I've been working on this story for a year now and I thought nothing could shock me.
Well. I'll eat my hat.
Part 4 of my Big Help investigation is now live: Peter Mitchell’s company claimed to be a government partner. Unsurprisingly, that was a lie
“Because no journalism is free, not really. You have to pay writers, photographers, editors, sub-editors. So if you’re not paying for what you read, you can bet you’re paying another way.”
In yesterday’s
@liverpoolpost
Spent nine months working on this one for
@liverpoolpost
- Part Two coming on Wednesday.
Former Labour councillor Peter Mitchell runs a charity that claims to bring in £15m a year. But there’s plenty that doesn’t make sense about Big Help Project
Street art, property developers gone rogue and the museum that never happened: What happened to Liverpool’s five Banksys?
My Saturday read for
@liverpoolpost
this morning
🚨My first use of the siren emoji and it’s all rather exciting…
I’ll be trekking down the M62 to join
@liverpoolpost
at the end of the month.
Thanks to the wonderful team at
@LeedsNews
for the past 2 years - and Liverpool folk, DM me with any hunches…
Nadine Dorries on the Commonwealth Games: "I don't think we've had a sense of occasion, particularly a sense of sporting occasion, like this since the 2012 Olympics"
She’s clearly forgotten that Glasgow hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2014
It's been nine months since I began looking into Big Help Project, a charity run by ex-Labour councillor Peter Mitchell.
The growth of the charity has been eye watering. Between 2018 and 2022, its annual income rose from just over £400,000 to almost £16m.
Sorry for the delay in publishing Part Two - but we think it's worth the wait.
How did Peter Mitchell and his partner buy a lovely detached home in L13 — and fund millions of pounds of assets? In today's
@liverpoolpost
It was SO daunting to up sticks and move all the way to Liverpool for a job, but I'm so unbelievably glad I did.
The team here are some of the most talented writers I've ever met. If you want to work somewhere that pushes you to fulfil all that you're capable of, please apply❣️
WE'RE HIRING🚨 The
@liverpoolpost
is looking for another writer - apply below.
Basis: Full-time role
Start date: October 2023
Application deadline: Sunday September 24th 2023
A pretty bonkers one I've been unpicking for a while. Today's
@liverpoolpost
:
Catch Me If You Can? The rise and fall of the Baltic Triangle’s hapless scam artist
How an anonymous website caught out conman Fenir Saba
Was an absolute treat to speak with
@joshual951
for this gorgeous piece on biodiversity in Liverpool for
@liverpoolpost
!
Members can read that in today's edition:
Joining
@liverpoolpost
/ Mill Media Co is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
To be surrounded by incredible journalists who push you to achieve more than you ever thought you could is a blessing - so please come work with me in sunny Liverpool 🌻
I’ll be on
@comeplaywith
‘s Women In Music, Early Careers panel next Monday, info below!
Lots of amazing people giving advice for breaking into the industry, will be super useful so tune in from 7pm!
The fact that my energy bill is predicted to go from £70 to £469 soon is SO far fetched that I’m actually struggling to see it as a real thing that will happen???
Alongside rent that would be more money than I earn each month so !??
With Banksy back in the news with a new exhibition, I’m just going to slide this across the table…
ICYMI: Street art, property developers gone rogue and the museum that never happened
@liverpoolpost
“This article is not, therefore, a regular opinion piece about the state of local news or the influence of the BBC. It is a naked lobbying effort. And, unsurprisingly, it is not the brainchild of the editors at the Echo.”
@liverpoolpost
I’m writing a piece about Greek revival architecture in Liverpool 🏨
Anyone with a keen eye for Greek revival buildings or some historical insight - DM me!
"So why is it that the Greek revival seems to run so deep in the veins of Liverpool? Over 2000 miles away from the motherland, how did this Trojan Horse enter our city?"
My bit on Greek revival architecture in today's
@liverpoolpost
peak working at home is when ur about to do an interview but have to ask the person to wait 20 mins cus your washing machine is on a rather loud spin cycle
Wrote about my time working as a Saturday girl and the little worlds that revolve around hair salons for
@liverpoolpost
this morning.
Featuring an outrageous photo of teenage me with a dodgy haircut…
#Thatawkwardmomentwhen
... a law firm inadvertently tells you a former gangster is connected to one of the most famous property developments in Liverpool
In today's
@liverpoolpost
News! I’m now the property correspondent for
@LeedsNews
🏠
If you have a story to tell related to housing, or you’re an estate agent with a special property you’d like to share, contact me on
Abigail.whistance
@nationalworld
.com 🗞
In today's
@liverpoolpost
, I dig into what happened to the Churchill Way flyovers, and why a "Ukrainian meadow" has left some residents hot under the collar...
