Hinckley Times - Behind the headlines

Striving for 100%

2009-09-24T14:30:14Z

THIS may come as a surprise to some of our readers out there but here in the newsroom we always aim for 100% accuracy.

Not 95 or 97 or even 99. Each and every one of us aims to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time.

But unfortunately we're not automatons. We're not robots. We're human like everyone else, and occasionally we make mistakes. Pick up any national newspaper and you're sure to find some in there as well.

Of course, we try and catch them before the paper goes to the presses and most of the time we do.

But with the staff cuts we have had in recent times, it's inevitable that sometimes something will slip through the net.

We beat ourselves up about these mistakes and there's always an inquest in the office as to how it happened and why.

We just hope our readers can bear with us while we go through this very tough trading period and know that we are doing all we can to strive for excellence.

The beautiful game can be so cruel

2008-10-30T15:32:44Z

WHEN the Knitters blew their chance of making a third appearance in the FA Cup first round proper, my heart sank as it normally only does when "my" team loses.

]]> Anyone who has read my columns in the past will know I'm a hardened Leicester City fan, well versed in dealing with all the trials and tribulations that brings.

But when the chance of Hinckley playing Exeter City vanished in the early winter gloom on Monday, I was genuinely gutted.

The Knitters have become my adopted second team (for the record, I went to Athletic rather than Town when they still existed) and I love covering them as part of my job.

As you might imagine, my journalistic mind was running amok at the prospect of seeing league opposition at the Marston's for the first time in a competitive match.

I'd already thought about getting in touch with the Grecians to try and sort out an interview with the talismanic Marcus Stewart, plus writing pages of match previews.

Then there would be the questions about how much money the tie would bring to the club, and how many fans it could tempt through the gates instead of them going one or other ways on the M69 on a Saturday afternoon.

Sadly all of this vanished in the time it took Andy Gooding (sorry to single you out lad!) to miss the crucial spot kick on Monday.

But as Dean Thomas told me this week in the back-page article, there were five or six players who didn't really turn up.

Considering what was at stake, and how well the side has played this season, I'm amazed at that.

But what is done is done, and you can't dwell on the past. As a Leicester fan I know that only too well, as we prepare for our first ever appearance almost eight years to the month after facing Red Star Belgrade in the Uefa Cup.

Here's hoping the Knitters can continue their good league form - then there might be a play-off campaign to write about next year.

We're not so cold-hearted after all

2008-10-23T09:34:27Z

SADLY, as so-called "cold-hearted journalists", it is incredibly easy to become desensitised to news stories.
Every day, you are bombarded with news - both good and bad - and after a while, you can find yourself overwhelmed by compassion fatigue.

]]>
But every now and again, you come across a story that you cannot fail to be touched by. A story so emotional and so gut-wrenching that even the most hardened of journalists can feel their heart strings being pulled upon.

This week, I was unashamedly close to tears as I sat talking to Justine Warren about her son, Kevin, and I know that many of the reporters in our office were also shocked to hear what she said.

Kevin suffers from a personality disorder and was given a CRASBO by magistrates earlier this month, despite his mental health problems. As Justine broke down as she told me how people had treated her son since he was given a CRASBO, I felt my own heart break for this incredible woman.

For me, one of the best things about growing up in Hinckley is its close-knit community - the fact that you know pretty much everyone and, walking through town, you always spot someone you know.

But I was disgusted to hear how people have been treating Kevin ever since he was charged with making hoax calls. The poor boy cannot even walk home without being kicked or abused. Is this really what our community is coming to?

Perhaps I'm being naïve, or a die-hard optimist, but I genuinely don't believe it is. I know for a fact that the majority of people in our area would not dream of tormenting or insulting Kevin, or other people who need our help. But as we all know, it is often the minority who ruins it for us all.

At the end of the day, this is a boy - described by his own mother as loving and willing to give his life for anyone - who needs help. He doesn't need persecution, he needs people to understand.
I was pleased to actually be able to use my job to help this week by writing his and his mother's side of things for the paper.

So please sit up and take note - next time you see Kevin or someone else who needs your help, go to them. Give them your support

The Big Lull

2008-10-08T15:30:29Z

Having spent the past few weeks racing around the office like headless chickens, it was always inevitable that we were going to hit some sort of lull.

