A Community Media Company
Our aim is to serve local communities by meeting their needs for local news, information and advertising services through a range of media including print and digital channels which together achieve unparalleled levels of market reach.
Community
Community
Johnston Press titles over many years have supported, publicised and campaigned on issues at the heart of the communities that we serve. The following is a brief synopsis of just some of the most memorable in 2009.
In the last year our newspapers and websites were again at the forefront of a series of community campaigns and events – highlighting their close links with the areas they serve. They have also been responsible for fundraising for a wide variety of good causes.
A 15 year old boy in Northamptonshire underwent a bone marrow transplant after a successful search for a donor led by the Northampton Chronicle & Echo.
The Scarborough Evening News raised cash for a teenager with cerebral palsy and other health issues who needed specialist equipment. “Just for Taylor” was a campaign by the Hartlepool Mail to raise £10,000 for four year old Taylor Stallard who needed a motorised wheelchair. At Sunderland, the Echo’s readers pledged £21,500 in two weeks to give a mother of four suffering from cancer a life-prolonging drug. Staff at the Bourne Local backed fundraising to raise money for baby twins with a terminal illness.
The Blackpool Gazette’s “William’s Wish” appeal raised £2,500 in days to help a local disabled boy get specialist medical equipment. In Peterborough, the Evening Telegraph raised cash for equipment to help a youngster with breathing difficulties and, within three days, the Stamford Mercury collected £3,500 to buy an electric wheelchair for a disabled girl. Readers of our Isle of Man newspapers raised £20,000 for a young cancer sufferer.
On a number of occasions, our newspapers stood up to fight for the man in the street. In one of the more unusual campaigns, the Coleraine Times won a battle with bureaucracy to bring an electricity supply to the tiny seafront home of pensioner, John McCarter, who had lived without power for 27 years!
The hard work of volunteers was marked by the Harrogate Advertiser with its Volunteer Oscars awards scheme. The Edinburgh Evening News successfully campaigned for a Queen’s Gallantry Medal to be awarded to Ewan Williamson, the city fire-fighter who died in action at a blaze; the campaign culminated in a formal nomination by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Sheffield Star’s “Save a Life” scheme saw the paper working with health professionals to highlight major health issues.
The Doncaster Free Press and Worksop Guardian supported food parcel campaigns for British troops in Afghanistan, as did the Stamford Mercury and several other group titles. The Chorley Guardian conducted a “We salute you” campaign recognising the bravery of troops in Afghanistan. This theme was also picked up by several other titles.
The Bucks Herald recruited Prince William to support a continuing campaign which will help fund flying experience for injured service personnel.
Two main supermarkets have agreed to label meat with detailed information on where the product is from - not where it is processed – as a result of a Yorkshire Post ‘Clearly British’ campaign. The paper highlighted a loophole in the law which allowed meat imported from overseas to be labelled British. Now the paper is pressing for a similar change for the hard-pressed dairy industry.
Blackpool Council’s leader ordered a review of spending after a Gazette campaign to expose the wasting of cash by public bodies. The South Yorkshire Times was at the forefront of a campaign for zero tolerance against violent offenders. The Portsmouth News worked with police to put the focus on burglaries and what readers could do to prevent them.
“March for Mansfield’s Heroes” is the title of a campaign spearheaded by the Chad newspaper to raise £20,000 for a permanent war memorial in the town in honour of servicemen and women. The Grantham Journal also campaigned for cash to build a war memorial.
The 10 year campaign by the West Sussex Gazette and West Sussex County Times for the South Downs to be designated a national park came to fruition with the Government’s decision to grant status. It resulted in a huge walk led by broadcaster
Ben Fogle, the President of the Campaign for National Parks.
Three trains a day will run directly between Halifax and London as a result of a campaign spearheaded by the Halifax Courier. The “Building a Better Brid” project run by the Bridlington Free Press set out to tackle seven social sins – violence, dog-fouling, vandalism, alcohol abuse, litter, yobbish behaviour and motoring offences like speeding and drinkdriving.
Other campaigns included The Londonderry Sentinel’s “Save our Cathedral” campaign which resulted in Government funding for St. Columb’s Cathedral being brought forward. The Ballymena Times joined a successful campaign to save Harryville Primary School from closure and the Dromore Leader and Larne Times joined the fight to save local nursing homes in their areas. Morecambe’s only theatre was saved after a campaign by the Morecambe Visitor.
