FROM Sierra Leone to Glasgow's South Side... this year I have had the chance to cover stories both at home and away.

It has been a milestone year for the Evening Times as a whole as we rebranded and became the Glasgow Times.

For those of us who have been with paper for some time - I marked my tenth anniversary on April 1 - it has been a big change.

But what a brilliant way to start 2020, with a new name, a new editor and new ideas.

Looking back to January last year, 2019 kicked off with difficult times for one South Side shop owner.

Devastated owner Loredana Pancui spoke to me about how she felt after discovering her business had been targeted in an overnight raid.

Loredana was one of a number of business owners whose shops had been hit, all within a few months.

Glasgow Times: Nurse Veronica Konneh attends to Sombo Climbe who has as just given birth to a daughter, Mariama Climbe in the labour room at the village of Nyamdehun Bessima , Pujahun district of Sierra Leone. 27/2/19. Photo Tom Pilston/Christian Aid..Nurse Veronica Konneh attends to Sombo Climbe who has as just given birth to a daughter, Mariama Climbe in the labour room at the village of Nyamdehun Bessima , Pujahun district of Sierra Leone. 27/2/19. Photo Tom Pilston/Christian Aid..

In February we were joined in our office by a documentary crew making a two-part BBC series called The Papers.

The filmmakers, Laura and Sarah, were a pleasure to work with... but it was so bizarre to be sitting at my desk and suddenly realise there was a camera filming me type.

One of the stories the documentary crew followed me out on was the school's strike for climate change.

This was a global movement, started by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, which Glasgow's school pupils were keen to get involved in.

It saw them walk out of school on a Friday in February and join a protest in George Square.

There was some discussion beforehand about whether pupils who walked out would be penalised... but schools, in the end, did not take any action.

The event kick started further climate change protests throughout the year - a topic close to the hearts of many people in the city, and an issue under consideration by the city council.

Glasgow Times: Evening Times reporter speaks to a man on the doorstep of a house in Baillieston. Re. catfishing story about Danielle Paita...14 November 2019..Evening Times reporter speaks to a man on the doorstep of a house in Baillieston. Re. catfishing story about Danielle Paita...14 November 2019..

One of my roles at the Glasgow Times - I nearly typed "Evening" again there - is to cover local stories in Glasgow's South Side.

In March there was much upset as local organisation South Seeds lost its funding.

The charity carries out a whole host of important - and environmental - work in Govanhill and the surrounding areas so the thought of it no longer being able to operate was really concerning.

In order to keep running there were redundancies and cuts to some projects, but the charity is hopeful more funding applications will be successful in 2020.

The Clutha helicopter disaster in 2013 was a horrendous incident that shattered Glasgow.

Families of the victims faced a long wait for a fatal accident inquiry to look at the truth of what happened that night in November.

Finally, in April this year, the inquiry began in a specially created court at Hampden Park.

I covered the Clutha FAI for the months that it ran, feeling the family's frustrations that they were not getting the answers they wanted.

When Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull returned his determination in October, the victims' loved ones felt incredibly let down by the outcome, which blamed pilot David Traill.

Also in April I was shortlisted for two awards at the Scottish Press Awards - the Nicola Barry award, which recognises the work of female journalists, and for Columnist of the Year.

In February I travelled with Christian Aid to Sierra Leone to visit the work of the charity in helping maternal health.

The country has the highest rate of maternal deaths in the world, a truly shocking figure, but caused by the appalling conditions in which women give birth.

It was a humbling experience and my stories from the trip were published in May to try to raise money for Christian Aid's work.

Finally, also in May, the settlement letters for Glasgow's equal pay women began arriving.

Glasgow Times: Govanhill human trafficking caseGovanhill human trafficking case

But, far from putting an end to the long running and stressful situation, the women encountered more issues with their pay claims, which the Glasgow Times is still covering.

I was also shortlisted for Columnist of the Year at the Regional Press Awards and, at a ceremony in London, was named Highly Commended in the category.

In June things were a bit more personal for me.

I had the chance to tell the story of incredible Coatbridge grandmother May Porteous who celebrated her 105th birthday with family and friends around her.

This was an honour to write, especially because this amazing woman is my Granny Porteous.

I was so glad we had the opportunity to tell her story in print because she passed away in September this year.

It was incredibly hard to say goodbye to her but she had lived a special life and left behind a family who deeply loved and respected her.

In July I met an amazing group of women who were taking part in the Glass Walls project, a scheme to tell their stories of domestic abuse and the Scottish justice system in stained glass.

The beautiful triptych they created is now on display at Holyrood and tells a powerful and important story.

Four people went on trial at Glasgow High Court in August accused of human trafficking.

I covered the court case from start to finish, which took me through September, and heard some horrific details about what the three men and one woman did to young Roma girls they tricked into coming from Slovakia to Govanhill.

It was very difficult to listen to but the jury returned a guilty verdict and now the culprits are serving significant prison sentences.

In October I was contacted by an amazingly brave young woman who told me the story of how she had been tricked by a man she met on Tinder into giving him £3000.

The man, Christopher Harkins, was refusing to give her the cash back and she was worried other young women would fall foul of his tricks.

After some phonecalls, a lot of digging and a bizarre cash handover in a South Side chip shop, Laura got her money back... but it was far from the last time I heard the name Christopher Harkins.

Another terrible confidence trick came to my attention in November when I told the story of Kate O'Flaherty who fell foul of a catfish scam.

I found the con artist who had caused Kate so much distress at a house in Baillieston - and the man she thought was tricking her turned out to be a woman.

Kate was pleased to have her story shared in a bid to warn others.

And this month Christopher Harkins was back. He travelled to England and used a fake name to lure more women on Tinder.

I suspect his name will come up again in 2020 - but I'm hoping for plenty of positive stories too.

Happy New Year.