Jake Holden

Multimedia journalist

Freelance journalist with reporting experience from foreign correspondence to local level. Words in: Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Sun, MyLondon, DevonLive

2025 finalist for the Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness and the Press Gazette's Future of Media Awards for Best Digital Storytelling.

See a curated list of my best stories below: 

My London •

Rough: The stories behind London's homelessness crisis

ORWELL PRIZE 2025 FINALIST
PRESS GAZETTE FUTURE OF MEDIA AWARDS 2025 FINALIST

Sarah is a 24-year-old Albanian woman addicted to drinking a paint stripper called GBL. She knows she shouldn’t, but she feels compelled to keep going back to the camp.

She’s wearing a black vest and trousers, her tattooed arms jitter over each other as she shifts her weight from side to side. The noise of traffic fills the evening as she leads us through her life below the giant electric billboard flashing colour on the camp.
Daily Mirror •

'Terrified' Brits desperately run from 'charging police' in holiday riots

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE

British tourists have been caught up in major riots in a European capital city.
Ben Lawrence, 18, from Stoke-by-Nayland told how he was forced to run with the crowd to escape police attacks in the Serbian capital Belgrade. He told the Mirror: “The police were charging and starting to attack protesters, so we ran with a horde of people which was terrifying. It wasn’t like police at home doing a job, but rather two opposing sides that hate each other.”

Tourists have seen their evenings filled wi...
Daily Mirror •

New 'invasion handbook' issued to residents amid growing fears of China threat

Taiwan has launched a new civil defence handbook today, bringing attention to the importance of a strong civilian response in case of a Chinese invasion. The handbook, issued by All-out Defense Mobilisation Agency, features checklists and questions to help residents plans for crises like military invasions or natural disasters on the earthquake-prone island.

Shen Wei-chih, director of the All-Out Defense Mobilisation Agency told Associated Press: "Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, w...
My London •

Tommy Robinson promises another protest after 9 arrested

The Metropolitan Police drafted in an extra 500 officers from other forces ahead of Tommy Robinson's 'Unite the Kingdom' march in Central London. The protest began near Waterloo station at 11am this morning (Saturday, September 13) and crossed the Thames towards Whitehall where a rally took place. Anti-racist protestors also organised a demo at the opposite end of Whitehall. There were clashes in the 'sterile areas' set up between the two protests, with the Metropolitan Police saying nine peopl...
My London •

Gatwick-bound plane crash kills 241 passengers with one man surviving

One passenger has survived an Air India flight which crashed en route from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport with 53 Brits on board. 241 people - 229 passengers and 12 crew members - are dead, the airline confirmed in a statement this evening. This includes 169 Indian nationals, 53 Brits, 7 Portuguese nationals and one Canadian. An Indian police chief also confirmed a number of locals died when the Boeing 787 crashed in a densely populated area shortly after take-off. Vidhi Chaudhary, a top state po...
My London •

London man 'sole survivor' of plane crash after 'jumping' to safety

A 40-year-old man from London is currently the only survivor of the Air India crash in Ahmedabad this morning. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who said he has lived in London with his wife and child for the last 20 years, said he survived the crash and that problems immediately began after take off.

Flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick was carrying 242 people, 53 of whom were Britons, crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad, smashing into a building at 1.40pm local time (8.10am Londo...
My London •

'Trapped' residents demand compensation as lifts fail in iconic tower

Residents are demanding compensation for being trapped in their flats for nearly a week in an iconic high-rise tower block in East London after the lifts failed. The lifts in the Balfron Tower in Poplar have been plagued with breakdowns for months, but this is the first time both have broken down simultaneously, they said.

Student, Vasundhara Gupte, 22, has lived on the 15th floor of the tower with her boyfriend Agyush Rangras, 21, for eight months and reported that for around a third of that t...
My London •

Eurovision explains why Russia is banned but Israel isn't

Viewers sitting down to watch the Eurovision Song Contest finale this weekend will notice that Russia is still absent from the song contest two years after its invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was banned from competing in the Eurovision in 2022, but Israel, currently invading Gaza, is still allowed to partake. As a result, 72 former Eurovision contestants have signed an open letter calling for Israel to be banned from this year's contest.

The letter, addressed to the European Broadcasting Union (EB...
My London •

'Our South London business makes boats for Royal Family and Hollywood films'

It's easy to forget that in London you are living in one of the world's premier cities, filled with some of the finest talent around. Richmond Bridge Boathouse is a microcosm of this in a relatively niche but totally beautiful way - building traditional wooden row boats and hiring them out.

This business, according to boss Mark Edwards MBE, has been afloat for over three centuries and in these hundreds of years, their work has managed to stay in keeping with tradition but also keep up with the...
My London •

Statues vandalised during trans rights protest as police hunt for witnesses

Seven statues were vandalised in Parliament Square during a trans rights protest yesterday (Saturday, April 19). Police are appealing for witnesses after the statues were defaced with graffiti.

No arrests have been made in connection with the criminal damage. Photos from the protest at Parliament Square showed the phrase "f*g rights" and a heart were daubed on a statue of suffragette Millicent Fawcett, while "trans rights are human rights" was sprayed on the pedestal of a bronze of ex-South Afr...
My London •

Trump protests for state visit will be 'even bigger' than before say campaigners

London will see ‘even bigger’ protests during president Donald Trump’s second state visit than those that disrupted his first visit in 2019, campaigners have vowed. Trump revealed on Thursday (April 17) he was “setting a date for September” to make his visit following his personal invitation from King Charles, handed to him by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on his visit to the White House in February.

