This is an amazing book, which is well written and detailed remembering the scenes as they played out but respecting peoples wishes. It proves how little was done back then and how it was only through the many campaigns and eventually getting the laws changing we got...

Often I will get asked to write a story for a client and I soon realise that, with a few tweaks, that story can be made press ready for use by media in a different location. At no extra charge. In recent weeks this has happened twice - firstly for regular ad hoc...

Another three weeks of lockdown After what can only be described as a week from hell, it is a huge ‘Hello sunny Sunday’ from me. My last blog was on April 10th, it feels like it was yesterday but I have lost days from this week as unfortunately I got floored by what I...

18 days in Wow - really? Have I been shackled to this house for 18 days? Time flies or not when you are doing very little in the way of work…Ok, for those of you who don’t know me, that just well never happens; not for me anyway. I make things to do, I conjure up...

First week Whoa. What just happened to the world we all know? To be honest, that is how this week has made me feel. I hit the wall on Saturday morning, for many years I have been using that expression – usually when writing about marathon runners or people who have...

Day 3 and 4 How much rubbish can people drop? That certainly was the question I found myself asking on Thursday as I decided to make my daily walk useful; lone ranger litter picking for Bacup Pride. Two hours of hard work and an area off New Line looked a heck of a...

Writing... it's what I do... Day 1 As usual, I woke up ridiculously early, about 4am, so caught up on a drama I had missed and then watched a scandalous documentary on air pollution that caused shocking deformities in babies, before I managed to drift away back to the...

Ever since I started this business in 2009, and before in a voluntary capacity, my passion has always been school newspapers and encouraging literacy. Through this commission I was given the most amazing opportunity of spending three days at Unity Community Primary...

The alarm goes - 7am and my plan swings into action. Meds, up, dressed and drive to Rochdale in the pouring rain to catch the 8.15am train to Manchester Victoria. Simple. The half-an-hour needed between meds and breakfast sorted 7.50 get in the car for the 8.5 mile...

I'm late... I'm late... well just like the White Rabbit is Lewis Carroll's bizarre tale 'Alice in Wonderland' this post too is very late. I made myself a promise when I invested in my new website and oops I have already broken it. Once a month I will post a round up....

When I was told that Millie O'Shea had been diagnosed with cancer again I was devastated. I was the news editor of the Rossendale Free Press when I first learnt about Millie, she was only three then and had been diagnosed with a Wilm's Tumour and I met the family...

A massive thank you to everyone who has employed me since January, this has been my busiest year to date. Without doubt the success I am most proud of is Fearns Chat, my flagship school newspaper, winning the national Shine Media Award for best newspaper in the...

This would have ordinarily been a Good Samaritan story however it developed into much more when, even though 15-year-old Millie was helping a pensioner, a man chose to criticise her school. Head Girl at Fearns Community Sports College had done what other passersby...

This is a complete departure from my normal work blog, I took this photograph to illustrate the amazing work being carried out by volunteers in my home village. This was a voluntary piece of work to praise the dedicated members of Weir Pride, a community group set up...

Homeless charity M3 Project set up a fundraising idea to encourage people to host a Big Soup Social to get people together and raise money and awareness of the organisation. I have worked for M3 for several years to raise awareness of the charity and I specialise in...

Unashamedly proud. It is fair to say that pretty much sums up my feelings and this story. WE WON. In 2009, when I was the News Editor at the Rossendale Free Press I made a suggestion to the editor that the paper work with a high school to produce a newspaper. There...

A teenager whose younger brother is currently being treated for leukaemia will be having her waist-length hair cut to make wigs for children who have lost their hair to cancer. Bryony Booth is also raising money for the Ronald McDonald Charities because her family...

After spending a day with a GP Practice in Haslingden, my feature was used by the Big Issue North over three pages with four photographs. I was very lucky to be invited to join the practice by my good friend Dr Abdul Mannan and the patients were most gracious in...

