Story Ideas
Quiet day in the office? In need of some inspiration to fill that slot on the features page? Check out our story ideas here and see if you can take news developments from around the UK and localise them for your patch.
If you would like to share a story idea with our readers, you can email us at editor.htfp@and.co.uk and we will upload it to the site.
Stressed out? Fancy a coffee?
We all know too much coffee can make you feel a bit shaky and twitchy but new research suggests excessive consumption can lead to hallucinations….
Kissing the parking permit goodbye
Hospital staff in Greater Manchester have been told their £14-a-month parking passes will not be renewed. The move, affecting two hospitals in Bury and Oldham,…
Last dance for the morris men?
The art of morris dancing could be dead within two decades because young people are too embarrassed to sign up to clubs. Morris Ring, which…
Life is meaningless for the young
Life is ‘meaningless’ for one in ten young people, according to a new study by the Prince’s Trust. The majority of the 16 to 25-year-olds…
Free parking at church
A proposal to introduce free parking for Christians heading for church on Sunday mornings could be alienating other faiths in one Gloucestershire town. Councillors in…
Dying trade is no barrel of laughs
England’s last remaining master cooper is looking for an apprentice amid fears his profession could go the grave with him. Alastair Simms, 45, who works…
A dog really is for life…..
‘A dog is for life, not Christmas’ – the iconic Dogs Trust slogan – turns 30 this year. The charity’s chief executive Clarissa Baldwin dreamt…
Clamping down on abuse….and parking!
The problem of private (and often unlicensed) clamping firms wielding their expensive axe often makes the headlines. But it seems there’s even more potential misery…
Those refs just keep getting younger
An 11-year-old boy has become the youngest qualified rugby referee and has just supervised his first proper match – a girls’ under-12 game in South…
Becoming the apprentice
At least 7,000 apprenticeships in the construction industry are to be created over the next three years, representing a £1bn Government investment. It is estimated…
New ways to get barred from pubs
A hospital A&E department in Lancashire has become the first in England and Wales to join the ‘Pubwatch’ scheme. The move means that anyone caught…
'Angry' from Bath gets even younger
A boy of just ten has written to his local councillor in Somerset pleading for a bench to be removed as it’s used as a…
Battling the binge drinking
Self-regulation of the drinks industry has failed according to MPs, meaning stricter new laws are due to be introduced. Tougher powers will be given to…
More jobs at the job centre
Job centres earmarked for closure have been handed a lifeline after a sudden rise in unemployment. Around 6,000 extra staff are to be drafted in…
Beating the gambling bug
The first NHS clinic for compulsive gamblers has been launched in London. Running for a 12-month trial period, the National Problem Gambling Clinic will use…
