The Warrington Guardian has been shortlisted for the 2024 Making a Difference Award alongside other powerful national and local newspaper investigations and campaigns.
October 28 to November 3 is Journalism Matters Week; each year, the News Media Association (NMA) opens a ballot to the public to vote for shortlisted campaigns as part of highlighting the importance of journalism in the UK.
Votes can be cast from 9.30am on Monday, October 28 to 5pm on Wednesday, October 30, with the local and national winners will be announced later in the week. You can view the shortlist and vote here.
The Warrington Guardian is calling on readers to back their local paper and our Peace in Mind campaign; it was created in partnership with Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, to establish a lasting legacy for her daughter.
Tragically, in February last year, Brianna was stabbed to death at just 16 years old. Two teenagers were subsequently found guilty of her murder.
Tom Bedworth, who was community reporter at the Warrington Guardian at the time of the tragedy, said: “From the moment a member of the public tipped me off about Brianna’s death, I knew that I had a responsibility as a local reporter to cover her death sensitively.
“As a result of this, I have been able to build a respectful working relationship with Brianna’s mother, Esther, ever since we first met.
“When I suggested launching a campaign in Brianna’s memory, Esther leapt at the chance, and we haven’t looked back.”
The goal was to generate funds for the Mindfulness in Schools Project, to enhance mental health and well-being support for students nationwide, beginning in Warrington.
In the summer of 2023, Esther completed the Great North Swim. She raised more than £20,000 for the Mindfulness in Schools Project.
The Peace in Mind campaign aimed to raise £50,000 in total, with the funds contributing to the project’s training of almost 100 members of school staff in Warrington towards mindfulness practices.
It has since surpassed its goal, having now raised £90,000 via GoFundMe, with the campaign having helped to train 100 teachers.
The campaign has received backing from Warrington Borough Council, Warrington Wolves, Charlotte Nichols MP and former MP Andy Carter.
Making a Difference is a showcase of agenda-setting investigations, campaigns and scoops from national, regional and local news brands demonstrating the power of original news content - 91 per cent of the public agree that local news media improves communities by campaigning on issues that matter to residents.
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