June has certainly been a whirlwind month.

Black Lives Matter protests dominated headlines with demonstrations in Basingstoke spanning a good chunk of the month.

Lockdown restrictions were eased which allowed non-essential shops to reopen.

Figures also revealed that crime in Basingstoke had seen a significant drop since March.

But what were Gazette readers most interested in June?

We've put together a list of the top seven most viewed stories that have grabbed our readers' attention.

Coming in at number 7 is the story of how a Basingstoke man was front and centre of an iconic Black Lives Matter protest picture.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Bryn Male, 55, of Basingstoke, was carried to safety by personal trainer Patrick Hutchinson after ­being beaten up in violent scenes outside London's Waterloo station on Saturday, June 13.

This revelation led to national and local reporters alike flocking to his house in an attempt to try and catch a glimpse of the now famous face.

You can read the full story here.

Coming in at number 6 was a Basingstoke security officer blowing the whistle on Heathrow Airport after the company slashed the pay of hundreds of workers.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Exclusively talking to the Gazette, Bradley Harding, 23, from Buckskin exposed the airport's decision to impose hefty pay cuts across its workforce.

Paperwork seen by the Gazette showed that Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) proposed pay cuts of up to 37 per cent.

You can read the full story here

Coming in at number 5 was a plea to the Queen herself to stop a hotel from closing

Basingstoke Gazette:

Basingstoke woman Lauren Collins is the operations manager at Windsor's Harte and Garter Hotel but was left distraught after the business went into administration.

She wrote a letter to its nearest neighbour - the Queen - asking for her help to save the hotel.

Read the full story here

Coming in at number 4 was news that a teenager had been stabbed in Brighton Hill.

Basingstoke Gazette:

The initial report grabbed the attention of readers, with subsequent articles detailing how residents and family members of the victim felt about the attack.

A 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, both from Basingstoke, have both been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and have been released on conditional bail while police enquiries continue.

Read the full story here, here and here

Coming in at number 3 was a piece that not only grabbed the attention of Basingstoke readers, but those across the country.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Photos showed Bournemouth beach packed on June 23 as tourists rushed to make the most of what was at that point the hottest day of the year so far.

Politicians criticised those who flocked to the beach, but it did not matter as the days following, people continued to come in their hundreds.

Read the full story here

Coming in at number 2 was the Gazette's live coverage of the reopening of many shops in Festival Place and The Malls.

Basingstoke Gazette:

We spoke to dozens of eager customers who couldn't wait to line up for a chance to shop.

Business owners also talked of how hectic a day it was.

Read the full story here.

And finally, coming in as the most read Gazette story this month was the closure of an Overton beauty spot after thoughtless visitors continued to step on poppies to grab selfies.

Basingstoke Gazette:

Wildflower Turf spoke to the Gazette about how it had hoped to provide a bit of joy during lockdown in the form of its beautiful red field.

But hundreds soon gathered at the site and caused "irreversible damage" to parts of the poppy field, which meant they had to make the tough decision to close it to the public for the rest of the year.

Read the full story here, here and here