1.PERCY THE PEACOCK LOOSE ON THE STREETS OF UXBRIDGE

Missing Peacock in Uxbridge

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/23rd November 2007

Peacock

PERCY the peacock is running loose on the streets of Uxbridge thanks to yobs who broke in and set him free. Stan Atkin, 70, who owns the animals in Pet's Corner, Petworth Gardens, Hillingdon, is launching an appeal to be reunited with the wandering one-year-old peacock, who has been missing since August.

The two other peacocks who lived with Percy perished after a hungry fox invaded the damaged cage. There have been numerous sightings of Percy as he dashes from gardens in a hunt for food and water, but he is too quick for neighbours to catch.

Instead kind hearted residents in Petworth Gardens and Ryefield Avenue have been feeding him muesli, nuts and providing fresh water. After a tiring day roaming the streets he sleeps up a eucalyptus tree to escape from the fox.

Mr Atkin urges anyone who finds Percy to lock him in a shed with muesli and water, and contact him straight away either by visiting Pet's Corner, or telephone to arrange a time to pick him up.

The dedicated animal owner has rescued animals from ponies to birds at the sanctury for 33 years. He wishes he had someone to help around the farm and feed the animals. One lady comes in once a week to feed the rabbits.

He welcomes volunteers who can spare a little time in a rewarding job that sees animals change from abandoned and mistreated creatures to thriving pets that educate and entertain the youngsters that visit the farm.

He said: "It would be a lot better if I had somebody to help me now the dark night's are coming."

To keep the farm running, Mr Atkin relies soley on public donations and needs at least £100 a week to buy food and hay for the hundreds of animals who reside there.

Visitors can make donations in the wishing well at the entrance. Alternatively pop down and hand a cheque or cash to Mr Atkin. Donations can also be set up by direct debit by contacting Mr Atkin on 01895 235 408.

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Here is a video interview I recorded with Stan Atkin after the Gazette photographer Chris Berry took photos of Stan at this part of Pet's Corner for the Gazette.

After I conducted my first interview with Mr Atkin two weeks ago for my News Writing module class assignment, I filmed a video for my main blog, click on this link to view: http://uxbridgereporterkatie.blogspot.com/2007/11/3-minute-interview-with-stan-atkins.html.

Mr Atkin kindly let me film him again to launch an appeal to find Percy the Peacock. Here is the footage taken on my mobile phone. Viewers will need Flash Plug In or RealPlayer installed on their PC. Wear headphones to listen to the interview.

The article was published in The Uxbridge Gazette on Wednesday 28th Novemeber 2007. The article is only available in printed format, therefore I have submitted a copy in my A4 file.

This is the article I submitted to the Gazette before it was subbed and published.

REFLECTIVE REPORT: MISSING PEACOCK

I interviewed Stan Atkin for the news writing module class assignment to generate an animal story. I went to a local animal rescue home and discovered multiple story ideas such as an appeal for helpers, Mr Atkin's struggle to keep the farm running without funding and a peacock on the loose in Uxbridge.

I originally wrote a general piece, and Sarah Niblock suggested the peacock angle. I emailed the content editor of The Uxbridge Gazette, where I am currently on a work placement and he loved the idea, and said write around 300 words.

I wrote a 350 word copy about the appeal to find the missing peacock and it was published on Wednesday 28th November in the Gazette series. I went slightly over the word count, and some of it was subbed.

I decided to create an adventure story angle, showing a wandering peacock on the loose on the streets of Uxbridge sleeping up a tree to escape from the fox.

I have also included a four minute video interview with Mr Atkin, so viewers can watch and listen to my actual interview.

This interview was filmed after Chris Berry the Chief Gazette Photographer had taken the pictures of Mr Atkin, a photoshoot I booked and went out on location to get a second interview.

This is an example of a news report that took a lot of thought and editing to get right. The results were worth my first experience of interviewing Mr Atkin on a freezing cold November evening, enduring harsh winds to gain my interview.

The sound effects are very effective for the viewer to picture the image of Mr Atkin's busy Pet's Corner. David Tilley praised my article and said it was really good, therefore I feel I also have a good article to put in my NCTJ portfolio.

