Jon Colman
Newsquest Cumbria
My first piece of work is front page story I broke in August about new takeover interest in Carlisle United. I revealed that an American family, the Piataks, had attended Carlisle games in the recent past, had sat with club directors whilst doing so - including at Wembley - and were in talks with the club and its supporters' trust. I relied on a number of trusted sources to verify this information as well as the work of our freelance photographer. At a time none of the parties involved were commenting on the situation, the combination of these sources gave me confidence to break this story, which is potentially one of the biggest around Carlisle United for many years. In the weeks following our exclusive splash and accompanying web coverage, it was confirmed that the American family were indeed in advanced takeover talks, which remains the case at the time of writing, while in September I was also able to secure the first interview with Tom Piatak, the businessman leading the takeover bid. The original story can also be read here.
I also did an interview with the Annan Athletic goalkeeping coach, Jon Connolly. Jon wanted to discuss in detail for the first time his life story, which included a gruelling and traumatic period where his mental health almost led him to take his own life. Jon entrusted me with his story, which he had also decided to tell in order to highlight the work of the charity that supported him and saved his life. This was a candid and impactful interview, which allowed Jon to unburden himself and also use his story and message to help others. Jon was contacted by a number of people after the article's publication who said reading his story had helped them. The article was a two-page feature in The Cumberland News, and can also be read here.
Another interview is with the former Carlisle United captain Nick Anderton, regarding a battle with cancer which had ended his career. Nick, 26 at the time of our interview, had been undergoing treatment for a rare form of bone cancer, with the condition and procedures meaning he could no longer play professional football. Through my good relationship with Nick from his time at Carlisle, he agreed to talk in detail about the challenges of the past year, while this was also the first (and to date only) interview he gave about his decision to retire from the sport he loved. Following this extremely candid and moving interview, fellow cancer sufferers contacted Nick to say how inspired they were by the way he shared his story. The article was a two-page feature in The Cumberland News and can also be read here.