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January 31, 2007
Great start to the day!
It's been a pretty awful start to the day at Gazette House - infact it's nothing short of a nightmare.
The new reporter who was due to start today as a replacement for Tom Parnell has left a message to say they have had a better job offer elsewhere and therefore will not be joining us.
So, that's a whole month wasted in recruiting a replacement and leaves the newsdesk desperately short of staff at a particularly busy time. There are words I could use to describe my anger at their actions in not starting today - but this is a family blog!
And if things could not get any worse our production editor has injured his knee and can't get into work on our busiest production day in Uxbridge, with deadlines to meet for a large number of the other titles we produce out of Gazette House.
That means I will have to step in and lend a helping hand and put all my other plans for the day on hold for the time being.
On a more positive note this week's Gazette is a cracking paper - and as I said yesterday the best overall edition we have produced this year. So, at least I have something to smile about at the moment!
Posted by aseal at 9:56 AM | Comments (0)
January 30, 2007
Tom's crosses the river
Today we say farewell to one of our Uxbridge reporter's Tom Parnell, who is moving across the river to one of our sister papers the South London Press.
Tom has worked his way up to become a senior reporter on the Gazette and has been an extremely valuable member of the team and we are all sorry to see him leave for pastures new.
By one abiding memory of Tom will be the day he left his coat and notebook, with most of his stories for that week's paper, at his parents during a weekend stay. I took a frantic call from Tom on a Sunday night as he explained his plight.
As luck would have it Tom's parents lived near to me in Surrey so, it was a frantic Sunday night dash for his poor mum to deliver the coat and more importantly the notebook to my house.
I was delighted that the notebook would be reunited with Tom ready for Monday morning and no stories would be missed out in the Gazette. However, I am not sure Tom's mum was quite so pleased about having to turn out on a wet and windy Sunday night - stupid boy I think was her reaction!
It's been a hetic few days and now I have finished my stint as sports editor for the week I can take some time to look over the main news pages for this week's paper before deadline.
This week's Gazette is a strong edition with a really good mix of hard news stories and features - I have to say it's the best paper we have put out so far this year.
Posted by aseal at 12:12 PM | Comments (2)
January 29, 2007
Sporting substitute
Apologies for the lack of blog activity today and this rather short and sharp entry.
Our sports editor Scott has gone sick so I have had to step in to run the sports desk this week. This means getting six pages of sport completed by tomorrow lunchtime - I think I will make it but it's going to be a close call.
At least with my head buried in sorting out football, rugby and cycling reports it means I have not had any time to bother the newsdesk about what's appearing on the news pages this week. They tell me we have a strong newslist and everything is going just fine - and I really do believe them.
Anyway, must press on with the sports pages. Being a former sports editor myself many years ago it's just like the old days .......
Posted by aseal at 3:39 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2007
Don't phone home
At long last someone has seen sense and is introducing tougher penalties for motorists caught using a hand-held mobile telephone.
I just hope this stops the idiots - like the clown weaving about on the Denham roundabout yesterday morning while on his mobile phone - from breaking the law.
However, I have my doubts that even the threat of automatically having three points on their licence and a fine of £60 is going to be a tough enough deterrent to stop some people from still using their beloved mobile phone while driving.
I fear it will take a tragic accident in the case of some motorists before it really hits home that using a mobile phone while driving is on a par with excessive speeding and even drink driving.
You quite simply can't be in control of your vehicle if you are using the phone at the same time as driving.
Alarmingly it is reported that 92 per cent of people agree with the law but 21 per cent of drivers currently admit to breaking it.
Hopefully the new penalties will finally hit home with those that continue to flout the law and the police will apply a tough approach in stopping these idiots. It will be interesting to see if the number of convictions increases now from the last reported figures in 2004, when 74,000 fixed-penalty notices were issued in England and Wales for illegal use of mobile phones while driving.
That's my rant for the day over but, when it could be a matter of life and death it makes my blood boil to see people breaking a law that is so totally uneccesary. No phone call is that important...