2.INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MCDONNELL

John McDonnell, MP Interview

Katie Goodall/The Hayes and Harlington Gazette/October 2007

MP


JOHN McDonnell, MP for Hayes and Harlington describes himself as: "Hard working, confident and committed." Brunel graduate Mr McDonnell has a hectic schedule of attending parliament, updating his blog (see http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/about-john.html), writing articles for the national press, and campaigning for the local community.

Politics is a career he says he "drifted into, rather than planned" because he became involved in many community events, resulting in him climbing the political ladder to becoming an MP. He said: "I am a socialist, and believe in equality for all people."

Being an Uxbridge resident who lives 15 minutes away from Hayes, I was curious to know if anything was being done about the lack of a shopping centre in Hayes Town. He replied: "I am the Chair of the Board, and we've been working on it for 10 years."

He added: "There are many core shops such as Iceland, Wilkinsons and Woolworths, but the town is still suffering after the closure of Sainsburys."

Two weeks ago the Hayes & Harlington Gazette covered the Crossrail development. Mr McDonnell said: "I support Crossrail because it is a major aid to redevelop the lives of people. In 20 minutes you can get from Hayes to Central London. It will open up the access for many people across to the East.

It will provide more job opportunities for people in Hayes to find jobs in London. It will also increase people's enjoyment, as they can travel into London more easily for entertainment and go to restaurants. There has been a dramatic improvement since Ken Livingstone became Mayor of London."

McDonnell is also involved in local community radio stations. He said: "Yes I listen to Hayes FM, and I would definitely talk on it. I was involved in the planning process, and worked with Sutish [Sharma] to raise funds, and gain the licence. It was going to be at Uxbridge College, but they had no room.

I was involved with Desi Radio in Southall. I really enjoy the wide range of music on Hayes FM. I was meant to go down to Hospital Radio Hillingdon during the broadcast marathon, but I had a meeting."

When asked about the recent story in the press about MPs jumping the dinner queue, he responded: "That's rubbish, total nonsense. Yes, I saw that article. As a socialist, I believe in equality for all people, and I would never jump a queue."

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Visit John McDonnell's website to view more information about his campaigns and read his blog by clicking on the link below.
http://www.johnmcdonnell.org.uk/about-john.html

REFLECTIVE REPORT: JOHN MCDONNELL

I interviewed Hayes and Harlington MP John McDonnell as part of a class assignment for the Central Government module. We were set the task of conducting a 10 minute telephone interview with our local MP to develop our telephone skills and build up our local contacts in October.

I was on my work placement at the Gazette and emailed reporters Hannah Falkingham and John Hugil to see if they could give me any contact details for the local MPs. Hannah replied with the telephone numbers of John Randall, Uxbridge MP, Nick Hurd, Ruislip MP and John McDonnell.

I rang McDonnell. He was my first choice, but there had been no answer on his mobile. I left a message and rang him again while I went into the Gazette office on Monday to finish an article. Luckily he remembered me when I phoned and was very happy to answer my questions.

I decided to target the questions more specifically towards Hayes and Mr McDonnell's involvement in Hayes from the community radio station 91.8 Hayes FM to the Crossrail development rather than ask conventional questions such as what do you do in a typical day?

My mission was to find out how Hayes has progressed since McDonnell has been an MP with the power to help implement positive changes to a diverse town.

I am happy with my interview because McDonnell answered all of my questions to write a 400 word interview. In fact the conversation was very informal, and I gained enough information to write at least 700 words, so I had the task of editing it to select the best quotes.

McDonnell said I could ring him again in the future if I needed to know anything else, therefore I gained a valuable contact too.

The interview is published on my main blog see: http://uxbridgereporterkatie.blogspot.com/search?q=john+mcdonnell

3.HOSPITAL RADIO HILLINGDON 72 HOUR BROADCAST MARATHON

Broadcast Marathon

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/Friday 14th September 2007

Radio

BROADCASTERS at Hospital Radio Hillingdon will be presenting non-stop for 72 hours during a charity marathon.

The talkathon which starts on September 21 will raise money to improve the current radio technology needed for the service the station provides to patients. Money will also be donated to The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice.

Event organiser Keith Hotston, a volunteer with Hospital Radio Hillingdon for 21 years, said it was the third broadcast marathon in the last 20 years. He added: “One of our members recently suffered a loss in their family. The Shooting Star Hospice was instrumental in their final days in providing care and comfort during their final days together.”