A state school newspaper produced in just one week was highly commended in the national Shine School Media Awards. Fearns Chat has been produced by since 2009, at first as an insert in the Rossendale Free Press when I was still news editor. After redundancy, it has...

Despatch Rider Lewis Banham spent the Second World War in Europe bravely delivering messages to troops on the front line. Now, more than 70 years later, he has been rewarded with the Dutch Liberation Medal for helping to free the Netherlands. The 94-year-old was also...

CRPS - Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is an often misunderstood condition leaving the patient in excruciating pain with symptoms no one can see. Having interviewed Jack and his younger brother Jayden in the past about their dancing, I had already formed a bond with...

While Scottish and Welsh Gaelic are accepted minority languages, British Sign Language is not. As a result, when a deaf person needs to have an interpreter they can find that their 'voice' is someone with nothing more that a GCSE qualification in their language. Deaf...

When I first started Catherine Smyth Media in 2009, my USP was creating newspapers in schools. Since then I have developed the programme to produce papers in a day, over a week, to cover a term or half term. Now I have gone back to the future - by that I mean that my...

This year has been a phenomenally successful one for my business with the highlight most definitely jointly winning the Sole Trader of the Year Award at Rossendale Business Awards in November. I am known for words, but I also take the odd photograph including two that...

I knew I had been shortlisted but nevertheless it still comes as a shock to be announced as the winner. Indeed I shared the honours with my friend Liz Hall from Liz Henson Photography, but that seemed to make a lot of sense. We do a lot of collaborative work as is...

Throughout the month of October, Amazon Kindle has selected my book The Sophie Lancaster Story to become one of its special deals to be promoted to UK readers. Since the book was relaunced on St George's Day in April, it has been an incredible success and I am...

When Haslingden High School set about trying to get an all terrain mountain trike to aid a student's mobility, more than 3,500 pounds was raised in just a few weeks after excellent publicity was achieved. Sam Ainsworth has Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, an inherited...

Ten pupils, one week, 11,000 words and 16 pages; that in a nutshell is the latest edition of Fearns Chat. Every year since I started working for myself, I have spent a whole week at Fearns Community Sports College, Stacksteads, producing the school newspaper. The...

A chance offer to rebrand, relaunch and update my book on the murder of Sophie Lancaster has had an incredible response. The original book was published in 2010 under the title Weirdo Mosher Freak, the new version The Sophie Lancaster Story, has been updated to bring...

Artist Laura Doherty has so far painted five of her former classrooms with giganitic murals bringing history, English and music to life. The former Haslingden High School student painted her first classroom when she was 16 and, after finishing her A levels, she was...

Deciding to take on a 10k can be an ordeal for most people, but when you are a wheelchair user it brings a host of other complications. But Francesca Dean doesn't know the word can't and will not let anything stop her from doing what she wants. I first met Francesca...

Catherine Smyth's book on the murder of Sophie Lancaster - the 'Goth girl' kicked to death by teenagers because she dressed differently- has been sold internationally. 2016 APRIL: Weirdo Mosher Freak has now been rebranded The Sophie Lancaster Story and is being sold...

Actress Stacey Clegg has had a dream for many years to celebrate her brother's short life by creating photographs to depict Michael Jackson songs. The story was an unusual one given the tragic circumstances of her brother's death following a road accident when both...

When an elderly gentleman collapsed in Rawtenstall three teenagers were quick to come to his aid. The Haslingden High School students helped the pensioner, tended to his injuries and comforted him while help was sought. Their bravery was rewarded with a thank you...

At one of my contract schools - Fearns Community Sports College - the borough's school sports organiser is based to encourage primary schools to participate in sporting competitions. Nathan Bibby also assists schools to apply for the prestigious Sainsbury's Schools...

A one-off newspaper produced in four weeks proved so popular the school has decided it should be produced every half-term. The first edition of The Broadway Buzz sold very well, so well the school in Haslingden had decided to continue the sessions each half-term to...