]]> Fortunately, 'slow news weeks' are pretty rare for us at the HT and we're usually rushing around doing a million and one things. But this week was one of those rare and excruciatingly slooooow weeks.

As a journalist, one of the things people always seem eager to ask (in fact, my friends never tire of asking this) is how we find our stories. Of course, there's always an element of things falling right into your lap - stories from the police, press releases and phone calls from readers all spring to mind - but, on a slow news week, you need to become a little bit more creative.

Although us reporters often get distracted and can easily spend hours surfing the net for videos to put on Big Chimpin' (see what I did there?), slow news weeks are what separates the journalists from the inputters.
So, out come the contact books and the national newspapers - nabbing a national story and localising it is always a good source of stories. Here, we'll scour local groups and people who we can talk to about issues being picked up by the media. The credit crunch is a good example, as are health problems.

Throughout slow news weeks, we'll also become nocturnal and, shock horror, hit night-time meetings in the hope of picking up something juicy. Sometimes, we'll just wander aimlessly around the town centre looking more-than-slightly homeless in the hope of spying something exciting.

Failing that, I bash out endless freedom of information requests - Best Journalistic Tool Ever - and I've also been known to call my mum up and plead with her to feed me gossip. What else are mums for, eh?

There are so many people out there who sneer at local newspapers and think our jobs are easy. But trust me, they're not.

When the sticks are down, the true journalists come out fighting. And I think the success of this week's HT proves that we've got plenty of fighters.

It's not all point and shoot for photographers

2008-10-02T13:13:20Z

Most people think that taking the picture is the hard part or that Jim and I just turn up, click a button then leave, but one of the most difficult aspects of photo journalism is coming up with the idea.

]]> What would you come up with when you had to recreate a ghost story in a pub cellar, or if a guy is going into a poker tournament and all he has is a sponsors t-shirt (not very exciting to photograph something like that).

Next time you look at a picture just take a little time to think how did they do that and what would I have done,because its not that easy trying to direct ten screaming kids and adults that won't listen.

The week that was

2008-10-01T12:48:38Z

VERY rarely am I compelled, on my day off, to call the office and ask what's going on.

But on Friday, when Britannia Tyres caught fire, it took me about ten minutes to call my colleague Ian Gallagher to check on the situation.

]]> He was already at the scene, with photographer Lee Busby, to record everything that happened.

Within hours the news was posted on our website and a video was on Youtube - in my opinion a landmark moment for The Hinckley Times.

A few weeks ago when something as shocking as this happened we would be forced to sit on it for six days, and watch in frustration as our daily competitors nabbed exclusives.

But this time we were first on the scene, and first to file a story.

Ian was interviewed by Radio Leicester because he witnessed the entire incident unfold, and sappy as this sounds, we were all incredibly proud of what he managed to do.

I was moving house, so I couldn't cover the blaze. However, when I continued to move into my new home the following day a factory opposite went up.

It was another stunning event, and once again we were thrust into the centre of a major incident.

After I moved my fridge-freezer and tumble-dryer past the police cordon I grabbed my pen and pad and got cracking.

It took me a little longer to get the story out, because I did quite a bit of digging on the past, and future, of the building, but I'm pretty satisfied with the results.

Since we've launched our website we've had a number of big incidents to cover.

Both myself, Ian, and Sam Thorne have worked our backsides off, and despite a period of relative uncertainty here, we're still doing our best.

For me the most interesting story I've written this week involves plans to place a Muslim prayer room in the town centre.

I for one, am 100% behind the plans, and see no reason to object. But it still marks a first for the town, and the reaction of people who live in the town-centre will be interesting to follow.

If you want to comment, send us a letter, email, call in, or post on our website forum.

Murder frenzy

2008-09-17T11:06:17Z

I got caught up in a bit of unwanted excitement earlier this week when my block of flats in Birmingham city centre became the focus of a national murder investigation.

]]> It's fair to say that I was more than a bit stunned when my boyfriend called me up on Monday to tell me that the flats were swarming with coppers, camera crews, journalists and forensic teams.

Yards and yards of police tape apparently gift wrapped the flats, and my astonished boyfriend was denied entry to the car park to get to his own car.

Later on, as he battled with journalists and police to get to the door, news filtered through that two women had been killed in a "sustained, frenzied attack."