Posted by aseal at 7:30 AM | Comments (0)
January 25, 2007
Blast from the past
Since starting this blog it has proved extremely useful in re-uniting me with some of my former colleagues over the years in the business.
Memories of my days as editor of the Bracknell News came flooding back when a former photograhper on the paper contacted me from Thailand and yesterday I received a call from a reporter I worked with during my days at the Maidenhead Advertiser.
I had not heard from him for over 25 years (that shows my age!) and he had spotted my blog while searching for some information about the Uxbridge area. He now works in the world of property - far more lucrative than being a journalist - and seems to be doing very well for himself.
It is always interesting to find out what former colleagues are up to and if there are anymore of you out there then contact me and let me if you have made your fortune - and if so, what the secret is.
I have a busy schedule today and will shortly be 'crossing the border' for a meeting at our sister paper the Buckinghamshire Adveriser in Chalfont St Peter. It will then be a quick dash back to Uxbridge where I am hosting a meeting of editors from our other titles across West London and Bucks.
At the same time I will be keeping an eye on the newslist for next week's Gazette as we start to plan the early pages for the subs' to start work on.
Posted by aseal at 7:57 AM | Comments (4)
January 24, 2007
It's snow joke
Having negotiated a somewhat tricky journey from the snowfields of Surrey early this morning I was really looking forward to my first cup of warming coffee to get me going for the day!
But shock, horror the coffee machine was out of action - just what you need on probably the coldest morning of the winter.
On the theme of navigation the lead story in our Harefield edition this week particularly caught my eye.
Modern technology is all well and good until something goes wrong and that's certainly the case in Harefield. Sat-navs are sending lorry drivers down a narrow lane in the village and residents are fed up with seeing oversized heavy goods vehicles becoming trapped in their road after being directed their by mistake.
This is not the first case - or the last - of sat-navs sending drivers down a blind alley although according to an AA spokesman: " It's easy to blame sat navs for these problems when really the same thing could happen when using an Ordinance Survey map."
This is one of many good reads in this week's Gazette - which is safely out on the streets despite the wintry weather.
However, it looks as though the snow has marooned most of my staff as the office is looking decidedly empty at the moment.
PS: Update on the coffee machine - it has now sprung back into action and I can start warming up .....
Posted by aseal at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2007
No free booty
The great British obsession with hunting down a bargain has been no more evident than the great Devon free-for-all on the beach at Branscombe as thousands pick over the wreckage of the stricken container ship.
I have to say the scenes have been extraordinary with people grabbing anything they can get their hands on - and I don't think too many will be declaring their booty!
It begs the question: "Do you look a gift horse in the mouth? Well, I suppose the lure of picking up a free supply of wine for a year or a gleaming BMW bike for nothing is just too tempting for some people.
Unfortunately there is no free booty with this week's Gazette but as always it promises to be another action packed paper and great value.
My comments last week that the newslist 'fizzled out' were not met with universal approval from the newsdesk so I better be careful what I say in future!
We are working hard on several potential lead stories this morning for the Uxbridge edition. My prefered option is proving difficult to stand up at the moment but I am hopeful we will get enough to splash on what is potentially a real talking point for readers.
We also have some fairly dramatic pictures and stories from last week's storms that battered the borough and a three page special report from our Local Heroes Awards night.
It promises to be a fairly frantic few hours as we head up to deadline and with news of a train derailment in Hayes reaching us and about to be posted on the website it really is all hands to the pump.
Posted by aseal at 9:29 AM | Comments (0)
January 22, 2007
There is no crime this week!
There will be no reports of crime related incidents in this week's Gazette - and probably next week's also.
And, it's not because the borough has become a crime free zone or we don't have the room to include them - spare the thought!
The reason is that Hillingdon police's press liaison officer (press officer in my book) has gone on holiday for two weeks and there is no one else seemingly available or capable of providing us with the information.
Quite frankly I think this is a shocking state of affairs and I can only apologise in advance for the lack of crime reports in the Gazette over the next two weeks.
I think it is vitally important that a local newspaper keeps it readers up to date with what crimes are occuring in the area - and although they may not always make pleasant reading they are after all a vital part of the coverage we provide.