From 87-year-old Elsie down to little two-year-old toddler Scarlett, five generations of the same family now dance at Dansworks Dance Academy in Bacup. I have been working for Dansworks on an ad hoc basis since 2011 and this was a charming story to write. Principal...

This year's Fearns Chat has just been completed - a hectic week with 13 Year 9 pupils writing, photographing and designing a 16-page newspaper to shout about the busy year that there has been at Fearns Community Sports College. Last year's version was among 200...

This was an inspirational story about the success of a GCSE student from Whitworth Community High School who even revised on the ward where her father was seriously ill. It has been a turbulent year for Nicola Howorth after her father was left seriously ill following...

A project to formally mark the graves of soldiers from Bacup who gave their lives concluded with a ceremony attended by 100 people at a hilltop cemetery. Members of Veterands In Communities, one my contracts, have been carrying out the work since last year, locating...

Not many teenagers scale the highest peak in Africa, but that is just what Isobel Wilson did. The 17-year-old student from Haslingden High School, where I have a contract to provide press and PR coverage, hiked to the top of the mountain with her father, a school...

An incredible 1,431 people wore Christmas jumpers in the same place at the same time at Haslingden High School in a world record bid. A festive story to end what has been a busy year and, thanks to superb photographs taken by Liz Henson Photography, the story broke...

The mother of murdered 'Goth' Sophie Lancaster delivered a hard hitting talk to pupils at Fearns Community Sports College, Stacksteads. Sylvia Lancaster also met three pupils who have written news articles for an Amnesty International competition to highlight the...

Brit award nominee John Newman made a high school pupil's day when he took time out from a gig to autograph her project about him and he gave her a hug. Shannon Cokell's mum Terry grew up in the village of Stainton in North Yorkshire where John is from and, as...

Catering manager Iain Campbell will be swapping kitchen whites for combats when he takes on a key role in a major Royal Navy operation. The Royal Navy reservist is catering manager at Haslingden High School where Catherine Smyth has a press and PR contract.. A story...

The final story for Enterprising People in Ribble Valley was a lovely tale about an inspirational autistic man who creates craft bags and sells them worldwide. Catherine Smyth has been working with EPRV for the past year reporting on the many success stories of the...

A willow soldier who was stolen from Whitworth was found hidden under bushes in Heywood and is now back on patrol. Catherine Smyth works for Veterans In Communities and the story of the willow tank and soldier - made by a veteran and VIC member to commemorate the...

Teenagers joined forces with veterans to uncover the hidden graves of First World War soldiers who are remembered in Bacup Cemetery. Catherine Smyth has a contract with Rossendale-based charity Veterans In Communities and wrote a news story about the work and also...

Teachers at a primary school have been seeing double with nearly half of the Year 6 class being twins. Catherine was introduced to the amazing Year 6 class at St Anne's C of E School, Waterfoot, when she produced a school newspaper St Anne's Press last month. The...

At just 12, James Newton has already designed several new Mini cars and is in regular contact with the BMW Mini designers. As a reward for his efforts James, and his family, were given a VIP tour of the plant in Oxford and free use of a Mini Countryman for a week....

When you come to thinking about historical towns it is not often you would consider Middleton and yet there are four buildings in the 'old Lancashire' town that are steeped in history. Each September they co-ordinate their opening times to give everyone a chance to...

Students with learning difficulties are gaining work experience in their own cafe attached to their school where they get the chance to serve members of the public. I was asked to help promote for The Garage Cafe at Tor View Special School in Haslingden and a lovely...

A ten month piece of work has come to the end this month with the prestigious presentation evening for Rossendale Business Awards. Taking the top prize was Tufties Hair and Beauty in Rawtenstall. The business faced a challenging year after taking over a former pub,...

