The teams plan to compile a dossier of people’s experiences, as well as collect statistics, to present to Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street. National World’s Group Publisher Martin Wright said: “Our reporters speak to the victims of crime every day, and many of those on the receiving end can feel desperate about the situation.

“This vital campaign will draw together testimonies across the country and will give a voice to those who feel as if we are seeing an epidemic of crime, both major and minor, which has a pronounced impact on their quality of life. We need the powers-that-be to listen and, crucially, to take meaningful action.”

National World reported that only one in 10 reported crimes in 2023 saw an offender brought to justice – and that only covers the crimes that were reported.

A trigger for the campaign was NationalWorld.com Editor-In-Chief Nancy Fielder’s elderly mother being mugged in a park at knifepoint during the day. She was unharmed but understandably extremely shaken up.

Nancy said: “When I tell people what happened to my family, the first reaction is always horror and the second is to tell me their own story. I now know that almost everyone has a horrific tale of crime to tell.”

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Cemented by a 47-minute Express & Star film called Grief, the newspaper teamed up with the family of Ronan Kanda, a 16-year-old attacked from behind in a case of mistaken identity. His attackers, who were just 17, bought a sword and a machete online with no checks.

The paper published a powerful front page – How Many More? – with a patchwork of the young faces lost to knife crime in recent years. The team said: “Every time a young murder happens, we run a roll-call of victims from recent years. It is as long as it is powerful.”

The campaign called on the then prime minister Rishi Sunak to bring forward new legislation to combat knife crime, which was sadly dropped at the call of the 2024 general election. The newspaper soon received a personal pledge from Sir Keir Starmer to tighten laws as a priority. He later wrote for the paper shortly after two 12-year-olds were jailed for the murder of a 19-year-old in Wolverhampton, again using machetes. New legislation was soon introduced in the King’s Speech.

The Express and Star said: “We have worked closely with the family of Ronan Kanda. His mother Pooja was among those who collaborated in the Grief documentary. We helped drive numbers for a 10,000-name petition taken to Downing Street. The proposed law to outlaw the sale of knives has become known as Ronan’s Law. Mark Brindley, father of James Brindley who was murdered in Walsall 2017, was also among those who bravely tell their unique and haunting stories of devastating loss in Grief.”

The documentary, Grief, aimed to illuminate the pervasive nature of the knife crime epidemic but also delved into the resilient spirit of those left behind, showcasing the indomitable strength that emerged in the face of tragedy. The paper continued: “The documentary is a campaign calling card on the devastating impact of knife crime and the desperate need to shut off the online trade that feeds it.

“It serves as a poignant call for awareness and change, challenging society to confront the harsh truths that echo in the shadows of our communities. By providing a platform for the voices of grieving parents, Grief humanises the statistics and compels viewers to re-evaluate the normalisation of knife crime.

“The message is ultimately “Enough is Enough!”

The campaign from the Express and Star to make Ronan’s Law a reality continues and the team continue to closely monitor its progress through Parliament.

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The Sunday Times reported: “Government policy is to leave asbestos where it is unless it is disturbed and damaged, releasing fibres. But with many prefab structures built in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s now falling into disrepair, this is no longer acceptable. And, as Michael Lees, the widower of a teacher who died of mesothelioma aged just 51, pointed out, even if school buildings are in good condition, the policy does not take behaviour into account.”

As part of their campaign, the news brand called for accurate assessments of how much asbestos remains, and where, followed by a proactive timetable for removal.

The campaign told the stories of teachers and pupils who had died from asbestos exposure and examined the science behind RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) which had led to the closure of three schools since the campaign’s launch.

The campaign also exposed how the Marks and Spencer’s main store in Marble Arch was blighted with asbestos leading to the deaths of staff members.

The campaign has since received support from various former cabinet ministers and senior politicians.

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The Echo had campaigned ten years ago to bring the factory to the region and was now urging the government to keep it on track – or do everything in its power to find other orders to plug the gap. Real concerns had been growing since Hitachi bosses revealed that it had failed to reach an agreement with the government to keep their order books full. The factory keeps 750 people in work on-site, alongside another 1,400 jobs indirectly.

Last year, Rishi Sunak hailed Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory as a ‘fantastic example of world-class manufacturing’ in the North East. Twelve months on, the firm was on the brink and fighting for support to stop them from reaching the end of the line.

Bosses at Hitachi said they had been in talks for two years in an attempt to find a solution, but this had ”not resulted in a positive resolution”. The factory, which opened in 2015, was making its final trains for Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway. Ministers had told Hitachi they had no plans to order more trains to run on the West Coast mainline, which the firm saw as the only viable way to plug the production gap.

The campaign was backed by Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves during the 2024 general election campaign. As a result of The Northern Echo’s work, it became a key part of Labour’s election manifesto, with the party visiting the Newton Aycliffe factory on a number of occasions.

Senior former politicians including Tony Blair and George Osborne also backed the campaign. The new North East mayor Kim McGuinness also made saving Hitachi her number one priority in her first term in office following the Echo’s work. Politicians of all colours and business leaders across the North East backed the campaign.

Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor MP Alan Strickland said he is “determined to keep fighting to secure the future of the factory”.

“I am really proud that we’ve had the world-class Hitachi Rail plant in Aycliffe now for 9 years,” he said. 

“This is testament to the excellent campaign led by the Northern Echo and former Labour MP Phil Wilson at the time.”

Due to The Northern Echo’s work, numerous rescue meetings have now been facilitated, with talks ongoing in London between the government, bosses and officials to try and secure the factory’s future.

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With the launch, The Times published a manifesto laying out the campaign’s demands for water companies, farmers, regulators and the government: four goals that were both realistic and would make a major change. River pollution stories made the front page of The Times three times in the campaign’s first week, prompting Rishi Sunak to promise he would hit sewage polluters “hard”.

The campaign has been endorsed by water campaigners including Feargal Sharkey, welcomed by two water company chief executives and the trade body Water UK, and praised by the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats. Influential Oxford University economist and government adviser Dieter Helm called the campaign “exceptionally good”.

The last government said of the campaign: “We welcome the awareness it will raise of this critically important issue.”

The campaign has notched a series of successes, from unlimited fines for polluters to the water sector being pushed to invest a record £88 billion by 2030. Clean It Up also helped trigger a watershed apology from the water sector and the publication of the government’s sweeping “plan for water”. Several water company bosses waived their bonuses last year as a result of the pressure, and the last government later committed to banning bonuses of egregiously polluting companies — an exclusive story broken by The Times on its front page.

Campaigners from local groups such as Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, SOS Whitstable and Save Windermere to national groups such as River Action and Surfers Against Sewage have said the campaign has had a huge impact in terms of public awareness and industry action.

The campaign’s coverage has ranged from FOI-led investigations of company lobbying and contacts-based scoops. In July 2024, the UK’s information commissioner ordered water companies to be more open with their data after a 9-month long fight by Clean It Up to make six water firms release data that could reveal evidence of illegal sewage spills. Clean It Up has also focused on constructive stories where action was being taken to improve water quality, from “rewriggling” rivers to communities creating designated bathing waters.

The team at the Times have not shied away from the cost to consumers of addressing pollution, making clear in leader editorials that water bills will likely have to rise. Readers have written to tell the Times their personal stories of river pollution around the country, which were curated and published. Journalists from across the paper, including environment editor Adam Vaughan, have contributed to the campaign.

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The renovation work to turn the building into Bradford Live cost £50.5 million, most of which was taxpayers’ money from Bradford Council. It was previously stated that the venue would open in autumn 2024. However, Birmingham-based company the NEC Group – which had been unveiled as the operator of Bradford Live in 2017 – had failed to comment on its involvement with the scheme for several months despite repeated questions from the newspaper on behalf of the public.

As things stand, no opening date has been confirmed and no acts have been announced at what was promised to be a “world-class” concert venue. The future of Bradford Live remains very unclear – and this was an issue of major concern to the team and to many of their readers, raising concerns amongst local MPs.

Questions over the project started nearly half a year ago, when tickets for the first two shows announced for Bradford Live – an Abba tribute act and a Bob Marley tribute show – were removed from sale. The Telegraph and Argus later learned those shows had been cancelled.

They also learned that a major event due to be held at Bradford Live next year – during Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture – would also not go ahead. The team relentlessly began putting questions to Bradford Council, the developer Bradford Live and the NEC Group on behalf of the public. In April, they published an online story, which was also featured on the front page of their print edition with the headline ‘What’s Going On?’

In May, they asked Bradford Council to confirm how much of taxpayers’ money had gone towards the Bradford Live project and also asked for confirmation of the total cost of the project. These important questions should have been answered by the council at that time – but they were not, so the team resorted to using the Freedom of Information Act. This FOI process was protracted as the council said it needed more time to “reach a decision on where the balance of the public interest lies”. Towards the end of July, the council finally revealed to the newspaper – and, in turn, members of the public – that the overall cost of the Bradford Live scheme had climbed to £50.5m.

The Telegraph and Argus continued with their dogged journalism by publishing this open letter to Bradford Council, Bradford Live and the NEC Group, asking seven key questions on behalf of the public. The open letter was also featured on the front page of their print edition with the headline ‘Tell Us The Truth’. However, questions and concerns lingered as the NEC Group failed to respond to the open letter.

In August, the matter recently made national headlines when the open letter was highlighted by The Guardian and The Observer.

Many readers have welcomed the newspaper’s coverage and asked the team to continue investigating and highlighting this important topic.

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A grand total of £527,351.11 was raised by generous readers, plus billionaire philanthropists Julia and Hans Rausing donated £25,000 to both the RAF Benevolent Fund and Go Beyond, after reading about the charities’ work in The Telegraph.

Throughout the Christmas period The Telegraph shared stories of those who have been helped and supported by each charity. The stories included how vulnerable children have benefitted from the support and fun provided; heroes of the care system who ensure their patients are able to die in comfort and dignity; the assistance given to RAF service members and their families to ensure they can live in comfort and the efforts of scientists focused on finding a cure for dementia. 

