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 when she was just nine and together with her grandmother she was campaigning for an accessible roundabout, obviously she succeeded.
It was a delight to meet up with her again -12 years later – after I spotted she was completing the Race For Life in Manchester. Her heartwarming story was a page lead in the Lancashire Telegraph and Rossendale Free Press and she is being interviewed by Sally Naden for the True Life Stories on BBC Radio Lancashire’s mid-morning programme.
OTHER NEWS
An amazing 33 stories have been written since the start of the year – not only for my five contracts, but also for a number of returning clients who employ me on an ad hoc basis and five new clients.
Since January I have written and produced two four-page newsletters for Veterans In Communities and a Schoool News in a Day Project at Sharneyford.
My contract clients have been in the news and this month stories written by me appreaed in the Romford Recorder and Shropshire Star – my good news travels far and wide.
Haslingden High School has been a busy place with singing sensation Paddy appearing on a children’s TV talent show, an in-house school talent show raising an amazing amount for charity, both stories made page leads in the Lancashire Telegraph and Rossendale Free Press. Another six stories have been written for the school.
BBC Radio Lancashire’s Sally Naden came along to spend the morning with Veteran In Communities and she also interviewed another client Ayesha Gavin, who is deaf and runs her own British SIgn Language communication business. Her story was also in the press.
I was also asked to help get publicity for the plight of six Briish former soldiers who worked as anti-pirates and had been imprisoned in India on charges, which had been thrown out by a higher court. I wrote a freelance story for the Big Issue in the North.
Whitworth Community High School hit the headlines with its star footballer Jessica who is in a national final playing for Lancashire. Another student Sian also made page 3 with ther quirky online blog on YouTube and trampolinists who raised hundreds of pounds were lauded with a page lead.
At Fearns Community Sports College new pupils received bike safety training, the school marked Holocaust Memorial Day with a special week of events, engineers were inspired by a visit to Manchester University and writers got to see their mini horror stories in print.
On an ad-hoc basis I worked for Bacup Nursery School to promote their new classes for two year olds, following a change in education policy, and for Natalie Moulden to help promote Minerva Business Women, another story taken up by Radio Lancashire. Three ad hoc jobs over half term saw me writing about In Mind Therapies, which is working in schools helping staff and pupils cope with stress, Metis HR, a superb local business celebrating five years by taking on an employee and Rossendale Society for the Blind, which sadly closed after 126 years.
I am in the process of finalising the Spring edition of the JJO Journal for Rossendale’s biggest employer JJO, based in Bacup, and have a busy few weeks ahead.
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