Mental Health Research

The University of Sheffield has been researching the mental health of young men from ethnic minority backgrounds in a unique, collaborative way. The community-based research has been conducted - in part - by the young men themselves. It's focused on the impact of community resources on their mental health.

I've been filming and taking photos of the project at Unity Gym for on BBC News website article and this TV story for BBC Look North...

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Suncream

We're all enjoying the lovely weather but have you been protecting yourself from the sun's harmful rays? A Sheffield woman with stage four skin cancer is calling for suncream to be publicly available like hand sanitiser. Charlotte Killeya was diagnosed with melanoma in 2020. She wants to make sure people are aware of the risks of sun damage. 

I wrote this story for the BBC News website and filmed and edited this story for BBC Look North...

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Grassington Buses

I've been in the beautiful North Yorkshire village of Grassington where there are very limited public transport. There are calls for better bus links in rural areas - in the week the Chancellor unveiled her spending plans for the next few years. Although there were promises of bus bus franchising pilots in York and North Yorkshire businesses in Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales say they can only employ people who can drive as public transport is so unreliable. We made the story below for TV and I helped put together this article for the BBC News website.

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Cannon Hall Farm

I had a lot of fun filming at Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley this week. They've had a bumper baby boom, with a flurry of new arrivals, including not one, but two sets of twin calves! It was a quick turnaround as I filmed and edited the story all in the same day.

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Drug Den

It's a job almost none of us would want to do - but someone has to clear houses taken over by drug users and squatters. It was fascinating to film and photograph with the team who do this. I helped put together an online story and a radio version too.

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Roller Derby

A 17-year-old boy from Sheffield is raising money after being selected to compete in the Junior Roller Derby World Cup in Australia this summer. Tom Halsall will be representing Great Britain in the sport he's played since he was nine years old when he began training with Sheffield Steel Roller Derby.

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Liberty Steel Live

This week I reported live from Stocksbridge on the Liberty Steel plant there and the three in Rotherham being at risk of closure. The company, which employs 1,450 in South Yorkshire avoided insolvency for the time being after a potential buyer was found.

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Gymnastics

Gymnasts from our region are gearing up to compete at the European Championships. Three members of Leeds Gymnastics Club will be competing for the GB team. They are Olympic bronze medallist Harry Hepworth, double European gold winner Luke Whitehouse and up and coming Jonas Rushworth. The 2025 European Championships in Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics will be taking place in Leipzig in Germany at the end of May.

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Doncaster Drug Raids

South Yorkshire Police have raided houses in Doncaster suspected of being involved in the growth and supply of illegal drugs. The crackdown on organised crime is called Operation Duxford. There have been thirteen arrests, with more than two hundred cannabis plants seized during a series of warrants.

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Doncaster Rovers' Celebrations

I've been to see Doncaster Rovers celebrate winning the League Two title. There was a big event at the Eco-Power stadium and it was an absolute pleasure to be there. The story was also covered on the BBC News website.

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Kidnap

A Yorkshire millionaire feared he would be killed after he was abducted alongside his girlfriend and held hostage for four days in Ecuador. Fifteen armed men dressed in police uniforms took Colin Armstrong and Katherin Santos from his farm in December 2023. He owns the Forbidden Corner attraction in North Yorkshire but lives much of his life in Ecuador.

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Lucas Akins

I've been reporting from court in Leeds on the jailing of a footballer from Yorkshire for causing the death of a cyclist...

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Snooker live

I had a brilliant time reporting at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on the World Snooker Championship...

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Tandem Baby Loss

A woman from Sheffield whose baby died last June at 39 weeks of pregnancy is raising money for charity by cycling 180 miles coast to coast on an old tandem bike with her brother. Abigail Riley suffered further devastation when she was diagnosed with eye cancer five months after losing her baby. She's determined to make something positive out of her misfortune by raising funds for baby loss charity Tommy's and Sheffield Hospitals Charity.

Click here for the online version of my story.

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Damp House

A family from West Yorkshire say they're lives are being ruined by damp seeping into their home from the empty council house next door. Claire Gore and Tony Langan from Thorpe on the Hill, between Wakefield and Leeds, can't use their front room because of the damp and are worried about the impact on their health.

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Harvey Willgoose

The parents of Harvey Willgoose who died after he was stabbed twice at a Sheffield school have met with the Home Secretary. They're calling for action to clampdown on knife crime. I reported live on the story this week...

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Adolescence

The global-smash hit Netflix series Adolescence was filmed in Yorkshire. It's a disturbing drama about a teenage boy accused of murdering a female classmate. Adolescence was made by Sheffield's Warp Films and all the interior scenes were filmed at Production Park in South Kirkby near Pontefract.

