Ffion lewis

Ffion performed an investigation into domestic violence (DV) and abuse in Wales. An extensive amount of work went into this piece over an eight month period. I investigated this issue after witnessing the staggering number of DV cases appearing in court. To form the basis of this piece I initially spent a month in a dedicated DV court to analyse the type of issues presented, patterns in victims and perpetrators and how this crime was dealt with through the judiciary system. This went on to form the basis of the article. From this I built up relationships with the solicitors specialising in this field and with the authorities who work with victims. I sourced and conducted interviews with survivors whose voices highlighted the prevalence of DV and its different forms and such an investigation would not be possible without their bravery. I believe my tenacity in following up with these survivors and demonstrating my commitment to documenting this crime reassured them to trust me with their experiences. This piece was a special report in the Western Mail and Saturday Magazine and formed the basis of other articles. After publication it was praised by women’s charities and was shared widely among survivors.

I also produced a piece on homelessness in Cardiff. I decided to look at this issue due to the increasing number of people appearing to be sleeping rough in the city, despite constant messaging that there is support available. It soon became glaringly obvious that official statistics of rough sleepers across the UK was not an accurate reflection of the reality of the situation, primarily due to the narrow definition of homelessness used by local authorities. I believe it was integral to highlight the growing epidemic of poverty and homelessness across the UK which exists outside of official parameters. Over several days I spent time on the streets with some of the people featured and got a sense of the issues they faced. I also worked closely with charities, the council and police to understand how homelessness in Cardiff fits in with the wider national picture. I believe my dedication to souring first person interviews made for emotional accounts which hold decisions made by governments and authorities to account and unpick their societal impact.

I also worked on the horrific impact drug use is having in Wales, focusing on a particular town where drug deaths had risen exponentially. I decided to start investigating this issue after analysing drug death data from the Office for National Statistics and how this differed on a hyper local basis. From here, I spent two days in the town speaking to local people to try and understand the reality of the situation. It was immediately clear that a perfect storm of drug availability, the pandemic, and the government's position on temporary accomodation in Wales had contributed to the rise. I also spoke to charities, the local authority, health experts as well as the police to try and unpick the rise.