Absolutely loved writing this one for
@liverpoolpost
. Strap in - it's a wild ride...
Headless sharks, net thieves and midnight meetings: Welcome to Wirral’s angling wars
🚨Some GOOD media news: We're using the money we raised last year to double the size of our team by the end of 2024, hiring journalists in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool and... London.
Yes, the time has come - as reported by today's
@FT
.
Having never kicked a football in my LIFE - I decided to unpick the contractor chaos at Anfield Road in today's
@liverpoolpost
From writing this I may have been converted...go the Reds!(?)
“When the [council] dispose of assets that belong to us, they have to achieve best value, and zero value couldn’t be any worse.”
Hong Kong property tycoons, broken agreements and an unreachable developer: the tale of Granby Four Streets
@liverpoolpost
'Not From Where I'm Standing' - our album of Bond theme covers by
@weddingpresent
lands this Friday.
Come join us for a very special launch event on Monday 007 December (see what we did there?!)
Streaming via YouTube/WeddingPresentTV
Big development: Arts Council England is looking into the claims about
@Sacha_Lord
revealed in our reporting, after we sent them new info last night.
Btw:
@greatermcr
is looking into them now, too.
We tasked Ella Benson Easton, writing her second piece for The Post, to explore what exactly is going on. And if you were considering packing in your office job and hitting the road, do be warned…
One of the most brilliant people in Liverpool 🙌
“If it wasn’t for love, we wouldn’t have reached this stage. But if it wasn’t for war we’d be ten times further. Because of the isms and schisms that exist, I could be ten times further.”
"What happens if you become a meme when all you want is control over your day-to-day life?"
A really tough but essential read from
@dhayes_news
in
@sheffieldtrib
this morning.
What happened to HMS Onyx, Plymouth and Birkenheads's German U-boat?
A look into the collapse of the Warship Preservation Trust and the tragic fate of so many of its ships for today's weekend read in
@liverpoolpost
To raise money for Yorkshire music venues, we've launched a DIGITAL BUNDLE of 4x posters, 4x phone and laptop screensavers and 4x eco-friendly sticker packs.
All donations will help
#SaveOurVenues
, buy a bundle here:
@musicvenuetrust
“I'm always searching for those feelings of euphoria,” he tells me. “I’m always searching for people that are committed to the dance.”
Lovely chat with my favourite photographer in Liverpool for
@liverpoolpost
🚨Looking into the arson of historic pubs in Wolves/West Mids for
@brumdispatch
- The Greyhound and Punchbowl and Crooked House in more recent months.
Any thoughts, theories or feelings, my DMs are open or email abi
@livpost
.co.uk
So much bad news recently but had the pleasure of writing about Barry Chang for today's
@liverpoolpost
"We can learn a lot from the bees — no fighting, no fuss."
Back to Liverpool after a week in sunny Lisbon ☀️
A few bits and pieces I'm looking into for
@liverpoolpost
- here's a fun one:
I want to speak to Liverpool/Merseyside rappers! Anyone know any rappers making waves in the music scene? Reach out here or email abi
@livpost
.co.uk
Coming up in Part Two:
•Big Help Project was paid millions by property developers – where did the money go?
•And The Post obtains a secret recording of Mitchell in a business meeting. His biggest fear? That he will “wake up one morning and hear a bomb has gone off”.
Now 🚨4 days left to come work with me at
@liverpoolpost
Just over a year ago I moved to Liverpool to join the team...
Hands down one of the best decisions I've made. Such a supportive team who really push you to be the best reporter you can be 📰
See below for details✒️
🚨 5 days left to apply for our staff writer position in Liverpool.
Salary: Dependent on experience (£23k-35k)
Basis: Full-time (including some out-of-hours work)
Office/remote: Three days per week in our co-working space
“I’ve always said one Lib Dem councillor is worth ten Labour councillors. They’ve got 100x more integrity because you have to slog your guts out to be a [Lib Dem]. It’s not light work."
Bold words from
@CarlCashman
in my interview for
@liverpoolpost
🚨There are now less than three days left to apply to become the new staff writer at The Post 🚨
Applications close on 24 September (that’s Sunday) - find out more about the role and how to apply below.