The hospice enables families to spend quality time with a terminally ill child and relies on public donations. Hospital Radio Hillingdon is a registered charity and is always looking for volunteers to join the team to support fundraising events, broadcasting and helping behind-the-scenes.

Volunteers John Stanley, Jon Herd, Raymond Jackson, Steve Hickman, Gerard Conway, and Keith Hotston will be covering the three 24-hour shifts, supported by the station’s team of volunteers.

Mr Hotston has written to 90 companies asking for support, but has so far received only a couple of replies. The team needs to raise at least £3,000 to keep the radio technology up to date.

If you would like to get involved visit http://www.radiohillingdon.com/.

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To read the on-line published Gazette article click on the link below.
http://icuxbridge.icnetwork.co.uk/uxbridgegazette/headlines/tm_headline=broadcasters-set-for-72-hour-talkathon&method=full&objectid=19784359&siteid=68148-name_page.html

REFLECTIVE REPORT: BROADCAST MARATHON

I am a volunteer at Hospital radio Hillingdon and they needed to raise money for the two charities. I decided to write the article to raise awareness of the work of the hospital, the actual event, the need for more voluteers and how to donate.

It is a story that reaches out to the residents of Hillingdon and the patients in the hospital, and their friends and families. It was published both in the Uxbridge gazette and online on the gazette website.

I booked a photoshoot, and appeared in it because I am a member of the hospital radio station and writing this article and having it published was a way to help them with their appeal. As a result of this article one reader donated £100 therefore I was very pleased with my achievement.

However one of the radio members suffered a loss as his daughter passed away. They wanted to mention the charity but did not want to mention names incase it caused distress to the family. The angle was about the marathon and the need for volunteers, therefore I kept the personal details to a minimum because it would distract the reader from my article.

A reporter needs to judge the article and select the right angle. My mission was to raise money for the radio station and the Shooting Star Children's hospice. What is left out is just as important as what is included.

I feel that I have achieved the right news angle by reporting the event and appealing for funds, without delving into the private lives of interviewees and provide extensive profiles of the presenters, some of which work for commercial radio stations and have an impressive career.

4.CAR CRASH

Road Accident

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/3rd September 20007

Crash

TWO vehicles smashed into one another at the Lees Road junction. Along the Uxbridge Road on Tuesday. The incident involving a Ford Focus and a Volkswagon Golf was reported to the police at 6.38pm.

The London Fire Brigade attended the scene, and an ambulance was called out.

A London Ambulance spokesperson said:

"We were called shortly before 6.40pm on Tuesday, August 28 to reports of a road traffic incident involving two cars on Uxbridge Road at the junction with Lees Road. We sent one ambulance to the scene, however no patients needed to be taken to hospital."

The crash barrier was badly damaged and covered with orange tape.

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To see the published version on-line click on the link below.
http://icuxbridge.icnetwork.co.uk/uxbridgegazette/headlines/tm_headline=police-called-to-two-car-smash&method=full&objectid=19727718&siteid=68148-name_page.html

To watch video footage of the crash barrier and how this looks on the Uxbridge Road, click on the play button.

REFLECTIVE REPORT CAR CRASH

I was on my way home from work at the beginning of September, and spotted an accident from the window of the bus at 6.30pm. I did not have a camera on me, and I was due to go to Hospital Radio Hillingdon to help co-present a show, therefore I could not stop and interview anybody on the scene.

I went to the Gazette the next day, and asked if anybody phoned in about the accident, but they knew nothing about it. I said I'd cover it.I asked in the local shops the day after the accident, but the witnesses were not working, and the staff were reluctant to provided contact details saying I should come in later.

I rang the London Ambulance press office, and the London Fire Brigade press office, who were both helpful and emailed me statements to quote.I have learnt I should always carry my camera with me because a picture of the crash might have made a bigger story. The photograph would only be valuable to the Gazette if the vehicles were pictured.

Despite not getting to the story quick enough, I still got this 100 word short news story published in the week's edition of the Gazette, and it was on page 3 under Speed Read. It was subbed in the printed copy, and published in full on-line on the Gazette website.

I am pleased with my efforts, and still made the news into the papers before the Tuesday deadline. After all, a 100 word short story can be just as important to a reader as a full page spread. It served its purpose: it is accurate and informative.

