Tory leader David Cameron has backed the Nottingham Evening Post’s ‘Stay Warm for Winter’ campaign.

The NEP and local MPs has been highlighting the plight of prepayment meter customers and has been striving to win them a fair deal.

Speaking during a visit to the Post newsroom, Mr Cameron vowed to contact watchdog Ofgem about the issue.

He added: “I applaud the Post’s campaign – it is incredibly important. This programme of back billing – basically charging people extra for energy they have already consumed is quite wrong.

“Ofgem needs to have a really good look at this and try to put a stop to it.”

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A former regional press assistant editor and columnist has just passed the ten-year anniversary of the last time he drank alcohol.

Robert Beaumont developed a love affair with booze while working for the then Yorkshire Evening Press in the 1990s.

Just two months after giving up drinking, he set up his own PR agency and has since written columns for the Evening Star, Ipswich.

Read his emotive and soul-baring story on EveningStar24.

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The deadline for the third Creative East Awards has been extended by a week until next Monday.

The awards are aimed at individuals and companies working in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.

Among the 15 categories are prizes for best exclusive story, radio programme, factual publication, commercial photography, broadcast production and web design/innovation.

For more details and to enter visit creativeeast.co.uk.

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The British Insurance Brokers’ Association is now accepting entries for its Journalist of the Year Awards 2009.

The competition is open to any journalist who has written or broadcast on general insurance subjects in the last year.

There are nine different award categories including one specifically for regional press journalists. Each award carries a £750 prize for the winner and £150 for the highly commended.

The deadline for entries is 16 March – full details are available at biba.org.uk.

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The University of Sheffield has launched the Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) – an interdisciplinary research centre based in its journalism department.

CFOM’s founding principle is to highlight abuses of news media freedom and examine standards of independence and truthfulness.

It will create a research network by bringing together journalists, media scholars, public figures and newsmakers to research and evaluate the role of the media.

Visit cfom.org.uk for more information.

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The Sleep Council has launched a regional press PR campaign promoting National Bed Month in March.

The initiative aims to highlight the importance of a good night’s sleep and will run through the Newspaper Society’s Featurelink service.

Featurelink allows clients to co-ordinate advertising and PR campaigns through one portal run by the NS.

National Bed Month press material includes an A-Z of bed facts, seven reasons to buy a new bed and a feature citing the importance of a good night’s sleep.