Good Stories - where do they come from?

If you want to be a great Presenter or Producer you have to network with a wide range of people.  One of our top places to meet a mix of social groups is the local gym.  In the sauna and steam rooms people love to talk.  Here are two stories from this week: 

1. A surgeon at an NHS hospital which is to be pulled down next year and his unit will move but not before the managerial administrators spend £130,000 on refurbishing their offices - which will also be pulled down next year.
2. A policeman who tells of two of his colleagues yesterday in east London who pulled a suspicious car over, when they approached the car the driver drew a gun and told them not to come any closer, fearing their lives they had to let the car drive away - he said its more than an everyday occurrence now in east London.

Both stories are anecdotal but have enough truth to be used as a foundation for true stories about crime and health.  Both are from ordinary people on the front line - your listeners.