Hopefully when the press liaison officer returns from holiday we will have column after column of crime nibs - the only trouble is they will all be out of date by then!
On a more positive note all the pictures from last Thursday's Local Heroes Awards night have now been posted on the website:Go to http://www.uxbridgegazette.co.uk/localheroes to see them along with a full report of the evening.
Posted by aseal at 3:13 PM | Comments (2)
January 19, 2007
They're all local heroes
Last night was a celebration of local heroes from across the borough.
The annual Gazette/Uxbridge College Local Heroes Awards was another memorable night as some truly remarkable feats and achievements by individuals were honoured.
It's always a very humbling occasion and I only have admiration for the exceptional cases of caring, courage, bravery and dedication that were featured at the ceremony held in the theatre at Hayes Community Campus.
At any event like this there have to be winners but in my mind everyone who attended last night as a shortlisted finalist was a local hero in their own right.
The awards are now in their fifth year and thanks to the generous support of Uxbridge College, and in particular Principal Rachel Davies, have continued to flourish and are now firmly established as a major event in the borough.
It certainly was a night to remember and I hope that everyone who attended enjoyed it as much as I did. And the music from the Vyners Swing Band that entertained the large audience certainly ensured that the evening went with a swing.
And, it was also good to meet up again with the band's leader Perry Parsons and have the opportunity to congratulate him on his recent award of an MBE. It is a richly deserved honour for Perry, who was the Hero of Hillingdon at last year's awards.
Next week's Gazette will be featuring the awards in full and we will also shortly be posting a special picture galary from the evening on the website.
Posted by aseal at 8:02 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2007
Trains, buses, cars and falling trees
Two things absolutely vital to producing a newspapers are reporters and sub editors.
You may think that is stating the blooming obvious but when the weather strikes and at the same time storm stories are breaking across the borough it's a problem when the majority of your staff are all stuck on the underground.
That was exactly the case this morning when a tree came down and struck a train close to Hillingdon station and closed all lines in and out of Uxbridge.
Stranded at Ruislip station were half the reporting team and a posse of subs - desperately needed to help finish our sister title the Ealing Gazette, which has a deadline this morning.
The Uxbridge reporters that managed to beat the train, bus and traffic chaos that ensued did a great job in getting the train drama story up on the site within minutes of it breaking - showing the true value of the website when it comes to breaking news. And our photographers were quickly out of their blocks to capture the drama as it unfolded.
Thanks to a vigilant member of our advertising team the rest of the reporters were rescued from Rusilip station by car and the members of the subbing team eventually got here by any means they could.
All in all it's been a frantic morning at Gazette House and with the wind still howling it looks like that might continue for the rest of the day as reports of storm damage continue to flood in to the newsroom.
Posted by aseal at 1:26 PM | Comments (0)
Monkey business!
There is now an army of editors across Trinity Mirror Southern (a vast empire that runs from the 'sands' of Southend to the 'beauty' of Berkshire taking in places like Uxbridge, Croydon and South London on the way) who have entered blog-land.
Some seen more keen than others with the task of producing daily updates - but secretly we all love it really!
It's always interesting to see what my fellow editors are rambling on about each day and what gains the most reaction from you out there.
In Croydon the editor of the award winning Croydon Advertiser, Ian Carter has certainly provoked some reaction with his rants about the BBC. Go to http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk it's well worth reading.
However, my favourite read at the moment comes from my colleague down the road at the Ealing Gazette http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk Since recently launching his blog Shujaul Azam has very quickly acquired a new friend - a monkey no less.
The Monkey is very quick to pick up on Shujail's daily comments and yesterday
in reaction to the big tram debate in Ealing his reaction was a real cracker. I quote: ' I heard we might be getting a tramway to ease the parking problem. Monkies like me like trams as it is easy to get about so long as they travel close enough to the trees to enable me to get out easily and also the great thing about being a monkey is that you can travel on the roof and don't need to pay!!!'
Anyway, enough monkey business for this time of the day it's time to get on with some real work as I have a busy schedule of meetings to get through before the Local Heroes Awards tonight.
