Former journalist's hobby-turned-business creates headlines across the globe

A Yorkshire-based entrepreneur who creates personalised gifts has expanded to fulfil orders across the globe.

The Occasional Reporter, which creates bespoke, framed newspaper articles, began as a hobby back in 2015. The business has now gone on to provide its personalised gifts to customers in several countries.

Lauren Holden, a former journalist and copywriter, initially created The Occasional Reporter as a hobby to fulfil her love of creative writing.

With increasing demand, Lauren realised there was a gap in the market for this venture, which lead to the business being formed.

Officially launching this March, The Occasional Reporter has written bespoke newspaper front pages with orders coming from Huddersfield, where she’s based, to as far as America and Australia.

Lauren has also been invited to attend weddings to capture the day and write about it for the memorable keepsake.

One particularly creation was ordered to capture one couple’s adventures to date, including their experience throughout Hurricane Harvey. Andrew Landgraf, from Houston, Texas, purchased the gift for his wife on their first anniversary.

Andrew commented: “When our first anniversary was approaching I was trying to think of a clever present to give to my wife. We had been through a lot in our first year and I wanted to be able to capture it all into something that we could remember forever. I found The Occasional Reporter on Etsy and was very happy I did.

“l emailed a quick description of what I was looking for and she sent me a questionnaire to fill out. The questionnaire didn’t take long and I sent a couple pictures to include. She did a great job and my wife loved her gift! The paper was amusing and was able to capture everything I wanted it to.”

A completely bespoke service, the newspaper pages feature three separate articles and images. Lauren captures details from a short questionnaire with up to two amendments available for recipients to ensure they are happy with the final product.

Lauren said: “I have spent the last 13 years writing as a journalist and copywriter and creative writing is a true passion of mine.

“I initially began creating the newspaper front pages for fun; friends and family ordered and loved them, and word of mouth soon spread which has led me to create an e-commerce website and turn it into a business!”