Not the kind of thing you expect to happen on your doorstep, especially in a block of flats packed to the brim with so-called young professionals and Kate Lawler (God help us).

Over in another world, it's been a hectic few weeks for us at The Hinckley Times as we finally enter the much-revered digital age. Although it's only just been launched, our shiny-new site is proving to be a massive hit with you readers, and it's keeping us reporters on our toes. I got back from sunny Kos a week ago to find everyone rushing about like trained monkeys, learning how to post content on the net and blog. And you know what? I think it's paid off.

Since I started working here a year ago, I lost count of the number of times I got e-mails or calls from people (ex-pats, locals, my nosey Uni friends - you name it) asking us when we were going to go online.
So now, here we are, on the net and out there for the whole world to see what goes on in our little town of Hinckley.

Of course, aside from uploading news stories, we've also been having a bit of fun with our new site too. Fellow reporter Sam Dimmer and I have passed a few rainy afternoons working (edit: messing about) on our new blog, Big Chimpin', which brings you some of the weirdest and funniest videos on the net. It's all in the name of top journalism, you understand.

This week, we've uploaded a spooky video that was brought into us by a Hinckley woman who had filmed some ghostly goings on at the Fludes factory in the town. Check it out now on Big Chimpin' and let us know what you think, or send us some content of your own to post up there. We always want to hear from you!

Carnival time

2008-09-15T12:13:29Z

I DON'T really have any memories of Hinckley Carnival from my childhood.

My parents have never been into it, and I never felt the urge to watch it.

]]> Sure, like most, I do remember the odd carnival - but I don't remember it ever being a "big deal". This year was rather different though.

I don't know whether it's the feeling that Hinckley is a town that is struggling to compete with its neighbours, or the ever increasing number of empty shops, but I felt a real sense of triumph over adversity on Sunday.

The carnival was a massive success, and the committee deserve massive amounts of credit.

The Hinckley Times did our bit to make sure it got plenty of publicity, but like most we were just doing our civic duty.

The day itself flew by, perhaps because it was so much fun.

Yes, at first I was almost certain that we would all be flying off the float when we went round the first corner, but eventually we got the hang of it.

And I felt we did OK, but some of the other floats were superb.

Like most things in this industry, we put in the maximum amount of work in the minimum amount of time.

It almost seems a cliché to suggest that we are overworked - I've been saying it since day one - but the truth is we work as hard as we need to, as hard as our stories dictate.

After the excitement of the carnival we were in here bright and early on Monday, cracking through a seemingly never-ending list of stories.

I wrote a couple that I was particularly proud of - but bizarrely my personal favourite this week involved Heartbeat, a taxi driver with a heart of gold, and a giant tractor.

Dave Neal is driving from John O'Groats to Lands End in a tractor to raise funds to help fight the illness that killed his father.

I have already done two stories on Dave, but like most, I urged him to keep thinking with me to try and find a good follow-up.

He got his old mate Bill Maynard involved and we had ourselves a fun little story that gave me the chance to interview Bill and Dave (always a pleasure) and gave them both a bit of a boost.

All in all this week has been thoroughly enjoyable.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I passed my exams and am now a Senior Reporter. I should probably learn to use an apostrophe now!

The news stops for nobody

2008-09-15T12:06:47Z

AFTER NEARLY two years of bashing keyboards and shouting at councillors I have discovered something rather important about this journalism business. It doesn't stop when people go on holiday.

This last fortnight The Hinckley Times Chief Reporter Ian Gallagher has been on holiday. It is richly deserved - "Gal" works extremely hard. The problem is other reporters have to pick up the slack.

]]> This time of year can be a right royal pain in the bum. When we are fully staffed (and I say that with my tongue firmly in my cheek, we haven't even got a sports reporter at the moment) things are tough, but manageable.

When we lose one member of our four full-time reporters it becomes, at times, absolutely ridiculous.

Of course, it depends on the quality, and quantity, of the stories we find.

This week has been rather hectic - when you're driving home and Peter Allen starts banging on about Sharnford on 5-live you know you're going to be busy. But we've battled on.

Myself, Mitch, Rachel and Thorney have produced a lot of good stuff, and once again I'm pretty proud of what we've achieved.

It's been a couple of months since our new Editor Simon Holden took the helm at the HT, and I think we've all seen a massive difference. He is doing all he can to make the paper better, and we're all totally on-board.

