From the editor’s desk

How to get your good news featured

The short answer: if something genuinely good happened — and it involves real, named people in England — send it to us with the details below. It’s free, a human editor reads everything, and we’ll tell you either way.

Last updated: 4 July 2026

What we publish (and what we don’t)

We feature stories that are:

Genuinely good news — something got better for real people. Fundraising milestones, community programmes launching, volunteer achievements, local wins.
Verifiable — named people, named places, details we can check with you. We verify before we publish; that’s the whole point of us.
From England — anchored to a real town or city.
Recent — happened lately or happening soon.

We don’t publish:

Product launches or promotions dressed up as news — “local business launches exciting new service” is an advert.
Anything we can’t verify, or stories without a human in them.
Paid placements. Coverage is never for sale — no fees, no “guaranteed features”, no link deals. If you’ve been offered that elsewhere, that’s advertising, not news.

How to send us your story — three steps

Write five plain sentences. Who did what, where, when, and why it matters. Skip the press-release language — “Margaret, 82, has knitted 400 blankets for Leeds neonatal wards since January” beats three paragraphs of “we are delighted to announce”.
Attach the practical bits. One or two photos you own the rights to (people, not logos), a contact who can answer questions, and permission from anyone named. If it’s an event: date, venue, how people join.
Send it via our story form. A human editor reads every submission. If it’s a fit, we’ll come back with questions and write it up properly — in our words, fact-checked with you, with a real byline.

Straight answers to fair questions

Does it cost anything?

No. Editorial coverage is free and always will be. We’re reader-supported, not placement-funded.

Is coverage guaranteed?

No — an editor decides, like any news outlet. What we guarantee is that a human reads your submission and you get an answer.

Will you link to our website?

Where it helps readers — a charity’s donation page, an event’s booking page — yes, at our discretion. We don’t do link placement, and we don’t discuss “SEO value”. Please don’t ask.

We’re a charity with a steady stream of stories — is there a better route?

Yes — a partnership. Charities like Parkinson’s UK send us stories as they happen and we give them a consistent house treatment: verified, credited, with your photos. One email to set up.

How long until we hear back?

Usually within a week. Time-sensitive story (an event coming up)? Say so in the first line.

What if you say no?

We’ll say so plainly, and where we can, tell you why. A “no” here isn’t a verdict on your work — often it just isn’t a story yet. Milestones, firsts and named people usually are.

Got something good?

Five sentences, a photo, a contact. We’ll take it from there.

Submit your story

Casting a wider net? For charities, Media Trust’s resource hub is excellent on working with the media generally, and free press-release distribution exists for non-profits (e.g. Pressat’s charity programme). Your local paper wants good local stories too — the five-sentence rule works everywhere.