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Heat Pumps

A Sheffield company that was given millions of pounds of Government grants to install air source heat pumps has gone into administration and has left several customers with faulty heating. Greener Living Ltd went bust in March last year. The company was given more than four million pounds as part of Government efforts to encourage homeowners to replace existing fossil fuel heating with more efficient, low carbon systems. Chesterfield couple Geoffrey and Julie Cox say they’ve been left paying-off thousands of pounds in debt after having their faulty heating system fitted.

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King Charles bust Lily Marsh

I really enjoyed filming this story about a sculpture fit for a king! An artist in Sheffield was chosen to make the first bust of King Charles. Lily Marsh retrained as a stonemason twelve years ago through The King's Foundation - so it was fitting that the bronze bust was unveiled to the King at its headquarters on its thirty-fifth anniversary. I also took photos and wrote this article for the BBC News website.

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Dot Kesterton

It's been an absolute pleasure to film/photograph/edit and write this story about the incredible Sheffield runner, Dot Kesterton. Dot is a retired teacher who was put-off running for more than 40 years is now winning gold medals as a Masters athlete. Dot Kesterton is one of the fastest older runners in the world - in 2022 she became the quickest female 10 kilometre runner in her age category. I've written a BBC News Online article about Dot and made this TV story...

Click here for the audio of my story on BBC Sheffield.

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Miners' Memories

It's 40 years this week since the end of the miners' strike. We've been speaking to a former miner and a campaigner from the Women Against Pit Closures group to find out how they feel about the miners going back to work, four decades on.

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Kirkwood Hospice

I've been filming at a hospice which cares for people with a terminal diagnosis in Kirklees and is dramatically cutting back the service it offers due to major funding problems. It's caused by big increases in staffing and energy costs. The Kirkwood looks after 2,000 patients and their loved ones every year but this will nearly halve because they need to save £1.7 million. Only a quarter of the charity’s funding comes from the Government, the rest they have to fundraise.

As well as the TV story below, I wrote this story for the BBC News website.

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Abbeydale Picture House

I've been filming a story about a historic Grade II-listed former cinema in Sheffield which a new owner has vowed to restore to its former glory. True North Brew Co has bought the Abbeydale Picture House and plans to spend two years transforming it into an entertainment venue. The iconic building has faced decades of uncertainty and closed last year due to a risk of its roof collapsing. I've written this story for the BBC News website about it and made this TV report for BBC Look North. This is a good example of how I am now, regularly, not only creating stories for TV but for online too - this is a great way of more people seeing my work.

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BBC Young Reporter - Food Waste

I helped produce, film and edit this story with Isabella, the Yorkshire winner of the BBC Young Reporter competition. She pitched a story on food waste and we worked on it together. We also wrote the story for the BBC News website.

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Harworth Miners' Service

The contribution made by mine workers at the old Harworth Colliery has been celebrated at a special church service. The colliery near Doncaster opened in 1919 and was mothballed in 2006. All Saints' Church has a stained-glass window commemorating generations of coal mining. 

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Farmers Tax Protest

Last weekend I covered a protest which took place in Selby as part of a nationwide campaign to stop Government plans to introduce an inheritance tax for farmers. Working farms are currently exempt from inheritance tax but from April next year they'll be liable to pay 20% on properties and land valued at over £1 million pounds.

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Oldest Derby Live

I thoroughly enjoyed reporting live from the world's oldest football derby. Hallam FC took on Sheffield FC in front of a sell-out crowd. They first played each other there 165 years ago. There's more on this story on this BBC News website article.

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Shoplifting

Shoplifting is on the rise in South Yorkshire. According to police data, there were more than fifteen thousand reports of shoplifting in South Yorkshire in 2024. That's up more than a thousand on the previous year. Conversely, in Doncaster shoplifting is down in the same period - but some shop owners are not convinced and say thieving is worse than ever.

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Portland Works

I thoroughly enjoyed filming this story about Portland Works in Sheffield. It's 12 years since the community in Sheffield saved the historic industrial landmark from being turned into flats. Portland Works is steeped in Sheffield history - it was built in 1879 and was the first place in the world to manufacture stainless steel cutlery. It's still home to cottage industries today. I also wrote this article for the BBC News website on the story.

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Doncaster Cold

We've been filming in Doncaster where charity workers that provide support for struggling families say they've been really busy since the cold weather hit. They've been handing out blankets, hats and gloves for those who are struggling to afford to heat their homes. Meanwhile a local GP says there's been a big demand for their services with covid, winter flu and Norovirus causing problems. 

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Stainforth Flood

I've been reporting from Stainforth in Doncaster this week where a mother and two daughters have been flooded for the second time in five years. Lavina Raywood and her children were about to move back into her house in Stainforth after flooding devastated the property in 2019. But it's now been flooded again.

This was my quick report for our lunch bulletin...

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Miners' Pensions

I've been filming with former mineworkers who're urging the Government to share out a pension scheme surplus, leading to extra pension payments for thousands of former staff. I also took pictures of the interviewees and wrote a story for the BBC News website on the subject.

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