Original News Story

Set as another assignment for our news journalism portfolio, this news story was created after attending Gidea Park's Christmas Bazaar last Saturday.

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Pizza Cakes, Bear-Naming and Gingerbread-men-making all helped Gidea Park Primary School to celebrate yet another thriving Christmas Bazaar.


Hailed a huge success purely by the look on the faces of departing families – no less due to the more-than-enthusiastic Year 6 helpers than the PTA - the School’s annual Christmas Bazaar was held at Gidea Park Primary School, Essex, last Saturday, 5th December. The Bazaar has been held as long as current Head teacher Susan Hartnett could remember, and included a Santa’s Grotto and stalls organised by parents and Year 6’s of the school, as well as local businesses selling books, candles and wind chimes to visitors.


The School included many original events this year, such as a pizza-cake for a raffle prize, bear-naming to win the role of head teacher for a day and snow en-entrance. All of the events were planned by the PTA, who hold years of experience in involving local businesses and are “always looking for new ideas”. Louise Compton, chair of the PTA, said “we were impressed by the Year 6’s at last summer’s fete, and with the school council keen to get involved, we had more volunteers than we dared hope for!”


The eagerness was easy to spot, with Year 6’s of the school littering behind stalls, enthusiastically donning elf hats in favour of school uniforms. Andrea Connor, deputy head of the school, said “when I asked if any Year 6’s wanted to help, dozens of hands shot up. The whole thing’s really good fun and the little ones get really excited.”


After the bazaar Mrs Hartnett slipped in, “the Name the Bear ‘freebie’ went down well for me, since although the winner didn’t get a prize, they got to do my job as head teacher for the day!” Asked what the most successful event of the day was, she then replied “the 16” ‘pizza cake’, made by one of our parents, went down well and made the most bids. The parent who won it said it went by Monday!”


The bazaar was held to raise money for the school, hoping to build an adventure trail in the school’s playground once renovation works have been completed next year. With £2,300 raised on the day, pleased Year 6 teacher Mr Steve Balkham said “the turnout today was brilliant; it was good to see so many parents supporting the event.” Mrs Hartnett also added “thanks to local businesses for supporting us in donating prizes for our raffles and bid stall, and special thanks to the pizza-cake maker!”

Mock NCTJ Exam

Received and written up in just under 25 minutes out of the allocated 30. This was our first NCTJ mock exam given to us in a news seminar this morning.

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Calls for change imminent regarding the infamously vandalised pedestrian subways in Oxdown after trouble continues to escalate.

The Oxdown Chamber of Trade have announced they will hold meetings with representatives of Oxdown Council and Oxdown Police to revitalise the withering state of the subways after years of vandalism, beggars and drunks at the junction of James Street and Walton Road.

Last week we reported on incidents in the subways linking the town centre and Oxdown Bus Station, including a head injury for an elderly man after a clash with teenagers, provoking the Chamber to ask to put a stop to such “reprehensible behaviour”

A press release by the Chamber yesterday stated “the subways have become a meeting place for beggars and drunks”. Shoppers using the underpass are also regularly mugged, whilst “litter, graffiti and vandalism” has also contributed to the “deterioration” of the subway. Benches put in place by the Chamber of Trade 12 years ago were also removed shortly after installation due to such bad vandalism.

The Chamber yesterday commented “these subways are no longer safe places to in which to walk, even in daylight”. Meetings will be held with the Oxdown Police and Oxdown Council in the near future to provoke action, with the Chamber voicing their fears that the subways are “giving the town a bad name”. In aid, the Chamber will provide new benches and murals to “give the subways a face-lift”, stating a need to “encourage visitors rather than put them off”.

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Second mock test. Only 12 minutes this time to read and write up....

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Oxdown Bus Company is to withdraw late-night buses from the Service No. 33 as of today.

The announcement comes from Len Davidson, General Manager of Oxdown Bus Company after a series of incidents involving “the mindless minority” has forced the service to stop. The latest incident happened last night, whereupon a drunken youth “grabbed hold of the steering wheel and caused the bus to veer dangerously across the road.”

The service had previously been stopped by the company four years ago, after a series of incidents including “abuse and assault by drunken youths” had resulted in the same action. Although the service had recommenced a year later and ran smoothly for the next two, for the last six months the situation is said to have “badly deteriorated”, with “seats slashed, windows broken, even a fire on the top deck” of one bus.

Not only have buses been forced to be taken off-road for repairs costing “several thousand pounds”, drivers too have been put at risk, with “threats and assaults” including one driver being treated in hospital after sustaining a broken nose after asking a drunken teenager to “stop using filthy language”.

The number 33 bus is a popular service running half-hourly between James Street and the Riverside Estate, and although late-night buses will stop, the service will run as normal from 7am-9pm. Only the busses from 9:30pm-11pm being stopped “until further notice”. Len Davidson yesterday issued a public apology to “those who have behaved in a responsible manner”, and recognises that the decision will “inconvenience” those passengers who use the service as intended.