Matthew Holmes
Matthew Holmes reports on everyday transport and local services, focusing on how roads, vehicles and public facilities affect residents’ lives for the Westmorland Gazette. His coverage links traffic enforcement, infrastructure changes and community initiatives, showing what happens when complaints or ideas move from the street to formal action. He works within a wider regional news group, and his bylines extend across local newspapers and digital platforms, which keeps his reporting grounded in practical concerns rather than abstract policy.
Speed checks and road safety on south Cumbria roads
A recurring strand in Holmes’s work is road safety, especially where local driving habits collide with community expectations. In his report on speed checks held on a south Cumbria road after locals raise concerns, he follows the full arc from residents noticing dangerous speeds to enforcement activity on the ground.
He sets out why people living along a particular route worry about traffic, then shows which authorities respond, what checks are put in place, and how they are carried out.
His framing stays close to the practical details that matter to road users: which stretch of road is affected, how fast vehicles have been travelling, and what form the speed monitoring takes.
He uses official figures and statements where available, but anchors them in the voices of people who live or travel on the route. That mix of community testimony and operational detail makes his transport coverage useful for anyone involved in road safety campaigns, infrastructure changes or policing activity connected to motorists.
Sandside Lodge and everyday community services
Holmes also reports on local institutions that sit alongside the road network, such as schools, specialist centres and their services. In his coverage of a cafe created by Sandside Lodge, a school catering for pupils aged between two and 19 with special educational needs or education, health and care plans, he explains both the educational mission and the practical benefits of the new facility.
The story shows how a small change in a school’s offering can alter daily routines for pupils, staff and visitors, and how that intersects with wider community life.
He describes the age range and support needs of the students, the purpose of the cafe, and how it is intended to serve both the school and the surrounding area. As with his road safety pieces, the emphasis is on concrete detail and the people directly affected.
This makes his work relevant for organisations working on inclusive education, local amenities and accessibility, especially where projects touch transport, public space or everyday journeys.
Regional portfolio and reporting style
Holmes’s work appears across a range of regional news titles and online outlets within a larger publisher group, giving him exposure to different communities and local issues. That spread of bylines suggests a reporter used to switching between transport, public services and community-focused stories while maintaining a straightforward news format.
He writes in plain, direct language, favouring short, fact-led pieces that set out who is affected, what has changed, and which authority or institution is responsible.
Across his portfolio, he focuses on developments that turn up in residents’ daily routines: enforcement checks on familiar roads, new facilities at local schools, and adjustments to services that people rely on. His stories tend to be tightly scoped around a specific initiative or incident, rather than broad thematic analysis, and he lets official statements and local voices carry the narrative.
For organisations working on road safety, local transport schemes, or community-based projects tied to schools and services, Holmes offers a channel that captures the practical impact on motorists and residents without losing the human detail.
4 more automobile journalists.
Adrian Leung
Adrian Leung is a writer at Car News China who applies an electrical and computer engineering background to technically dense coverage of China’s fast-moving electric vehicle market. He focuses on new-energy models, from mainstream family EVs to concept cars, explaining battery systems, drivetrains, and on-board technology with clear numbers and straightforward descriptions. His Sunday China Drive columns look at how specific models fit real-world motoring and household budgets, balancing space, comfort, and affordability. Across launch and revision stories, he tracks BEV and EREV variants, exact dates, horsepower, range, and pricing to show where each EV sits in the broader market. He brings the same detailed focus to concept vehicles, using battery and range data plus component-level and chassis detail to treat them as complete engineering objects.
Alan Dowds
Alan Dowds is a motorcycle journalist focused on practical riding, workshop know-how and real-world bike testing. He runs Visordown while writing guides, advanced riding features and first ride reviews for road and track riders. He has more than two decades of experience, including staff roles at dedicated bike magazines, before moving into freelance work across multiple outlets. His beat covers recovery after crashes, knee-down technique, filtering, city traffic, green-laning, learner training and track riding. He also reports on production, pricing and new adventure bikes such as the Norton Atlas made in India. His workshop coverage includes puncture repairs, winter storage, chain care, engine bearings, case covers and caliper seals. He writes in direct, methodical language, using step-by-step guidance, practical testing and photos to help riders become safer, faster and more mechanically confident.
Alan Feldberg
Alan Feldberg is a fact-led automotive trade reporter who tracks how manufacturers, fleets, mobility providers and repair networks are reshaping the modern motor industry, with a particular focus on the UK car market and its supply chain. He writes concise, data-driven news for Bodyshop Magazine, having been part of its editorial team for years, including a period as Middle East editor. He covers the rise of Chinese vehicle makers, named models and market share, dealer and fleet technology, online retail platforms, leasing, remarketing and mobility networks. He also reports on repair groups, parts distributors, OEM approvals, fuel prices, employment and wider industry pressures. His pieces turn corporate announcements and market reports into clear signals for garages, bodyshops, fleets, dealers and mobility providers.
Alastair Crooks
Alastair Crooks is a senior news reporter at Auto Express who covers both new cars and the infrastructure that will support them, tying factory-scale developments to driveway-level reviews. He focuses on electric cars, mainstream launches and UK pricing, reporting on new and electrified models entering the market, their spec, positioning and what they change for buyers. His road tests of SUVs and saloons assess ride, range, interior space, value and running costs, with clear, sometimes blunt verdicts backed by specifics rather than general impressions. He writes news, reviews, features and occasional opinion columns on driving behaviour and in-car tech, drawing on his background as a car salesman, his degree in journalism and his enthusiast experience at car shows and track days. Some of his work also appears in magazine-style formats.