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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Lizzie Deignan Retiring

One of Britain's most successful road cyclists, Lizzie Deignan, will retire at the end of next season. It was really good to have the opportunity to interview Lizzie about her incredible career.

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Asbestos

I've been filming a story about the harmful affects of asbestos. Around 5,000 people a year die in the UK of illnesses caused by exposure to asbestos. In Yorkshire, a charity is marking twenty five years of supporting thousands of people who have developed illnesses after being exposed to the building material. 

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Huddersfield House Murder Investigation

Police are continuing a murder investigation following the discovery of a man's body at a house in West Yorkshire. A 59 year old man was found in the Crosland Moor area of Huddersfield. I reported from the scene.

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Chris Kamara

“Unbelievable Jeff!” I had a thoroughly enjoyable time filming, photographing and interviewing Chris Kamara this week who's been awarded Freedom of the City of Wakefield. It's in recognition of his services to charity and the city ⚽️😀 

This is the article on the BBC News website and here's my interview for BBC Radio in Yorkshire...

markansell · Chris Kamara

Presenting Breakfast Bulletins

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Ice Hockey Neck Guards

I filmed with junior ice hockey players in Leeds who told me they welcome new rules which mean they'll have to keep wearing neck protection when they become aged 18. The new rule was introduced following the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson whose neck was cut during a match against Sheffield Steelers. But players in the top division, the Elite League, will not be forced to wear neck guards.

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Doom Metal

I had a lot of fun filming this one! There's a new surprise musical pairing which started in Yorkshire and lets an ancient instrument reach new audiences. Heavy rock music known as Doom Metal has been played alongside a pipe organ at Huddersfield Town Hall in a gig in the Summer and it was a big hit!

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Presenting Late Look North

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Presenting breakfast bulletin

I presented the Look North bulletins in the BBC Breakfast programme for the first time. Six bulletins in the space of fewer than 3 hours and it flew by!

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Presenting Late Look North

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