PS: If you have any particular rants you want to get off you chest don't forget to contact me.
Posted by aseal at 8:02 AM | Comments (0)
January 17, 2007
Storm alarm over
You will be pleased to know that the fire alarm drama is over - and I am safely back in the warmth of my office. It appears the sudden storm that just struck Uxbridge triggered off alarms across the town centre....
So I will now get back to my orginal thoughts about how the weather dominated my drive into work and left me wondering just what is going on.
There were reports of a big freeze in California wiping out the orange crop and then on the other side of the coin temperatures of over 40 degrees in Melbourne for the Australian Open Tennis.
While in this country although we are enjoying the warmest winter on record we are now being warned that over the next 24 hours we face being battered by storms and torrential rain. And, on top of that next week there is the distinct possibility of snow sweeping across the country!
It's a funny world we live in currently with regard to the weather and global warming seems to have well and truly arrived.
To keep upto date with all the latest weather stories across the borough look at our regular news updates on the site. We will be keeping you fully informed of stories as and when they break...
Posted by aseal at 8:44 AM | Comments (0)
Fire alarm drama
Today's drive to work was dominated by the weather - both inside and outside of the car.
The rain was lashing down and the wind starting the howl as I made my daily trek from Surrey to Uxbridge on the M25. And, as I write this entry a monsoon appears to have struck Gazette House - and now the fire alarms have started to bellow out.
In the line of duty I am going to post this blog and beat a hasty retreat. I will update you later on developments ....
Posted by aseal at 8:07 AM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2007
Oh what a night!
It's been a strange sort of news week as we put the finishing touches to the paper at Gazette House this morning.
After a reasonable start the newslist has kind of fizzled out over the last couple of days and I have to say there have been few stories that have got me really excited - you do have some weeks like this.
Not saying that this week's Gazette will still not be a good read with some topical local issues like the ongoing row over A-boards outside shops and the latest on Tesco's bid for the Master Brewer site at Hillingdon Circus.
However, to me it somehow lacks the cutting edge of breaking news stories that we have been pulling in over the last few weeks - please don't take this personally on the newsdesk, I know you have been doing your best and your efforts are appreciated.
One feature that is sure to be well read is our two-page spread previewing Thursday night's Local Heroes Awards. All the shortlisted finalists are profiled and there is no doubt that they are all winners in their own right for some remarkable achievements. It promises to be quite a night - and I am eagerly awaiting it.
Posted by aseal at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
January 15, 2007
Birds fly from library!
After a day out of the office on Friday I have spent a large chunk of this morning catching up, which includes trolling through an ever expanding inbox on my email.
Despite a lot the emails carrying the tag of 'not interesting delete immediately' there were a couple of potential stories which I have passed on to the newsdesk to investigate further.
This week's newslist is again looking quite strong and we have potential leads for all four Gazette editions. However, it's still early days and although they are all good stories we will be working hard to unearth at least a couple of really good exclusives for our readers.
One of the stranger stories, which we have already run on the website, is the theft of two prize stuffed birds from a display cabinet at Uxbridge Library. It's amazing to think that thieves managed to carry out this daring raid in broad daylight from a busy library and even took the glass clasing the birds were in. We will be covering this story in more depth in this week's paper.
Although I was not in the office on Friday I was putting my time to good use (don't want anyone to think I was bunking off for the day).
After a lively and interesting meeting with some of my fellow editors from across the region I then spent time with our digital director looking at some improvements to the Gazette website.
We have indentified some changes to further enhance the site and I will bring you news of these over the course of the next few days.
Posted by aseal at 11:51 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2007
It will be all right on the night
We are now only a week away from the Gazette Local Heroes Awards gala evening and a large part of yesterday was spent making sure everything is on course for what promises to be a great night.
It's without doubt one of the highlights of the year for the Gazette and is always a memorable evening when the unsung heroes of the borough are honoured for some amazing achievements in all walks of life.
The most important thing about the preperations is making sure that all the winners attend on the night. Although I know who the overall winners are this is a closely guarded secret between the judges until the actual awards on the night.