One reporter who hasn't seen the changes is The Hinckley Times and Bedworth Echo man, Ed Stilliard.

Some may remember that Ed was hit by a car when he was pootling home on his scooter just after Christmas. He broke both his legs and had surgery to attach plates to his thigh-bones.

Ed was a matter of weeks away from returning to HT towers when he had a bit of a set-back last week.

One of the plates in his leg snapped (apparently a bit of an inevitability, because one of his bones wasn't healing properly) and now he has been back into theatre to have some more work done.

He is not back to square one in his recovery, but for the time being he has gone home to Sandhurst for a few weeks. Get well soon buddy - and come back soon, we're swamped here!

Council stories can be interesting - promise!

2008-09-15T12:02:44Z

I USED to follow a golden rule with every story I wrote - don't put councillors or council in the intro, because people won't read it if you do.

Why? Because I thought it was boring and people didn't really care.

]]> It took me a while, but now I've realised that this attitude is disgustingly patronising.

Maybe it isn't sexy, exciting or even sometimes that interesting, but these people are elected to represent us, and as a journalist it's my job to keep them in check.

This week's story of mine is a golden example.

It turns out our councillors have missed a fair few meetings, 216 in total.

Now I know that being a councillor is incredibly hard work, and combined with a job, a PHD and a family it becomes even tougher, but I want more from my representatives than an average attendance rate of 78.95%.

If you can't get to the meetings, then don't stand to be a councillor. It really is that simple.

The public need to know these figures, because when your ward councillor fights for re-election you can hold them to account.

Why vote for a representative who doesn't represent you in important meetings.

I want my vote to matter. I want the person who works for me to make their voice heard and do their upmost for my town.

Perhaps it's idealistic, but I believe the town wants a full chamber as often as possible.

How can planners debate a Barwell issue when there's no Barwell councillors taking part?

I sat through a lengthy debate on a development on Coventry Road, and I swear there was more discussion about the height of a hedge than the development itself.

I'm sure there will be plenty of discussion and debate on this topic, and I'm certain the letters page will be packed next week with responses from councillors.

I hope one will offer to take me on a day in the life of a councillor for next week's paper, because the people have a right to know what it's all about.

Newspapers are all about highlighting issues and generating debate.

A few weeks ago we had a letter from Hinckley's Youth Council, saying that they refused to comment on anything in the paper because we were criminalising young people.

They were probably right, so we decided that they should come in and be guest editors of the paper for a week.

They've done a good job - the response they have written to this week's page three story is spot on.

Millie and her merry men and women are doing a great job representing the borough's young people, and if you want to get involved contact them.

I can't remember if we had a youth council when I was younger, which I guess would have been part of the problem.

We hope that we can give them plenty of publicity in the future.

Don't laugh, but journalists can be trustworthy

2008-09-15T11:57:43Z

CONTACTS are absolutely everything in this game. If we don't know about something, then we can't report on it.

Fortunately for me, and a number of my colleagues, I have a number of absolutely wonderful contacts who have a cracking eye for a story.

]]> A few months ago Liz Jarvis, from Hinckley, knitted me some fingerless gloves to promote her knitting group - and several months later she is still calling me with story ideas.

She is an absolute star. Without Liz, and people like her, this paper would not be the same.

Our contacts trust us, which is so important. For many people journalists are evil little people looking to destroy their lives.

Maybe there are one or two working for national newspapers, but we are The Hinckley Times - we want the people of the borough to trust us and we always regret any mistakes, or upset we cause when it isn't justified or in the public interest.

I've just bought a t-shirt that says "Trust me - I'm a journalist". I'm guessing it's meant to be ironic, but that's what I really want - people to trust me precisely because I am a journalist.

So contacts and trust are crucial. In essence we want a good relationship with as many groups as possible in the borough.

One of those groups is Hinckley and Bosworth's Youth Council.

Millie Benson from the youth council spoke at the full council meeting on Tuesday and I was very impressed with how confident, eloquent and intelligent she and her colleagues were.

My aim for the next month is to really work on our relationship with them - in the words of a famous shampoo advert, they're definitely worth it.

At the same meeting that Miss Benson spoke, the council's deputy leader, Cllr Stuart Bray, introduced a motion to try and halt the number of flats being built in the borough.

