. Covering floods can be very difficult, especially when situations develop so quickly. And summarising all that chaos into a single story is just as hard. Bonus points as this is my favourite front page of all time.
OCTOBER: Pheasants discovered carrying bird flu prompts warning
Not too much to shout about in October given I was off ill for most of it, but this was a story which would become national news a few months later.
SEPTEMBER: Fire in former cannabis farm building
This one was a real nightmare to cover at the time, but I am pleased looking back on it months later. Involvement from members of the public providing information, photos and videos was crucial to this one.
AUGUST: Waddle of Worcester penguin statue attacked
Another front page and this one was an exclusive. The Waddle of Worcester was one of the biggest conversation points of the summer, and this was one of the biggest stories we did on it.
JULY: Final section of Kepax Bridge in place over River Severn
My first WN front page came the day before I officially graduated from the University of Leicester, so it made for great conversation with my lecturers after the ceremony.
JUNE: Father Brown sets up at Pitchcroft
Two weeks into the job, walking around a filming set was quite a fun way to start a Monday morning, and to this day I am waiting for a big production to come to the city.
Tomorrow (June 3) marks my first full year at Worcester News. In that time I have written over 1,100 articles, received almost 5,000,000 page views and had dozens of front pages across WN and our weekly papers.
Here are some of my favourite top stories from throughout those 12 months...🧵
The first lockdown in response to COVID-19 became enforced by law five years ago today and, for a lot of people like Sue, the following months would become some of the most difficult in their lives...
#Covid #WorcesterNews
It could be a windy end to next week according to the Met Office, who are saying that gusts could be the strongest we've seen this winter. Considering trees were being pulled out of the ground during Storm Darragh, it'll be interesting to see what the wind speeds are predicted to be.
19.01.2025 15:15 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0One thing that became very clear to me in the few months I spent semi-regularly reporting on news coming out of Claines, was that @worcestercityfc.bsky.social is a very well run club with huge aspirations and seeing their progress on and off the field is fantastic.
14.12.2024 13:30 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
With @theogardner.bsky.social now covering sport for us since October, I rarely get the chance to cover anything to do with Worcester City. But I couldn't pass on the opportunity to report on what is a massive moment for the club and the city.
www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2479480...
Snow forecasts for Worcester in the run up to Christmas. Worth bearing in mind that predictions looked very similar a week before the snow we received in November. Could we be getting a white Christmas in the Midlands?
📷 The Weather Outlook
It's the second week of late night shopping in Worcester ahead of christmas, with over 30 businesses in the city taking part:
www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2478552...
It's interesting to see the change in names, particularly what's no longer trendy. There were four Joshua's in my primary school year group of 30 alone. Now, only 1,300 Joshua's were born in the entire country in 2023.
10.12.2024 17:16 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
It's always great writing about something almost everyone has thought about at least a few times in their life: "What if my child's name is too common?"
www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2478212...
The public reaction to the video of the Tenbury tractor incident has drawn national attention and now West Mercia Police have launched an investigation into the matter: www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2474770...
25.11.2024 15:43 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
I love seeing these shots of #Worcester during weather events. Really highlights the beauty of the city from the sky.
www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2473482...