My top five most read West Sussex news stories from 2024: Roman bracelet found, world’s fastest bird spotted and a new Lidl for the area

My main papers are The Mid Sussex Times and the Sussex Express, but I frequently work the weekend shifts too. This means there has been plenty to report on from outside these two titles as I covered the wider West Sussex area.

With the end of 2024 rapidly approaching, I’ve had a look back at my top five most read stories of the year from West Sussex.

1) Huge fallen tree lands on church wall due to Storm Darragh

Like many people in the county, I was surprised by the ferocity of Storm Darragh and the amount of damage it caused this December. Photos sent to me on Saturday, December 7, showed the jaw-dropping sight of a tree in the grounds of St Peter’s Church in Selsey that had fallen onto the churchyard wall. It was so massive that it ended up blocking part of the road as well. The photos also showed the large broken roots that had been torn out of the ground when the tree was toppled by storm winds.

2) World’s fastest bird spotted overlooking wetlands near Arundel

This was a short but rather delightful story that came in during a weekend shift in February. Bill Thornton from Warnham submitted a picture on Saturday, February 3, with the note: “The Worlds fasted bird, the Peregrine, rests in the sunshine, overlooking Arundel Wetlands.” He said the photo was taken on January 26. It’s great when readers interact with the paper and send in photos and videos that they think our readers would find interesting. Ours certainly did and the story racked up tens of thousands of views in a few days.

3) Air ambulance helicopter spotted and A27 closed overnight after ‘serious collision’

One of the worst aspects of reporting breaking news is having to write about serious accidents like this. But it’s important to get this information out to the public as quickly, accurately and sensitively as possible.

4) Sussex boy makes international news after finding gold Roman bracelet on walk

This was a particularly fascinating story to write and an enjoyable phone interview to do during a weekend shift in spring. Rowan Brannan, 12, from Bognor, ended up making international headlines after he found a gold Roman bracelet during a walk in the Pagham area. He and mum Amanda got in touch with us to tell us their story after the incredible news about the remains of a Roman settlement being uncovered in West Sussex. Afterwards, the story was picked up by the New York Post, Archaelogy News, Daily Mail online and other newspapers in America.

5) Will West Sussex get a new Lidl?

The news that supermarket company Lidl had applied to build a brand new store on the site of the Homebase in East Grinstead was a big deal for our readers. The application (which was approved in October) was to demolish the ‘existing DIY retail unit’ at 219-225 London Road and construct a ‘Class E(a) retail foodstore with associated parking, landscaping and access works’. Lidl’s design and access statement said: “Lidl regards the application site as ideally suited to meet its requirement for a new discount store to better serve the local community.”