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.
Another online cutting - my last for Haslingden High School & Sixth Form.
I have always enjoyed the school's Charity Day - so well organised, well done Elaine and now Lisa.
Haslingden students raise thousands for charity at hugely-popular event
www.lancs.live
'It has been amazing to see also the students giving up their time'
Last, but definitely not least, here is my seventh story in this week's Rossendale Free Press - my second for RSSP Rossendale School Sports Partnership. This year I have covered 25 jobs for Nathan and every one has been used online or in print by one or more news outlets.
I have loved taking photos to capture the events and also chatting to the children who were undertaking the sporting challenges. Often these are the children who do not get picked for the school football team, but with RSSP sport is for everyone and not always competitive, often just for fun and a great way for children to get active.
This job certainly kept me busy and was a pleasure to capture both in words and photographs - Waterfoot Wakes organised by the Horse + Bamboo.
I was so lucky to walk round the corner of Waterfoot Yard and spot the little girl dancing along to the amazing Totally Tribal Az Kabile belly dancers and her dad was fine with me capturing her obvious enthusiasm.
Right place - right time.
Story No 6 in this week's Rossendale Free Press.
This is the first of two stories for RSSP Rossendale School Sports Partnership and while all these brilliant activities were taking place, I was leading a team of primary and secondary school pupils to write content for a Mini Olympics Madness paper.
Story number 5 in this week's Rossendale Free Press.
And this is where I would have been if I had not been on Cub camp with 16 young people and some amazing leaders and a young leader... The Griffin & Rossendale Brewery and Northern Whisper Brewing Co. Beer Festival in Haslingden.
A good time was had by all, I have it on good authority!
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!