5.DUSTY MILLER ROCK THE CROWN AND TREATY

Dusty Miller in Uxbridge

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/Thursday 9th September 2007

Gig

ROCK fans attended a free performance of band Dusty Miller at The Crown and Treaty pub in Oxford Road, Uxbridge on August, 9.

Crowds arrived from 7pm and rocked till the early hours screaming along to the band’s niche sound of “bluesy alternative rock.”

The quartet formed early in 2004 and regularly perform at local gigs with other up-and-coming young bands from around Hillingdon.

Lead singer Maria Papacosta, 22, sang Runway, and a cover of Jimmy Hendrix classic Purple Haze. She said: “We like to get involved in local gigs to support local music.”

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Visit their MySpace website to hear their songs, and watch videos of their performance at: http://www.myspace.com/dustymiller

REFLECTIVE REPORT: DUSTY MILLER

My friend Maria Papacosta is in a band called Dusty Miller with three other musicians. I decided to watch their gig and review it for the Gazette.

I asked the content editor David Tilley if I could review it for the news section, and he said write 250 words. I wrote it to the deadline, but unfortunately it was not published.

I realised the copy I submitted was not colourful or punchy enough. Perhaps the quotes I got from the band were over ambitious. I decided to edit the copy and change it into a short story for my blog to make the audience aware of the gig without reviewing it too much.

This blog has also given me the opportunity to edit the style of an article from a 250 news story to a 100 short story. By condensing the words and cutting down on the quotes, it definitely has more impact.

The copy I submitted will be the hard copy file. If this was published it would feature in the 'What's On' box at the side of the Gazette, or in a speed read box. I cut out all of the quotes except Maria's because she supports local music, which Gazette readers would prefer to know.

The edited copy is now shorter, sharper, and shows what's on around Uxbridge. I am happy with the end result. I have included a link to their MySpace website so that the audience can view their video and listen to their songs. It also includes information about their next gigs.

FRIENDS SAY THANKS DURING THE HAREFIELD FUN RUN

Double Lung Transplant

Katie Goodall/The Harefield Gazette/Sunday 9th September 2007.

Friends

LIVE life and then give life. That's the motto of two friends who have both received double lung transplants from Harefield Hospital.

On Sunday, September 9, just months after their life saving operation they walked three miles to raise money for Harefield Hospital's MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scanner appeal to say thanks to the hospital that helped them live their lives to the full again.

Emily Thackray,23, and Lisa Muscutt,34, from Epsom, Surrey have Cystic Fibrosis and met through Lisa's neighbour, who went to school with Emily. Emily had her transplant in January 2007 and Lisa in April after being transferred from the Royal Brompton Hospital.

The girls exchanged emails and have been friends ever since.

Harefield Hospital aims to raise £1.5 million for the MRI scanner which produces high quality two and three dimensional moving images of the heart and lungs.

The girls proudly wore a t-shirt emblazoned with the logo Live Life and Then Give Life to encourage more people to become organ donors because 400 people in the UK die each year waiting for a transplant.

Dr Tarun Mittal, 42, Consultant Radiologist completed one mile, and stresses the importance of the MRI scanner. He said: "Patients to Harefield come with end stage heart failure, and the MRI scanner is very useful to determine the cause of the failing heart muscle."

Lisa and Emily would like to thank the staff at The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals for the care they received. Both girls are grateful to the donor, and their family. They would like to say thank you for the transplant, and now they can now life their life to the full.

The fun run finished with Mike Parry from TalkSport Radio and Clare Tomlinson from Sky Sports presenting an auction. Mr Parry, 49, has a personal reason to support the hospital.

He said: "I was here in the summer of 2004. I had a dilated cardiomyopathy. I was admitted under the care of Dr Nicholas Banner and after he examined me he put me on the heart transplant list."

However after a combination of drugs and a special diet Mr Parry was well enough to return to work within a year.

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Pictures in order: (Top) Lisa Muscutt, Emily Thackray (Centre Left) with friend, and the bottom picture inset is Lisa (right) and Emily at the Harefield Fun Run.

