The eight most interesting people I interviewed in 2021

I started working for the Herald and Gazette as a trainee reporter in July, and one of the first stories I wrote was about a six-year-old girl from Littlehampton who decided to climb Mount Snowdon in aid of the charity Guide Dogs. I have chosen this as my most interesting interview because the motivation and dedication it takes as a six-year-old to climb Mount Snowdon is unbelievable, and the fact she raised £800 for great charity just warms my heart.

It’s not everyday you get to write a story on a whale, let alone a 36-metre (https://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/people/giant-whale-sculpture-constructed-in-littlehampton-to-set-sail-3419430|giant whale sculpture} that was constructed in Littlehampton and sailed all the way to Dundee in Scotland. I think this story speaks for itself. So interesting! I really enjoyed going to the construction site and seeing the sculpture in all its glory and speaking to Lee Simmons who designed the sculpture. This was a great story for me and something unique to Littlehampton.

Charity events are always interesting to write about, and to speak to the people taking part is a privilege. This particular charity event took place in September where a Littlehampton man led a 5km Solent swim in aid of Cure Parkinson’s. Peter Burns, who has Parkinson’s himself, led 12 people in a swim from Gosport, Hampshire, to Ryde on the Isle of Wight. The team raised more than £37,000 for charity, Cure Parkinson’s, which is amazing. I really enjoyed writing this story and found Peter and the other swimmers to be very interesting and determined.

Another inspiring charity event I covered was when six women raised money for the neonatal intensive unit in Southampton Hospital. The ladies were raising money for the neonatal unit as one of their granddaughters was treated there after having to undergo life-changing surgery. The women managed to raise more than £5,000 for the intensive unit by dressing up as babies and completing an assault course in Bognor Regis.

Another story focussed on a group of Sussex specialists trained in semi-permanent make-up artist and medical micropigmentation – a form of tattooing – who treat men and women who require areola and nipple restoration after having breast surgery. A woman named Kelly Forshaw Smith, who has a clinic in Worthing, and the other specialists, decided to dress up as inflatable breasts and {https://www.littlehamptongazette.co.uk/news/people/sussex-nipple-artists-take-on-social-media-giants-3352362.The images the specialists post breach the guidelines as they show nipples and areolas, however the pictures are actually portraying the good these people do to help those who have gone through illnesses such as breast cancer. I hope what they did made a difference and I hope their voices were heard as what they do can change people’s lives.

Cycling long distance is hard, for me anyway, but cycling 1,000 miles across Sussex is extreme! However Alice Baddeley committed to the challenge to raise money for cancer charity, the Wolo Foundation. The decision to raise money for a cancer charity was due to Alice losing her dad to cancer in 2019 and finding out in 2020 that her young cousin had been diagnosed with cancer. Alice raised £1,578 for the Wolo Foundation, which was 157 per cent more than her initial target. She hopes that people will follow in her footsteps and complete the same route she did.

Much like cycling, running also isn’t my thing. But, it is most definitely Michael Clinch’s thing. Michael, who is 80-years-old ran the London Marathon this year – 40 years after first running it. Michael was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the start of lockdown and after receiving the all-clear, he wanted to give something back to Macmillan, who supported him during his treatment. Michael ran the London Marathon with his son, Nick, and they both raised £2,738 for the charity.

Last but not least, another charity story of course! These kind of stories I find are the most fulfilling to write.

Mark Baumfield came up with this fundraiser for Rowan’s Hospice with some of his work colleagues. Mark decided to complete one challenge each day in November. He drank raw eggs, did roly-polys around a football pitch, completed a 12-hour walk and a half marathon throughout the month. Mark was able to raise more than double his target of £2,500 for Rowan’s Hospice, a charity close to his and his work colleague’s hearts.