The Stop Trump Coalition has said they estimate more than the 250,000 people who joined the p...
My London •

Meet the man who keeps Big Ben and 3,300 Westminster clocks ticking

At dawn, while most Londoners are still asleep, Andrew Strangeway pedals quietly across Westminster Bridge, carrying with him the responsibility of a 165-year-old national timepiece. He's the custodian of a clock that's taken centre stage at coronations, commemorations, and countless moments of British history.

MyLondon is launching 'The people that make London tick'- a feature series that shines a light on the everyday workers whose essential jobs often go unnoticed. What better way to kick th...
My London •

TfL responds to 'unauthorised' anti Elon Musk adverts appearing

Adverts criticising Elon Musk put up on Tube trains and at bus stops are to be removed by Transport for London (TfL). Several adverts criticising Musk, the richest man in the world, likening him to a Nazi, were stuck up on the transport network.

TfL has said that these adverts "were not authorised" by them and will be removing any found on trains and buses and warned that flyposting is criminal damage. Many included images of him making a controversial gesture at a Trump rally following the US...
My London •

Hundreds of tractors descend on Whitehall in inheritance tax protest

Hundreds of tractors descended on Whitehall in Central London to protest Labour's policy to introduce inheritance tax (IHT) on farmland worth over £1 million. The new tax, announced in Rachel Reeves' Budget in October last year, would mean farmers pay a 20 per cent tax on land worth over £1 million passed down after their deaths. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage joined the farmers at Belmont Farm in North London ahead of their rally in Westminster this morning and vowed to reverse the tax if he was...
My London •

Controversial ex-SAS TV presenter makes bid to be London Mayor

Controversial TV Presenter Ant Middleton has said he wants to be London Mayor and plans to 'cleanse' London. The former SAS: Who Dares Wins presenter, 44, who served in the SBS in Afghanistan said "Britain is rotting from its core" in a series of posts on X.

The TV hardman is a Reform Party supporter and took to X to post about his dissatisfaction with the Labour government and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. He wrote: "Kier Starmer has got to go and whilst all of this is happening Britain is rotting...
My London •

Heartbreaking final message 'loving' Sutton son sent family before death

"Manuel was everything to me. He was more than a brother, he was my best friend."

Manuel Papilson, a young man aged just 23 from Wallington, Sutton, sadly took his own life at the beginning of November and his family have shared heartfelt tributes to him. Manuel was by all accounts a "massive part of his community", incredibly active in charitable and community work, and a thoroughly intelligent and "loving" student at University College London (UCL).

His family are now left to live life witho...
My London •

The last tree of a mighty forest that sits on one of the best viewpoints

Like everywhere in London, the suburban area of Honor Oak makes up a part of the city's living history. The name itself even tells a story of ancient times and royalty and you can visit yourself and indulge.

One Tree Hill Park is home to the Oak of Honor - a glorious English oak tree that gives the park itself its name. Though the tree does not stand on the hill alone, it does have a very unique story behind it and is the subject of several legends.

It's said that it was named the Oak of Honor...
My London •

Stabbing 100m from facial recognition van 'shows it's not a deterrent'

A 23-year-old man was stabbed in the neck just 100 meters from a live facial recognition (LFR) van operated by the Metropolitan Police near East Croydon station last week. The incident has sparked criticism from civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, which claims the attack highlights the ineffectiveness of LFR technology as a crime deterrent, despite concerns over its invasive nature and privacy violations - though the Met point out it led to four arrests including for robbery and serious ass...
My London •

James May says "life's a fog" ending Grand Tour and talks future plan

James May has revealed he is "not depressed" about ending The Grand Tour with its final ever episode this month but said "life is a fog" since. The show's last episode aired Friday, September 13 on Amazon marking the final time James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond would work on the project together after 22 years in the business starting on BBC's Top Gear.

At an event in Market Place Vauxhall food hall, where James was promoting his gin brand James Gin, he told MyLondon how he felt ab...
My London •

'Prison-like' estate where 'rats chew through wires' and 'flats keep flooding'

Residents on a Hackney Council housing estate have said the conditions are 'like a prison' and complain the council has not addressed a plethora of issues with their building. Exbury House residents on the Frampton Park Estate brought their grievances to a head in June when they marched on Hackney Council's Town Hall to make their case heard.

MyLondon caught up with some of these residents a month on to see if the situation had changed. From the people we spoke to, it seemed there were still ma...
My London •

'I sang a huge 90s hit, now I'm teaching and inspiring school kids'

The 90s dance music legend Janice Robinson, also known as a former member of Livin' Joy, is set to perform at London Pride on Saturday, June 29. Janice, 56, wrote and sang the smash hit song Dreamer in 1993 and it has since become one of the most recognisable club bangers still playing 30 years after its release.

MyLondon spoke to Janice ahead of her performance to get to know the woman behind Dreamer. During our interview, she revealed she will bring out the incredible Gospel House Choir on st...
My London •

Mum whose kids nearly died after pest control treatment claims council cover-up

The mother of two children who nearly died after their flat was treated with pest control insecticide has said she believes there is a cover-up going on about the incident. Amber Jaulim, 25, is living in temporary accommodation in Slough provided by Redbridge Council - the same council she believes is trying to cover up the incident and the causes of the near death of her children.

Whether the chemicals were actually responsible for the children's condition in not confirmed and is under investi...
My London •

London mum moved 220 miles away from Slough accommodation and she's much happier

A London mum who has been moved 220 miles away by the council after being housed in temporary accommodation in Slough has said she is happy after settling in to her new home. Dorcas Micaba, 26, and her two boys aged five and three, were moved by Redbridge Council amid a 'housing crisis' for affordable temporary accommodation in London.

After being housed in temporary accommodation in Slough - sharing one bedroom between the three of them - Dorcas and her kids were moved 220 miles away from Lond...
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