A number of titles ran campaigns aimed at restoring the feel-good factor to their recession hit communities. These included the Wigan Observer, Yorkshire Evening Post, St Helens Reporter, Morley Observer & Advertiser, the Scarborough Evening News, Northumberland Echo, Mansfield Chad, Matlock Mercury, Ripon Gazette, Knaresborough Post, Wetherby News, Harrogate Advertiser, Boston Standard, Banbridge Leader, Lurgan Mail, Tyrone Times, Portadown Times, Luton News, Bedfordshire Times and Milton Keynes Citizen.
In Limerick, the Leader was at the heart of a campaign to help recovery after the closure of the Dell plant and the loss of 1,900 jobs.
At the same time our titles are quick to celebrate success. The Fife Free Press organised a champions day to mark Raith Rovers being presented with the Scottish Second Division trophy in 2009. The Kilkenny People was at the heart of celebrations to mark the city’s 400th birthday and the Tipperary Star celebrated its centenary with exhibitions and supplements.
The Sunderland Echo spearheaded “Keep Wearside Working” giving readers access to skills programmes to help them boost prospects of employment.
Plans to introduce parking charges in Pocklington were successfully opposed by a campaign led by the Post. The Burnley Express ran a high profile campaign against juvenile crime and anti social behaviour, resulting in a 25% reduction in crime. In Preston, the Lancashire Evening Post spearheaded a fundraising campaign for improvements to a crime hit area helping to fund a £1.5 million community centre.
The 2018 bid to bring the World Cup to England is being supported by several newspapers including the Sheffield Star and Sunderland Echo.
Efforts to boost health service facilities were again at the forefront of campaigns run by our titles. The Wigan Observer’s “Heartbeat” campaign aims to raise £1.0 million to turn a cardiac unit into a centre of excellence; the Wigan and Leigh Reporter’s “Light for a Life” campaign raised £40,000 for a hospice; at Kettering, the Evening Telegraph has been running a £100,000 campaign to equip a recovery area for people who have undergone heart surgery; and £50,000 was raised by the Shields Gazette for a new heart monitor at South Tyneside District Hospital. The Lynn News baby unit appeal reached a successful climax, hitting its £150,000 target. At Doncaster, the Free Press is close to reaching a £600,000 target to buy a cancer scanner for the town’s cancer detection trust. The Burnley Express ran an appeal to raise more than £90,000 for Pendleside Hospice. The Yorkshire Post teamed up with Oxfam for an event which had 600 competitors and raised £385,000 for charity through an endurance test in the Yorkshire Dales.
One of the more light hearted local events was backed by the Banbury Guardian – a “Strictly Banbury” contest, mirroring the TV “Strictly Come Dancing” programme with local celebrities, including the Editor, learning to dance and raising cash for charity at the same time.
A swimathon organised by the Leamington Courier raised £10,000 for good causes; the Rugby Advertiser is fundraising with a target of £25,000 to repair the roof of St Andrew’s Church in the town and in Northampton, the Chronicle & Echo supported a number of charitable causes including raising £120,000 for the Macmillan coffee morning and £30,000 for a hospice.
More than £1,000 was raised by the Bridlington Free Press Anniversary 150 fund for good causes. The Donegal Democrat hosted “Gabrielle’s Diary’s Annual Ball” to raise funds for Autism Support. The event was attended by several hundred guests.
A number of titles acted as media sponsors of various charitable causes.
During 2009 the Group increased its open door policy for local schools, colleges and community organisations. Many local communities took advantage of these schemes to tour the Group’s production facilities.
Breaking News
During the past year our newspapers and websites were again at the forefront of news coverage in their communities – regularly breaking stories that went on to get major coverage in national and international media.
The Lancashire Evening Post broke the story that governors at Kirkham Prison ran a raffle for inmates – with the prize being a day out! The Scotsman exposed the terminal difficulties at the Dunfermline Building Society which led to its collapse and exposed the crisis within the Glasgow Housing Association. Scotland on Sunday broke the story of the sacking of an SNP minister’s aide over his internet attacks on opposition politicians. The title also exposed the safety risk at Scotland’s oil depots, the SNP plans to keep military bases, the Orange Order mobilising to defend the Union and revealed the weeks of delays for swine flu jabs.
The Portsmouth News led the way in breaking stories about Portsmouth FC. In Luton, our papers broke news of the disruption by Muslim extremists of a homecoming parade by Bedfordshire’s local regiment.
