Luke Alsford

I am a journalist covering news, investigative and human-interest stories for Metro and The Londoners.

News Reporting

My complete portfolio of work as a reporter - most recently for Metro and The London Economic.

Metro •

Musician who composes with his nose hopes to break barriers in music industry

A musician with cerebral palsy who uses his nose to write lyrics has said that his fight to get his song performed live shows the barriers that disabled people still face in the music industry.
Michael Lerman, whose arms and legs are paralysed due to cerebral palsy, is hoping that his nose-written song ‘She Wrote’ will transform the music industry and how it values disabled artists.
Despite teaming up with London-based singer Kah’Nya to perform his song, music venues in the capital have ignored...
Metro •

London pub crowd tells Metro who they want in the White House

Boos, woos and booze – welcome to inside an overnight US presidential election watch party at a pub in London.
Both Trump and Harris supporting Londoners are feeling ‘nervous but hopeful’, they’ve told Metro.
Between the existential dread and fear over the future of democracy, they also expressed optimism that their chosen candidate would win. It’s a mixed bag.
The first poll closed at 11pm (GMT) this evening, with state after state turning blue or red as county clerks see which boxes have been...
Metro •

Passengers delayed for eight hours after 'disgusting' cockroaches found on plane

Passengers were left ‘gobsmacked’ after cockroaches found on a TUI plane caused two flights to be severely delayed.
Holidaymakers flying to and from Tenerife and Gatwick had their flights delayed for 8 hours on September 15 due to a cockroach problem on their plane, despite initially being told the delay was down to ‘catering issues’.
Enraged passengers are now planning to take the travel firm to court after TUI refused to compensate them for disruption, citing ‘extraordinary circumstances.’
Mic...
Metro •

Flights slowly resuming at UK airport after police incident

Birmingham Airport has resumed operations after flights were suspended for hours this afternoon as police dealt with an incident on site.
Following a search of a ‘suspicious vehicle’ by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the vehicle was deemed safe, West Midlands Police said.
Some passengers have already begun boarding flights and passengers are being advised to check their latest flight information before arriving at the airport.
Passengers inside the airport told Metro it was as if the disr...
Metro •

School cancels 'Blue Nose Day' after massive backlash

A school has scrapped plans to turn off its heating all day in a bid to try and conserve energy after a father told the school it was ‘child cruelty’.
Alec Marshall, who has two children that attend Wolsingham School in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, said the original idea would have stopped children from learning and risked the health of the pupils.
In an email to sent to parents and carers on Monday, Wolsingham School announced they would be turning off the heating all day at the end of the w...
Metro •

Yoga instructor thought leg might have to be cut off after Bali scooter crash

A yoga instructor has described dragging herself to the side of the road after her leg was ‘shattered’ in a scooter crash in Bali.
Jasmine Daisy, from Brighton, recalled the ‘disgusting’ scene of her right leg ‘almost at a 90-degree angle’ after two drunk men drove into her scooter last week in the small village of Uluwatu, on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The 33-year-old travelled to Bali a month before the incident, in the hopes of finding work online and ended up teaching at a week-long yoga...
Metro •

Tortoise can't eat after thieves steal companion he's lived with for 38 years

A councillor is devastated after thieves returned to her house steal her pet tortoise days after ransacking her home.
Pat Gregory said she lost thousands of pounds worth of possessions in the burglary, which took place during the last week of August at her home in Enfield, north London.
Councillor Gregory had been visiting her son in hospital in Stoke-on-Trent when she returned and found her home had been destroyed between Tuesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 29.
In a further blow, the culpri...
Metro •

British-Lebanese family trapped in Beirut facing 'psychological terrorism'

A British-Lebanese woman has said her family has faced ‘psychological terrorism’ over fears of being bombed in Lebanon as people desperately try to flee the country.
Dalia Rishani, the vice chairwoman of the Center for Lebanese Studies, said some of her British-Lebanese family members – including her mother Rajaa and nine-year-old cousin Leila – are stuck in Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Thousands of civilians have been leaving southern Lebanon as...
North West Londoner •

Barnet Council voted health and safety "Bad of Boss of the Year" by trade union

Barnet Council beat Amazon and ASDA to be voted “Bad Boss of the Year” by a trade union health and safety conference.


