The day Jimmy Cricket stole my wife
THE death after a short illness of comedian Jimmy Cricket brings back memories of the time he stole my wife...Jimmy, who was 80, was...
Britain needs a period of stability
Andy Burnham today becomes Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade.The very fact that we have gone through so many PMs in so short...
10 years on, the emerging impact of Brexit
IN the run up to the referendum on whether Britain should stay in the European Union, when I was still editor of The Northern...
Back to the future…
One of the mistakes the regional news industry has made during the challenging transition from print to digital has been to give up its...
To sack or not to sack
Liverpool sack their manager a season after he won the Premier League in his first year.
Southampton don't sack their manager after his ignorance of...
If you see Terry Larkin…
My lovely mum (pictured as a young woman), recently went into a care home after suffering a stroke. She's 94 now and doing OK...
Celebrating good lives
I've always thought it's an important duty of any local newspaper (or website these days) to publish obituaries.The lives of people who've made a...
Farewell to ‘Stormin’ Norman’
Sad to hear of the passing of Haughton Cricket Club President Norman Sturman.
I have fond memories of "Stormin' Norman" being the overall winner of...
Finding stories
I was once asked at a school careers event by a pupil: "Where do you find your stories?"
The truth is that, if you put...
Celebrating 10 years of Barron Media
It's 10 years ago today since I stepped down as the longest-serving editor of The Northern Echo and launched my own family business, Barron...
The importance of helping great people tell their stories
I've been a journalist for more than 40 years and, with changes in the industry that I often find depressing, there have been times...
Reaching down into the grass roots
NATURALLY, we get a buzz when our stories make it into the national press or big regional newspapers.
And yet we also love it when...
Questioning my sense of direction
My wife and I had great fun yesterday, joining in the attempt to break the world record for the most people doing 'The Loco-motion'.
The...
Kicking off about breast cancer awareness
In 2024, I wrote a story for The Northern Echo about how the CLS Amazons FC women's football team won their league.
What made the...
A trip back in time to The Palladium
As a young woman in post-war London, my mum loved nothing better than going to The Palladium to see the stars.
Money was tight but...
Remembering a proud Amazon
IN June 2024, I wrote a feature for The Northern Echo about how the CLS Amazons FC women's football team had become league champions...
Starmer has let trust slip through his fingers
AFTER 14 years of chaos, incompetence, lies, law-breaking and corruption under the Conservatives, the country desperately needed a safe pair of hands.
I hoped that’s...
Helping charities dovetail
ONE of the joys of my job is being able to bring people and organisations together.
At Barron Media, we have a wide range of...
Appreciating the value of obituaries
EVERY life is a story. And though obituaries may be sad, they are also extremely important, so I couldn't agree more with Sir Billy...
Back to the future
INTERESTING to read the Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2026, an annual report published today by the Reuters Institute for the Study of...