We’re continuing to feature a different member of the Stray Ferret team each week.
It’s now Lauren Ryan’s turn – one of our news journalists.
If you’d told Lauren as a child that she’d be writing stories like the ones found in the pages of her favourite fashion magazines, she might not have believed you.
Born and raised in Yorkshire, she moved out of the area briefly to study journalism to a postgraduate level at the universities of Lincoln and Nottingham respectively.
After several industry internships as well as a stint at Jorvik Radio, she joined the Stray Ferret at the start of 2024, and has become an integral member of the news team ever since.
According to Lauren, although she has a special interest in ‘human-interest subjects that celebrate achievements or life-changing events’, any subject that can make a difference to the local community is a story worth sharing.
She explained:
“I love writing about local issues that impact a community and I enjoy talking to people in the area about what is important to them.
“I may have lived in Yorkshire all my life but working as a journalist I discover new things about the area every day.”
Although Lauren joined the Stray Ferret a matter of months ago, she’s already covered an eclectic range of subjects – from charity ventures and daytime discos to rail strikes, parking charges and even bomb scares.
A story that epitomises the variety the job offers was her exclusive interview with Sarah Collins, a Harrogate singer who recently starred on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show.
Lauren attending Neuhaus’s shop opening
“In order to talk to Sarah about her appearance on the show I had to track down the creators and producers of the TV show and discuss the interview I aimed to do with the BBC and the producers at Hungry Bear Media.
“I first heard about Sarah a month prior and tried to contact her multiple times, I had almost given up hope when she called me the night before the show was due to air after being given a strict embargo by the producers.“
Another personal highlight was speaking to the teachers and pupils at Holy Trinity infant school who contacted the Stray Ferret to help solve the mystery of a 50-year-old mural they discovered on school grounds.
She added:
“Due to their enthusiasm and determination to find who created it 50 years ago I was swept up in their search and loved learning more about the mystery.“
Her passion for North Yorkshire shines through both her work and her free time; at weekends, Lauren likes to visit nearby towns and cities as though she’s a tourist, to experience familiar areas from a fresh perspective.
Lauren said:
“I love romanticising places I have always known by visiting art galleries, theatres and trying out new bars and restaurants in my spare time.
“I especially love going to vintage sales and record fairs on a weekend, which both York and Harrogate are great for.
“North Yorkshire has an underrated cultural scene and it’s also a great place for walking and hiking.”
If you think you’ve got a story that might be of interest to Lauren, you can contact her by email at [email protected].