The vote came from delegates at the 35th National Hazards Conference of trade union health and safety reps and activists, which took place from 30 August to 1 September.


The organiser of the conference, Janet Newsham, cited the ongoing dispute between Barnet UNISON mental health social workers and the council, which has lasted more than a year, for the result.


Newsham, w...
North West Londoner •

Camden restaurant changing lives by tackling homelessness opens

Formerly homeless employees of a newly opened fine dining restaurant in Camden have claimed the project has changed their lives.


Home Kitchen opened last week in Primrose Hill with the aim of tackling homelessness by employing and training those who have experienced it.


Waiter Jeremy Coates found his very first job at Home Kitchen through a course run by the charity Beyond Food, aiming to help those in disadvantaged backgrounds gain skills in food and hospitality.


He said: “Before findi...
The London Economic •

Mosque targetted in riots has given £25k to Royal British Legion to support veterans

After finding itself the target of far-right protesters in Hartlepool this week, the Nasir Mosque’s history of commendable community-spirited charity work has been revealed.
During the violent unrest that erupted this week following the deadly stabbing of three girls in Southport, far-right thugs attacked the Muslim place of worship in Hartlepool. Since then, the mosque’s incredible track record of charitable deeds has come to light.According to the national charity Community Organisers, the mos...
The London Economic •

Hero builder helps rebuild wall of Southport mosque

Bricklayer Tony Hill has been labelled a “legend” for helping the Southport community rebuild the local mosque wall.
Relaying bricks on the wall destroyed by far-right protesters on Tuesday, a video showing Hill working at “breakneck speed” in the blistering heat has been widely shared on X.The mosque in the seaside town had been hit by bricks and other items by the rioters, who Merseyside Police believe were “supporters of the English Defence League”. This violence has impounded the grief and p...
The London Economic •

GB News presenter arrested at far-right protest

GB News presenter Martin Daubney was arrested during the violent protests outside Downing Street last night.
Daubney, who presents a weekday show on GB News, was briefly handcuffed by the Cenotaph at the “Enough is Enough” demonstrations following the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport.Footage shows police swiftly letting Daubney go as he explained his role reporting on the riots.
Speaking to fellow GB News presenter Mark Dolan about his arrest, Daubney explained that a police officer “s...
Palatinate •

Durham in Stockton: how are international students prepared for University life?

By Luke Alsford


It is often forgotten by students studying in Durham, as they attend lectures in view of the city’s cathedral, or grab coffee by the River Wear, that Durham life continues almost thirty kilometres away, in the market town of Stockton.


On the edge of County Durham, Stockton-on-Tees is home to hundreds of international students completing a foundation year or a Pre-Masters course, in the hopes of progressing on to academic study in Durham, or elsewhere.


Run by the educatio...
Palatinate •

Durham’s “worst kept secret”: what are the plans for Durham’s 19th college?

By Luke Alsford, Will Dixon and Elliot Burrin

Durham University has outlined plans to establish a 19th college that will neighbour Hild Bede.

This proposal forms part of the University’s project to refurbish Hild Bede on the Leazes Road estate.

In an email to Hild Bede students on 24th May, the College’s principal Professor Simon Forrest labelled the development a “new college neighbour for the College [of St Hild & St Bede] on the site.” Work on the project is scheduled to start in 2025.

Av
Palatinate •

Palestinian student fundraising to evacuate her family from Gaza

A Palestinian student at Durham University has described how her dreams and plans have been “shattered” as her family remains trapped under life-threatening conditions in Gaza. Dalya Saleh is now fundraising to evacuate her husband, daughter and close family through the border crossing with Egypt at Rafah.

