Nuclear veterans' battle for compensation

The British Ministry of Defence is under pressure to pay compensation to former military personnel for nuclear tests carried out in the South Pacific in the 1950s. Many of the veterans have developed cancer and genetic disorders following the h-bomb tests and claim their role in the Cold War has gone unrecognised. The article was published in the Lancashire Evening Post in November 2007 and was picked up by several national newspapers. A ruling from the High Court on the matter is expected in February 2009. (Lancashire Evening Post, 21/11/2007)

Crime - The case of the 'handless corpse'

Feature on the police hunt for an international drug cartell, operating between New Zealand and the UK in the 1970s. Lancashire Constabulary caught the drugs bosses after the notorious 'handless corpse' discovery in a quarry in a quiet village. The story was also the subject of a Granada TV programme and a TV New Zealand documentary. (Lancashire Evening Post, 10.11.2005)

Entertainment - Golden Globe winner

Liverpool fan without heart for football...

Jim Coan has always been a passionate Liverpool supporter. But he suffers from a rare heart condition and it 's meant he hasn't watched a football match for more than a decade. He could get too excited and black out. The article was picked up by '11 Freunde' magazine in Germany and was discussed in a number of football blogs. (Lancashire Evening Post, 20/06/2007)

Politics - EU expenses abuse

MEP for North West England Den Dover was expelled from the Conservatives in November 2008 for abusing his expenses. The former Tory chief whip was found to have paid more than £750,000 to his wife and daughter through accounts for his company MP Holdings. The general secretary of the European Parliament, Harald Rømer, ordered Dover to pay back £500,000. (Chorley & Leyland Guardian, 19/11/2008)

Splash story Chorley & Leyland Guardian, 26.11.2008

An English backpacker saved a German tourist from raging rapids during a kayak accident. Jack Marsden-Mayer from Lancashire was travelling along the Whanganui River in New Zealand when Julia Jahn got trapped, with just her head above water. He paddled several hours downstream to get help. The story was covered in Germany by 'Der Spiegel', 'Die Welt' as well as on www.thelocal.de, among others.