Chief reporter of the Welwyn and Hatfield Times, Claire de Silva, had the nationals begging for leads when she bagged an exclusive interview with a woman who was awarded £550,000 after slipping on a mushroom.

Claire (below) had visited Beverley Jackson when her claim against Asda went to the Court of Appeal in September last year.

She was left wheelchair-bound in 1997, after slipping on a mushroom in Hatfield's Asda store.

At first Beverley's family were shocked that the story had been picked up by reporters and were opposed to any publicity.

It wasn't until Claire explained how the courts work and that the story would be reported, that Beverley agreed to tell her story exclusively to the Welwyn and Hatfield Times.

And grateful for the information she received, Beverley chose to only speak to Claire - and asked for the reporter to keep the other journalists away.

For two days after the award was made, the phone did not stop ringing.

Offers from the major newspapers and a few magazines were turned down, including Bella and The People magazine.

Claire said: "It was quite exciting to turn down the nationals for the benefit of our newspaper - I'd love to get some more exclusive stories over the nationals."

Claire has worked at the Welwyn and Hatfield Times for two-and-a-half years.

News editor Alex Millson said: "Claire did a great job. This is a perfect example of how a local newspaper reporter can get to the heart of the community and tell the stories people want to hear."

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