The snowball that started with a phone call

WHEN a reporter starts working in a new town they normally research and get in touch with local organisations and politicians to get themselves known and make a few contacts.

It was while I was doing this a few months ago that I stumbled across the website of Keith Kondakor of Nuneaton Friends of the Earth.

We had a quick chat and just as we were saying our goodbyes he asked me if I knew anything about plans for a hazardous waste materials plant at Judkins. I asked him to send me whatever information he had and said I'd look into it.

Little did I realise what a juggernaut this story would later become. The response to our Dump It! campaign has been incredible, attracting the support of three MPs, numerous borough and county councillors and, most importantly, thousands of people living in the town.

All of us here at the Trib would like to thank the people of Nuneaton, Bedworth and North Warwickshire for sending in their pledges and bombarding us with your letters about this deeply unpopular plant.

The passion and pride you have for this region makes me glad I picked up the phone all those weeks ago.

Like any job, being a reporter has its frustrations. One of the biggest is meeting people who have a go at us about not covering an issue in the area.

A lot of the time it's something we can't do a story on for obvious reasons ("My neighbour keeps putting his rubbish in my bin! I want you to DESTROY him by telling the WORLD what an utter, remorseless **** he is") but sometimes a valuable story will pass us by because no one dropped us a line.

We monitor the area's events thoroughly but still need residents to get in touch with us if something important is happening in the borough.

I've had phone calls from people blasting me for not reporting on an event or issue and when I ask them why they didn't call me up earlier they say: "I thought you'd know about it."

There's plenty we do know, but we can't know absolutely everything, so please do call us and let us know what's going on.

At the Tribune, our door - and phone line - are always open.

~ Sam Webb