All the shortlisted finalists are invited so yesterday was spent checking they had all replied and confirmed their attendance - so far it's looking good for a full house on the evening.
I have to say I am looking forward to the evening and in next week's Gazette we will be profiling all the shortlisted finalists in the various categories in a special feature on the Local Heroes 2006 event.
All in all it was a busy day yesterday as we also started to look at some new content ideas for the Gazette in the coming months. These are all based around making your local paper an even better read and I will keep you updated on progress over the coming weeks.
PS: If this awful weather - it's currently blowing a gale and lashing down with rain outside - is leaving you craving foreign parts then this week's Gazette has a four-page guide to reader holidays in the UK, Europe and further afield. I am already looking at them with envy and they look jolly good value too. You can also check them out on http://www.travel-tms.co.uk
Posted by aseal at 7:36 AM | Comments (0)
January 10, 2007
A-board gravy train?
Yesterday I touched on the council's move to make traders across the borough pay to place boards advertising their businesses outside their stores.
We have reported this story in depth on page three of this week's Gazette - out today - and I have to say the response from traders is one of horror and outrage.
Hillingdon council claim the decision follows complaints from residents about the safety of pavements for blind and partially sighted people, the elderly and parents with pushchairs.
What I fail to understand is how by asking traders to pay nearly £400 to place the boards outside their shops is going to make them any safer! How can handing over this money to the council make an A-board seen to be dangerous suddenly become safe? And how enforceable is it going to be?
I will admit to having something of a vested interested in this issue because the Gazette has a number of A-boards outside newsagents across the borough which, we use to promote stories in the paper each week.
But that aside I still find it a difficult pill to swallow that this kind of 'stealth tax' can be introduced on businesses.
During a very quick walk around Uxbridge town centre yesterday I counted at least 30 A-boards outside different shops - from employment agencies to restaurants/bars. Now, you don't have to be a mathmatician to work out this this new charge could be a nice little earner for the council across the whole borough!
So is this new legislation a gravy train for the council or a genuine piece of common sense legislation? I will leave you to make up your own mind - but I know where my money is...
Posted by aseal at 7:40 AM | Comments (0)
January 9, 2007
Tesco story is a hit
It's much easier to see what readers are really interested online than in print.
While I am waiting for the last few news pages on this week's Gazette to be designed, subbed and checked I have been looking at the daily website figures I can now obtain.
And yesterday we had a large number of hits when we posted the breaking story that Tesco had withdrawn their application for a controversial superstore on the Master Brewer site at Hillingdon Circus.
Infact, it has proved to be one of the most popular stories we have put on the site in terms of hits - even more so than my daily blogs!
We will be covering the Tesco story in much greater depth in this week's Gazette and it will be our page five lead in what is turning out to be a strong news week with a good mix of stories.
One story we will be focusing on heavily is the council's decision to start charging traders across the borough to place boards advertising their businesses outside their stores. I have to say this seems to me just another way of swelling the council's coffers - but more on that later ...
Posted by aseal at 10:13 AM | Comments (1)
January 8, 2007
Scott's blank pages
It's back to normal for the Gazette this week - although one person scratching his head and wondering how to fill the pages is our sports editor Scott.
The wet weather over the weekend virtually wiped out the entire sporting programme - particularly the local football scene - leaving him literally staring blankly at his sports pages first thing this morning.
Most the coverage on the sports pages is 'live action' from the weekend so a complete wipe out due to the weather is every sports editor's worst nightmare. While Scott always has a few things up his sleeve to cover such eventualities, it's likely we will have to drop at least one sports page this week with so little action over the weekend.
On the news front things are shaping up well and the early contenter for the splash in the Uxbridge edition is a 'have-a-go hero' story. Our Hayes reporter john Hughill has also unearthed a tale about a rat being discovered in a woman's fridge - which is enough to put anybody off their lunch!.
Posted by aseal at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 5, 2007
Wild horse chase
There is nothing worse than the Editor tipping off the newsdesk about a story only to find out it is nothing more than a wild goose chase.