Local history group Bacup Natural History Society asked for help in promoting an exciting new venture funded by a National Lottery Heritage Grant. Historian Wendy Lord researched the Fern Hill Auxiliary Hospital used in the First World War to treat injured servicemen....

Veterans turned detective to solve the mystery of a soldier whose name appeared on a World War II roll of honour but nothing was known about him. All the other 110 names had full details of rank, age at time of death, place of death and whether they were married, but...

Brave teachers at Fearns Community Sports College put their best legs forward, then endured the pain while their hairs were ripped out using hot wax. It was all in the name of charity and the school's efforts on the day raised £1,000 for Comic Relief. Catherine Smyth...

When a choir for people who have dementia was set up, organisers were delighted when its membership soared by a third in just a month. Catherine Smyth has a PR contract with REAL who helped to set up the choir with Crossroads. It now meets every Wednesday in...

When a Whitworth couple found themselves in financial strife after redundancy, Rossendale Citizens' Advice Bureau helped them to reclaim nearly £9,000. They are now debt free - something that would not have happened had it not been for the actions of the CAB....

Rossendale's answer to the 'Oscars' were presented to top businesses at a prestigious ceremony. Catherine Smyth was employed by Valley At Work to promote the event in through a series of articles starting back in June and culminating in a double page spread in the...

The recently retired headteacher of Haslingden High School has been awarded an OBE in the New Year's Honours list. Eve Challinger was head of the Rossendale high school until August 2011 and led it to become an 'outstanding' school by Ofsted standards. To read more...

A Rawtenstall salon was recreated for a hit Sky1 HD comedy Little Crackers starring the Valley's own Jane Horrocks. The production was based around a true story of a hair encounter when Rawtenstall-born Jane wanted to emulate her idol Barbra Streisand and against her...

A Falklands veteran besieged by memories of the conflict has found new hope thanks to art. Darren Horsnell turned his life around from being homeless and suicidal to being engaged and now helping others to explore art and looking forward to a brighter future. A story...

An investigation into the potential conflict of interest of having a bailiff company owned by the same business outsourced to collect council tax featured as the three-page splash in the Big Issue In The North on March 26. The freelance investigation, carried out by...

A stunning pair of wellies designed by a pupil from Fearns Community Sports College won a competition and could be picked to be sold nationally. Courtney-Lea Reader, 13, designed the wellies for the festival range sold by the national competition by retail giant...

Seventeen-year-old Luke Dempsey will be playing in the prestigious Proms concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Luke, from Bacup, has been playing cornet since he was eight is principal cornet player with 2nd Rossendale Scout Group Band. Aged just 12 he played a...

A children's centre that received national praise has seen a baby boom among staff with a fifth expecting or recently giving birth. Haslingden Community Link combines childcare and parent craft activities with a community centre and cafe meeting the needs of all ages...

When a veteran was told he had claimed money he was not entitled to he agreed to pay it back - yet he was still prosecuted. Amputee Craig Howorth, from Bacup, was told that he could remortgage his house to repay the cash in a lump sum, even though he had agreed a...

For the second year running the Royal British Legion in Greater Manchester has employed Catherine Smyth Media to publicise their record breaking Poppy Appeal. This year the cadets final total showed a 10 per cent increase on the figures for 2009. A release was written...

A DETERMINED dad who battled a bailiff bill and won, has finally received an apology from Rossendale Council after taking the matter to the ombudsman. As a result of James Howson's actions, the ombudsman decided some charges made were 'unreasonable' and had been...

A DETERMINED resident threatened legal action after a health body announced plans to scrap vital funding of Rossendale Citizens’ Advice Bureau (CAB). Rawtenstall resident Miranda Owen pursued a Judicial Review of the East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust’s (PCT)...

Young Dancer Jayden Leigh has shown he is a little star when it comes to street dance. Despite being born with club foot which is still being treated with splints and boots, he has passed his first exam at Dansworks Dance Academy. A news story and photographs by...