For more information about Emily and her campaign visit her website: http://www.livelifethengivelife.co.uk/. To register to become a donor visit http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/ or ring 0845 60 60 400 24 hours a day. Information about the MRI scanner appeal can be found on http://www.rbht.nhs.uk/about/fundraising/events/fun-run on the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS website.

REFLECTIVE REPORT: LUNG TRANSPLANT

Colin Moore, a volunteer at Hospital Radio Hillingdon invited me to attend the Harefield Fun Run in aid of an MIR scanner at Harefield Hospital. I asked David Tilley if anyone was covering the story, and as Barabara Fisher, the Harefield reporter was on holiday, he said I could write the article and to interview the organisers.

I managed to interview the organisers, an elderly man who ran the race, and the organisers told me about Emily Thackray and Lisa Muscutt, two friends who each received a double lung transplant. I watched an auction presented by Mike Parry from Talksport Radio and Claire Tomlinson, presenter of Sky Sports Goals on Sunday and afterwards approached them for an interview.Both were friendly and willing to talk.

I discovered Parry had been a patient on the heart transplant list. All the people I interviewed were friendly and gave me lots of quotes that I managed to use in a 200 word picture caption and an 1100 word feature. They also gave me mobile numbers and email addresses for future contact.

I have rewritten it for this blog, because unfortunately I did not receive a hard copy of the work submitted to News In because the printers were not working. I only got printed version of the first two drafts I submitted.

I think this shortened version of my feature works for a news article as it is urging the public to become organ donors and also covers the event which is news for Harefield. I had to edit most of the human interest angle out of the feature for this blog news entry, but I'm pleased that one story can adapt from a feature to a news story.

7.DIANA'S DRESS DESIGNER LAUNCHES COLLECTION IN UXBRIDGE

David Emanuel Launch

Katie Goodall/The Uxbridge Gazette/Friday 21st September 2007

Bonmarché

PRINCESS DIANA'S wedding dress designer David Emanuel launched his new collection at an Uxbridge store on Friday. Mr Emanuel opened his new range for Bonmarché in the Pavillions featuring glamorous evening wear and matching jewellery to make a chic statement in heather and black hues.

It is Mr Emanuel's first ever high street collection and he is excited to promote a range of stylish and affordable clothes that cater for sizes 10-20 reflecting the shopping trends of real women, reaching more ladies on the high street.The range features 60s inspired swing jackets, and tailored clothes for day or night.

Mr Emanuel said: "The inspiration is a challenge because I have to bear in mind what she is wearing, and what she will be wearing. I am here today to meet my customer. I have received positive feedback about my collection. I will have some pretty pieces coming out for Christmas."


Here is a link to David Emanuel's website for more biographical details and more on his work:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/david_emanuel/

To view the Bonmarche collection visit: http://www.bonmarche.co.uk/davidemanuel.php and to watch the catwalk video of his collection click on:
http://www.bonmarche.co.uk/video/devideo.wmv

REFLECTIVE REPORT: DAVID EMANUEL

I was in Uxbridge High Street on Friday 21st September 2007 at around 2pm interviewing a lady for the vox pop for the Uxbridge Gazette. She said the Fashion Designer, David Emanuel is in the shop behind me.

I decided to venture inside, and I saw Toby Vandevelde, from the Gazette taking test shots.He said no one was covering the story, and Mr Emanuel's PR Director Helen Croft said I could interview him if I wanted to.

I seized the opportunity and asked him about his collection and how the launch was going at Bonmarché. He said he liked my black swing jacket and showed me the ones in his collection.

Emanuel is very excited, as this is his first high street collection. I even got a signed brochure. My meeting with Emanuel was completely unexpected, and I had to adapt quickly to the fact I was interviewing a celebrity without prior preparation.

David Emanuel was always happy to answer my questions about his collection. However, when I asked Ms Croft if I could interview the Bonmarché managers, she was reluctant for me do so. My conclusion is that the article is only about Emanuel, and nothing could distract the focus away from his collection and fame.

At the Gazette office, I typed the interview as a picture caption. This blog features the one I wrote fro my main blog, because I do not have the copy sent to News In in CopyRight because the printer were not working.

I have included the published picture caption with my A4 file and it is signed by Content Editor David Tilley for verification. I tried to capture the colour and artistic sense of the collection through my language, and I feel it accurately conveys the feeling of the collection: sophisticated and charming.