Welcome to Catherine Smyth Media
I am a professional journalist and have worked on daily and weekly newspapers across East Lancashire since 1988.
In 2009 I opted for redundancy and became self-employed using my writing skills and experience of working in busy newsrooms to create a bespoke business.
I have a passion for telling other people’s stories through words and am also handy with a camera.
Outside of work, I am a Cub leader and chairman of Bacup and Stacksteads Carnival Organisation.
As I am away on Cub Camp with 16 young people, I have not had chance to see this week's Rossendale Free Press, however I am reliably informed I have quite a few stories in. And you guessed it... A Cub just woke me up!
This event is on today and tomorrow - Rossendale Beer Festival and you would be mad to miss it (unless you are Akela on camp).
Thanks to one of the two organisers, The Griffin & Rossendale Brewery, I can share the story from my tent.
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Don't forget this event is on this weekend - Rossendale Real Ale Beer Festival in Haslingden organised by The Griffin & Rossendale Brewery and @Northern Whisper Brewing Co.
Raising money for Rossendale Hospice.
Here's what's in store at the Rossendale Real Ale Festival
www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
The event taks place at St Mary’s Community sports club, home of St. Mary's Football club, Haslingden.And here's my second story in the Rochdale Observer, also for Whitworth Community High School - and super well done to Alice and Sophie for their top Lancashire Education awards.
I picked up a copy of the mid-week Rochdale Observer and - yeah thanks for using both of my Whitworth Community High School stories.
Here's the first, which was tasted on the front page. Well done Mr Oliver - great fundraising effort by staff and students raising more than £5,000 for a new school minibus.
Latest Articles
From homeless at 18, to a published author
I first met Courteney Cannan when she was 16 and a student at Fearns Community Sports College, she shaved her hair for charity, who would know our paths would cross and I would be interviewing her again. This time, it was for Rossendale-based homeless charity M3...
Blog 10 – six years post TT
Wow, really? Like, has it really been nearly six years since I had my thyroid removed? It is hard to believe how quickly time flies and it is safe to say my life really has changed radically and for the better in so many ways. 2019 – I got divorced and bought a cute...
Seven-year abuse investigation concludes
When Ronald Neal was placed in a hostel in Rochdale in the 1960s aged 11 he was beaten up by a 'big fat man' and he reported it several times, but no action was ever taken. The '30-stone 6ft man' was disgraced politician Cyril Smith and the historic abuse in homes in...
Potty about Flowerpots
This is one of the more unusual jobs I am tasked with... promoting Bacup Flowerpot Festival. The Festival is organised by Bacup Pride and runs from July to September all across Bacup with loads of people, businesses, shops and organisations making Flowerpot sculptures...
Looking after the woodlands – all in a day’s work
When I was contacted by Danny Entwistle AKA Doc Wildcraft and asked to write about the voluntary work he carries out in the woods above Marl Pits in Rawtenstall, I was keen to do so - especially as it is an area I also love and have walked through often. I wrote a...
‘Shining a light on such a distressing issue’
Review: Weirdo Mosher Freak: the murder of Sophie Lancaster I’m Becky and I have just finished reading your book ‘weirdo mosher freak’ about the murder of Sophie Lancaster. I just wanted to send an email and let you know how much I love the book. I have chosen to use...
My Work with Schools
Ask a child to do a literacy lesson and they may roll their eyes, ask them to produce their own school newspaper and suddenly writing no longer seems such a chore.
I have developed a range of bespoke programmes designed to bring literacy lessons to life.
In a fun learning environment, the pupils produce an exciting end product – their own newspaper.
The paper is written in their own words, they write about what interests them and what they love about school. Their names appear as bylines on their work and they get to take their own photographs.
They become junior journalists for the day!