A reader helped the Peterborough Evening Telegraph capture a photograph of a Lamborghini supercar on fire – a picture which was later carried by various media including Top Gear.
More than 15,000 people clicked on to the Longford Leader’s website on Christmas Day to read exclusive coverage of the fire at St Mel’s Cathedral. The Limerick Leader had an exclusive interview with the Bishop of Limerick before his resignation over a child abuse scandal.
A Morecambe Visitor story about a cab driver who tried to sell his kidney on the internet for £25,000 to pay for a new kitchen was followed widely and sparked a national debate on the ethics of this type of action.
An exclusive interview with the deputy governor of the Bank of England carried in the Scarborough Evening News was followed up by national media. The Wakefield Express broke the story about a wedding photographer whose pictures were so bad he became the laughing stock of the nation.
The story about the youth who prompted national outrage after urinating on poppy wreaths at the base of a Sheffield war memorial was first revealed in the Sheffield Star.
Major awards won in 2009
Our journalists won a number of awards during the year.
Hard-hitting investigations gained the Yorkshire Post awards including recognition for writer Rob Waugh as runner-up in the Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism. The investigations were into spending conducted by Leeds Metropolitan University officials; the Sheffield Wednesday FC takeover, and Leeds City Credit Union.
Vicky Carr, a trainee reporter on the Harrogate Advertiser and Wetherby News achieved the best National Certificate Examination (NCE) result for five years.
Other awards received are summarised below.
Press Gazette Regional Press Awards
Photographer of the year: Simon Hulme, Yorkshire Post
O2 Media Awards
Newspaper of the year: Yorkshire Post
Editorial team of the year: Worksop Guardian
Business journalist: Greg Wright, Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire digital journalist: David Behrens, Yorkshire Post
North West digital journalist: William Watt, Blackpool Gazette
Feature writer: Tom Richmond, Yorkshire Post
Lancashire and Manchester young journalist: Natalie Banks, Chorley Guardian
BIBA Awards Regional Insurance journalist of the year: Conal Gregory, Yorkshire Post
Watson Wyatt HR journalism award: Greg Wright, Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Press Awards
Newspaper of the year: Yorkshire Post
Weekly newspaper: Dewsbury Reporter
Journalist of the year: Martin Smith, Sheffield Star
Weekly reporter: Claire Armstrong, Dewsbury Reporter
Sports writer: Martin Smith, Sheffield Star
Best multi media news delivery: Graham Walker, Sheffield Star
Campaign of the year: Wakefield Express
Feature writer: Rod McPhee, Yorkshire Evening Post
Reporter: Jonathan Reed, Yorkshire Post
Photographer: Simon Hulme, Yorkshire Post
Business writer: Greg Wright, Yorkshire Post
Breaking news story: Scarborough Evening News
Trainee reporter: Ruby Kitchen, Harrogate Advertiser
Business coverage: Laura Crothers, Scarborough Evening News
Scottish Press Awards
Campaign of the year: The Scotsman
Journalist of the year: Bill Jamieson, The Scotsman
Scoop of the year: Gerri Peev, The Scotsman
Sports photographer: Jane Barlow, The Scotsman
Gaelic journalist of the year: Alasdai H Caimbeul, The Scotsman
Sports feature writer: Tom English, Scotland on Sunday
Feature writer: Peter Ross, Scotland on Sunday
First ScotRail Photography Awards
Feature photography: Phil Wilkinson, Scotland on Sunday
Picture essay: Ian Rutherford, The Scotsman
North East Awards
Journalist of the year: Paul Watson, Hartlepool Mail
Splash subbing award: Keith McCaffery, Hartlepool Mail
Other Awards
Best website: lep.co.uk (Lancashire Evening Post)
Midlands weekly photographer of the year: Marisa Cashill, Derbyshire Times
National Police Award for digital innovation: Whitby Gazette
Designer: Graeme Windell, Portsmouth News
North West Society of Editors daily newspaper of the year: Blackpool Gazette
Racing Post Tipster’s trophy: Steve Simpson, Blackpool Gazette
Mid-West Ireland newspaper of the year: Limerick Leader
Best news story: David Hurley, Limerick leader
Best sports story: John Hogan, Limerick Leader
Best news photograph: Owen South, Limerick Leader
Best general photograph: Adrian Butler, Limerick Leader
NCTJ Media Law award: David Seymour, Boston Standard
Society of Editors award for best interview: Chantal Spittles, Worksop Guardian