Writing

Forget skiing, snowshoeing is an epic winter holiday alternative

I am somewhat of a globetrotter and second to news writing, I am passionate about reporting on travel.

Over the years I am lucky to have written about cruises, spas and even a trip to Iceland, but my favourite travel story was about my experience of snowshoeing.

Mum and daughter diagnosed with breast cancer just weeks apart fought it together

Through some contacts I came across a fundraising page for a charity walk – but after a bit of digging I discovered a truly touching story. I interviewed a mum and a daughter affected at the same time during Breast Cancer Awareness Month to bring more attention to the cause.

Heart Hero Awards media partnership

I launched a media partnership between Metro and the British Heart Foundation for the charity’s annual Heart Hero Awards. The BHF’s press team trusted me with the collaboration after a year of working together on sensitive stories.

This saw me land more than 20 exclusive interviews and articles across the website and newspaper, and I also reported on the awards night itself.

‘The war brought everyone together’: The vulnerable Ukrainian women forced to flee their homes

I worked closely with a charity and a translator to gather case studies of women who were affected by the devastating war in Ukraine, and to be able to tell their story.

Covid tests ‘still not accessible’ for blind people two years into the pandemic

For this piece I spoke to case studies, charities, technology experts and the government to get a good overview of the situation for people who are blind and partially sighted during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Heartbreaking reason a young couple and their friends have been placing tiny windmills everywhere

I interviewed a mum in her home just weeks after she had a stillbirth for an emotional story to show how she is remembering her daughter and to raise awareness of a topic which many are still hesitant to talk about.

Kenneth Eugene Smith survived a botched execution. Last night he was killed in a way never seen before

After reading about the first-ever state execution by nitrogen gas which was set to be carried out, I got in contact with some UK and US experts and asked them what it means for the future of death row.

The story of Kenneth Eugene Smith’s eventual execution went global.

I made it through ‘The Queue’ in 4.5 hours to see the Queen’s coffin

As part of the coverage I coordinated with my team following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, I decided to join ‘The Queue’ to see her lying in state rather than use the media accreditation.

I interviewed several people and set the scene to create a personal feature. I also contacted my interviewees a year later to do a follow-up story, which was well received.

Condoms on cucumbers and Section 28: How LGBTQ+ education still needs to improve in schools

I took an in-depth look at LGBTQ+ education both during and after the enforcement of Section 28 in UK law. I spoke to experts and educators about how things have changed – but also about what still needs to improve.

I also had a big input into planning and editing our content to mark 50 years of Pride in 2022 – working closely with activist Peter Tatchell, who guest edited the news section.

More straight people are catching HIV than gay men for first time in a decade

I was given exclusive health statistics as part of National HIV Testing Week.

To raise awareness and remove the stigma around HIV – as it is stereotypically associated with gay people – I interviewed two heterosexual people as case studies for the story.

An entire town in Wales is trying to rescue a cat which is stuck up a tree

For a fun, light-hearted piece I spoke to a woman running a rescue mission to get a cat down from the top of a 40ft tree.

We were the first publication to get an interview, although a number of national and local news websites covered the story.

The struggle of having to live on just £1 a day

I lived on £1 a day – below the poverty line – and made a video diary of my experiences to highlight how people in the UK are still living in hunger.

I visited my local foodbank to learn more about what it does and also raised almost £400 for the charity through my story.

International Women’s Day: The next 100 years

I used immersive reading software Shorthand to illustrate my project looking back at 100 years of suffrage in my local newspaper patch.

It includes history, interviews with modern activists, infographics, a short video montage and Facebook Live footage.