The Rausings’ donations followed the Telegraph’s charity phone-in day which saw over 1000 callers pledge money. Sir Jackie Stewart, Anneka Rice and Richard Madeley were among the celebrities manning the phone lines – along with Telegraph writers who helped to raise £96,195.43 in a single day.

Sir Jackie, who set up Race Against Dementia after his wife, Helen, was diagnosed with the condition, said: “It’s very touching talking to people on the phone who are also affected by dementia.

“I want someone to find a cure for dementia in my lifetime, so we need to fund young people to do PhDs and research for that to happen.”

Other high-profile names who offered support were Florence Pugh, Jenny Agutter, Paul Chuckle, Alison Steadman, Kate Winslet and Sir James Dyson, who were interviewed or penned op-eds as part of the appeal.

The Telegraph’s annual Christmas Charity Appeal started in its current format in 1986 and has raised close to £30 million for charities since its launch.

Telegraph readers have a long history of fundraising including in 1915 for a monument for nurse Edith Cavell, which can be found outside St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, just off Trafalgar Square, as well as setting up the Cavell Nurses’ Trust to help nurses affected by their war work. In 1916, during the First World War, Telegraph readers’ donations helped supply three million rations of plum pudding for British soldiers on Christmas Day.

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The need for a Nairn Bypass has been a long-standing issue, with discussions dating back to 2008, when the Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review identified the necessity of upgrading the A96 and constructing a bypass, but the project has faced significant delays, with the completion date pushed to 2030, leaving the community increasingly frustrated.

After the Inverness Courier launched its Nairnshire edition it quickly became clear just how deep – and wide – those frustrations were: parents concerned about their children’s safety; businesses worried about the town becoming a less attractive destination; everyone concerned about the overall quality of life in the town. In response, the Inverness Courier, building on the momentum of its successful Dual the A9 campaign, launched the Build the Bypass campaign in November 2023 to provide a focus for urging the government to expedite this critical infrastructure project.

The campaign quickly gained traction, featuring in-depth interviews with residents, stakeholders and politicians. A pivotal moment came in May 2024, when the Courier organised a Build the Bypass public event in Nairn attended by Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop and leaders from Transport Scotland.

The event provided a platform for residents to share their experiences and emphasise the severe impact of the bypass delay on their daily lives. In a significant development, Ms Hyslop announced that the government would proceed with the next steps, including the process of land purchase between Inverness and Nairn, and provided a preliminary timeline for the project.

Since this event, the Inverness Courier has remained unwavering in its commitment to the campaign, continuing to report on accidents along the A96 and maintaining pressure on the government for updates and progress. The Courier is resolved to see the project through to completion, ensuring that the long-awaited bypass finally becomes a reality, enhancing safety, reducing congestion, and supporting the growth of the community of Nairn.

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Led by Caroline Wheeler, the political editor who had first worked on the story as a trainee reporter in 2001, the campaign told, through words and audio, the harrowing stories of those who were infected with deadly diseases in childhood, and the parents and siblings of those who had not survived. The Sunday Times used all its firepower to get behind the campaign – with interviews on Times Radio, audio on the site, powerful design and dedicated social media promotion.

In the run-up to the publication of the public inquiry’s report into the scandal, the campaign called for a full and fair settlement for the victims of the tragedy paid by a judge-led independent body, including for the parents of children that died and who had never received a penny.

It won the support of more than 250 MPs and peers, as well as former prime minister Boris Johnson, ex-Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies and the daughter of the late Body Shop founder, Dame Anita Roddick, who was one of thousands to die in the disaster.

During the course of the campaign, Wheeler revealed details of how children were experimented on by doctors without their consent, infecting them with diseases, including HIV and hepatitis. She exposed the full tragedy of Treloar’s, the school for disabled children in Hampshire, where almost 90 former pupils died after receiving contaminated blood. The public pressure the campaign exerted on the government forced ministers to spend more than £10 billion on a compensation package.

On the eve of the inquiry’s findings, Wheeler landed an emotional interview with Jeremy Hunt, then chancellor, who revealed that he would honour a promise to a dying friend, Mike Dorricott, by finally delivering justice for the victims. Sir Keir Starmer also wrote for The Sunday Times, backing his decision to make billions available for the payouts – meaning that the victims had secured the support of both main parties.

The campaign, and Wheeler, won plaudits from across the House of Commons and concluded with a live press conference broadcast on the BBC on the afternoon of the public inquiry’s findings.

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The Chronicle launched an online petition, garnering over 700 signatures, and also engaged with media minister Stephanie Peacock MP to support the campaign. Stephanie Peacock MP raised the issue in Parliament and also wrote to major fuel suppliers and supermarkets, urging for reforms.

Since the campaign was launched last year, the cost of petrol in Barnsley in August 2024 dropped by around 11 pence per litre. Prices are now more comparable to those in other areas.

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