Well, that was the case yesterday after I received a call telling me that a large number of horses were lose near the busy A40 Denham roundabout and causing chaos.
Chief photographer Chris Berry was rapidly dispatched to the scene to capture the drama - only to return some 30 minutes later to report there was not a horse to be seen....
Further investigation with 'my contact' revealed they might actually be on the M25 rather than than near the A40. It seems these 'horses' were moving fast or was it just a case of a wild horse chase!
Todate there have been no further sightings of any horses on the lose - and I am keeping quite in the future until I am sure of all the facts about any possible stories!.
Posted by aseal at 7:33 AM | Comments (0)
January 4, 2007
Doors that don't Chime!
A few weeks ago one of my colleagues on the subs' desk mentioned his frustration that the electronic doors to the Chimes Shopping Centre in Uxbridge were constantly out of action.
In the pre-Christmas frenzy I kind of forgot all about this - although he did drop a gentle hint that it had not appeared in my blog yet.
Well, I have to say heis quite right in his frustration as today three of the four doors were out of action leaving only one entrance for the hordes of lunchtime shoppers to squeeze through.
I also noticed that yesterday during a quick visit to the Chimes at least two of the doors were 'inoperable'.
Ok, it's not the most earth shattering problem to hit Uxbridge but in today's world of modern technology I would have thought it's not the most difficult thing to get a shopping centre's doors to open and shut properly.
Posted by aseal at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)
X-rated rubbish
My twenty-something daughter has recently moved back home while she waits for a completion date to move into her new house.
Now, it's great to have her back around the place but her arrival has exposed me to some extremely naff television.
Having survived the X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing I thought it was safe to settle down after a hard days work with a glass of red wine and enjoy some intelligent programme watching.
But, horror of horrors what popped up but BBC's latest naff effort Just The Two of Us and then what really got me running to my bed was the thought of being exposed to Celebrity Big Brother.
Perhaps I am just getting old but give me a good old classic showing of Dads Army or Faulty Towers anyday rather than this X-rated rubbish that is now filling our screens on a nightly basis.
On a more positive note there is nothing X-rated about the newslist for next week's Gazette. Even at this early stage it's looking highly promising and it's a welcome relief to get back to a normal size paper and a real news agenda after the Christmas and New Year period.
Posted by aseal at 7:27 AM | Comments (0)
January 3, 2007
Still great value
I am expecting to receive a few complaints and moans and groans from readers today.
It's not that there is anything particularly controversial in today's Gazette it's the fact it has increased in price to 55p.
Any price rise always leads to a reaction and past experience tells me that some of our readers will be upset by it.
However, the Gazette is still great value at 55p and a small price to pay for a whole week's news from around the borough.
Many people will happily 'splash' out the same amount on a chocolate bar which is consumed in a matter of seconds and I will eat my hat if anyone can read the Gazette in the same time!
We are already planning some exciting new features for the Gazette to ensure that our readers continue to get real value for money from their local newspaper - and I will keep you posted on these over the coming weeks.
Posted by aseal at 8:22 AM | Comments (0)
January 2, 2007
Welcome back
Well it's good to be back. The festivities are over, the mince pies have gone stale and it's full steam ahead on the Gazette for 2007.
Judging by the lack of traffic on the M25 this morning it seems that a lot of people are taking an extended break but I am happy to report that everyone is back at Gazette House and fighting fit.
This week's Gazette - which due to the New Year break is smaller than normal - is close to being completed and we have an interesting splash which details the number of council related meetings attended by our local councillors.
Under the headline ' Are councillors worth our cash' the figures are extremely revealing and in some cases the number of meetings attended by councillors varies dramatically. I am sure this story will prove quite a talking point around the borough and encourage plenty of feedback from readers.
I was also delighted to see that Perry Parsons has received an MBE in the New Year Honours. Perry was the overall winner in the Gazette Local Heroes awards last year and richly deserves this honour for the tremendous work he has done with the Vyners Swing Band.
Posted by aseal at 11:18 AM | Comments (2)