“When I came to the UK I had big dreams,” Ms Saleh told Palatinate last week. She had worked as an English teacher in Gaza before winning a master’s scholarship to attend Durham University wi
Palatinate •

Durham University has the third widest gender pay gap among English Russell Group Universities

Durham University has the third widest gender pay gap among English Russell Group Universities; an analysis of Durham’s most recent gender pay gap report shows.

The median hourly pay for women within Durham University is 19% lower than men’s, which equates to women earn 81p for every £1 that men earn. This represents a reduction of 4.5% compared to last year’s figures. Durham still has a wider gender pay gap than the national median, with women being paid 91p for every £1 a man earns in Great B
Palatinate •

Durham reacts to Klute’s closure: “The best worst night out in Durham”

After Palatinate previously reported that Klute had closed down after over 50 years of club nights, dances, and drinks, former staff members and visitors of the establishment flooded to social media to mourn the loss of what was famously known as Europe’s worst nightclub.

Klute closed on 20th April, although no public announcement had been made by Tokyo Industries, the owners of Klute. It is unclear whether the closure is permanent or short term.

Since then, multiple petitions have been formed
Palatinate •

Asian students feel “less confident” and “isolated” as hate crimes rise in County Durham

The number of reported hate crimes against Asian people in County Durham has increased by more than 50% since 2019. Data from a Freedom of Information Request to Durham Constabulary also shows that hate crimes against Chinese, Japanese and South East Asian people in particular has not returned to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels. Campaigners believe that a high rate of underreporting is obscuring the true number of racist hate incidents and crimes faced by Asian people.

Palatinate has spoken to mem
Palatinate •

Analysis: Highest paid Durham University staff are disproportionately white and male

A Palatinate analysis of data provided by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has shown that there is a disproportionate number of white and male full-time academic staff in Durham who are paid the highest salaries.

The data from the 2022 to 2023 academic year shows that 77% of total full-time academic staff at Durham University identified as white. However, 89% of the full- time academic staff who were being paid in the highest salary bracket of above £65,578 were white. In the UK as
Palatinate •

Students feel “shocked” and “isolated” following Christian Union talk on sexuality

Content Warning: this article contains reference to homophobia and transphobia

Inclusive Christian Movement Durham (ICMD), Durham Students’ Union (SU) President Dan Lonsdale, and Durham’s LGBT+ Association amongst others have criticised the Durham Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (DICCU) for hosting Rev Matthew Roberts in their talk ‘Good News for a Sexualised World’.

The talk happened as part of DICCU’s ‘Good News’ week, which ran from 19th to 23rd February and included 15 talks “explaining h
Palatinate •

Durham City night workers to receive Bystander Training to prevent sexual violence and harassment

Durham City night time workers will receive Bystander Training in a new initiative to prevent sexual violence and harassment.

The workshops will be delivered by Darlington and County Durham’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (RSACC) over the next fifteen months after the charity received funding from the Ministry of Justice for the scheme.

Durham students have expressed their optimism to Palatinate that this initiative will help to tackle sexual harassment on nights out.

According to the RSACC, t
Palatinate •

Dan Lonsdale re-elected as Students’ Union President as voter turnout rises

Dan Lonsdale has been re-elected as President of the Students’ Union, alongside Catherine Howells and Moitreyo Ganguli, who were elected Education Officer and Community Officer respectively. The victorious candidates were announced at a ‘Results Night’ on Tuesday 13th February following a five-day voting period.

1879 students voted in the election, which marked a turnout of 8.55%, an increase on the 6.5% turnout that saw Mr Lonsdale elected SU President for the first time.

Dan Lonsdale receive
Palatinate •

Durham Students’ Union Officer Interviews: President

The Students’ Union’s presidential contest is being fought by Dan Lonsdale, the incumbent President, and Abdul Wahab Imran, a second year Accounting and Finance student and the President of Durham’s Pakistan Society. Palatinate has interviewed both candidates about their reasons for standing and their plans for their time in charge of the SU.

Dan Lonsdale is fighting his third SU presidential election, after placing third in 2022 and winning an uncontested election last year. Asked why he is ru
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