Personally I agree with the move, although there are one or two absolutely belting developments going up, that include flats.

One on Factory Road, built inside an old factory, is superb. If developers are prepared to spend a little more money and build blocks of flats like that, then I say keep 'em coming.

The credit crunch may be hurting some estate agents, but properties like that will sell - I should know, I'm looking at it today.

As for estate agents, like journalists they get a bad reputation. Maybe one or two deserve it, but almost all of the ones me and my girlfriend have dealt with have been superb.

With their help I'm sure we will find the perfect place to live - I wish them the best of luck in the current economic crisis.

The curse of the traffic warden

2008-08-14T13:38:40Z

By Ian Gallagher
IT'S fair to say that loveable rogue Claude Greengrass may have been involved in one or two shady dealings on the popular TV show Heartbeat.

]]> Claude was always looking for ways to scam a few pounds out of one person or another, but they always seemed to blow up in his face in the end.
But this week, Bill Maynard was on the end of a sly money-making scheme which I'm sure Greengrass would have been proud of.
Yes, Hinckley celebrity Bill is the latest victim of our friendly over-zealous traffic wardens.
As I'm sure you'll know if you have a peek at our page three story, Bill was slapped with a ticket for the henious crime of having a faded disabled badge.
Surely not, I hear you cry. Surely these folk might be able to extol the virtue of common sense at some stage during their working week?
Err... well... no.
The above disconnected ramblings - and why I feel rather sorry for Bill - is that I too have been a victim of the red-jacketed brigade.
At the Times we have parking passes for the Brunel Road car park.
A slow-brained reporter (me) forgot to change his old pass over to the new one when it expired, and was duly slapped with a ticket.
Fair enough I thought, but a few phonecalls would surely sort it out. The council knows we've paid for a pass, they have a receipt for this and they have my registration number.
Hard luck
Obviously, they would take the common sense option and rip up the ticket.
Again, no. I've had to challenge it formally and I still haven't heard back from the county council.
I'm sure mine is just one of thousands of hard-luck stories people across the borough have to tell since the traffic wardens arrived in town just over a year ago.
Nobody can deny that the town centre was in desperate need of parking enforcement.
Most Saturdays before you would find cars strewn all over pavements and yellow lines.
But it isn't too much to ask to show some common sense, is it?

We want to hear from you

2008-07-24T13:40:32Z

AS a not-so hot July burns out in spectacular fashion, summer is finally upon us.
With hundreds of sun-worshippers flocking to Argents Mead and the scent of delicious barbecues wafting through the air, Hinckley finally has had its dose of searing summer sun.

]]> Of course, part of the fun is that schools are out for summer and mums and dads are fleeing to golden beaches with the kids for a
well-deserved break.
So, for the last few weeks, we've been a bit low on staff here at The Hinckley Times, with reporters ready to jet off all over the place.
But, being a community newspaper, we haven't let that stop us.
We've still been getting out and about and we pride ourselves on meeting all sorts of people in the Hinckley and Bosworth area.
Since we re-launched the paper earlier this year, our reporters have all been making the effort to go out to the smaller villages that may previously have been a bit neglected.
As well as going to parish council meetings every month, we've also been welcoming letters and news from village correspondents, and we've been trying to get out to meet more and more people.
Every month, I go along to Sapcote's parish council and my colleagues regularly attend meetings in Earl Shilton, Market Bosworth, Stoney Stanton and Burbage - all in the name of finding out what matters to you.
I said a few weeks ago that what I really love about this job is meeting new people, and I honestly think that this is what makes journalism the best job in the world.
There are so many people out there with incredible stories to tell, and so many people who overcome seemingly impossible hurdles that I can't help but feel inspired.
Every day, I'm talking to someone different - from the woman I met at Sapcote parish council who reads The Hinckley Times to blind people, to the inspirational people who give their lives to charities. There are some truly incredible characters in Hinckley.
What we are keen to do - and keep on doing - is to get out to even more villages, no matter how small they are.
We want to meet our readers, and we want to know what matters to you or what your views are on the paper. We're always looking to improve, and we need your help to do that.
So, if you think we should be visiting your village more or attending your meetings, or even if you have an event you want publicising - call us.

We always want to hear from you, however big or small you think your news is. If it matters to you, it matters to us.