The recent heatwave may have affected your ability to think up new content ideas, but luckily we are here to provide you with some starting points. Based on requests that are usually popular on our Journalist Enquiry Service in July, and events coming up over the next few weeks, there are plenty of different avenues below to help you file your next article or feature.

What to cover right now?

The annual festival of British grass court tennis that is Wimbledon has rolled around again, kicking off yesterday, 29 June, and finishing up on 12 July. Cameron Norrie and Katie Boulter lead the charge for the Brits in the men’s and women’s singles draw (after injuries to Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper forced them to withdraw) and there is the small story of the return of Serena Williams, too. Get insight as to who the favourites are from a tennis coach or former pro, or recommend the best rackets for those who are looking to take up the sport.

There has been a conscious effort from businesses and retailers to reduce the use of plastic in recent years and that has been continually championed by the Plastic Free Foundation who run the annual Plastic Free July campaign. To tie in with this, speak to an environmental expert about the impact that reducing plastic waste can have on the planet or get a case study of a business that has benefited from going plastic free.

The biggest Pride event in the UK is London Pride and that will be taking place on 4 July. On the day there will be the usual parade through the streets of London, before a variety of acts will be performing across no less than five stages. You could interview some of the performers about what Pride means to them or get insight from an expert about the history of the Pride movement, both in the UK and globally.

What’s coming up?

While a lot of the sporting focus is currently on the World Cup over in the US/Canada and Mexico, there is another big sporting event coming up in the Commonwealth Games which begin on 23 July and last until 3 August. Glasgow is hosting the quadrennial competition with around 3,000 athletes expected to take part. A travel review of some of the best places to eat and drink in the city while visiting for the Games would tie in nicely.

No Glastonbury this year has meant that music lovers have had to look elsewhere to get their festival fix and another big one is taking place at the end of July (23-26) with Latitude festival in Henham Park, Suffolk. Lewis Capaldi, Self Esteem, and The Last Dinner Party are just some of the many artists that will be performing across the weekend. A feature recommending products that are essential for the best campaign experience at a festival would work well this, or look back at some of the previous headliners from Latitude.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is normally the big event for the year when it comes to showcasing gardening designs but there is a new event for this year with the RHS Sandringham Flower Show, taking place at the royal estate from 22-26 July. Preview the event by talking to the organisers about what to expect from this new show, or write a feature recommending the best plants and flowers to bring the garden to life during the summer.

Still stuck? Here are common trends from the Journalist Enquiry Service for July

With some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded last week, it feels like summer has well and truly arrived in the UK, and ‘summer’ is a keyword that performed very well in July last year as it cropped up in over 6% of the requests. Obviously this is a very broad topic but you could look at getting the latest summer trends in fashion, travel, or interior design. Alternatively you could seek out expert opinion on hacks and ways to stay cool during this period of intense summer heat.

While the school year will only be finishing up in late July, this tends to be the time that requests start coming through around going back to school in September and just under 3% of the enquiries contained ‘school’ this time last year. Product reviews of essentials like school uniform, stationary, bags, and rucksacks are the easiest way to link into this, or you may want to speak with a psychologist or a parenting expert about how hard it can be for parents when their kids go to school for the first time.

It may be over five months away but July is when the Journalist Enquiry Service starts to receive Christmas requests and last year there were just over 2% of the total requests for July. If you want to get your festive features sorted early then you could send an enquiry to get information on different Christmas events and activities that will be taking place in December across the UK, or look ahead at what toys and gifts could be this year’s must haves!

Ready to step into Christmas early and get started on content for December? Send a request via the Journalist Enquiry Service to find what you need. Or if you need some stats or research to add into a current piece of work then there are plenty of press releases on our Press Release Wire to get that extra bit of information you might need.