Magilligan lad scoops BBC award

The Magilligan lad is completing his training at the North West Regional College.

Dean scooped the award with his TV news report entitled ‘FITFU: Small and simple steps’.

The award is for a £1,000 bursary and provides the winner with a period of BBC news work experience.

The competition was open to all NVQ Level 4 students in Journalism and journalism degrees alike across Coleraine and Belfast.

The competition was in conjunction with BBC NI and NI Chest, Heart and Stroke Association. The award was set up in memory of NI BBC producer Paul Robinson who died in February 2009 with heart-related problems. The entry was open to print, photography or a video lasting no longer than two minutes and be related to heart problems in NI, and should be topical in order to reach a wide audience.

The report was also created with the help of media students Reuben McNutt and Chris Armstrong who worked on camera and sound.

Judges were David Lynas, BBC, and Michael Fisher (formerly of RTE News) who said they were impressed by the standard of Dean’s work.

A delighted Dean said: “There was no way I could of done this without the technical expertise that came from Reuben and Chris. This was the perfect competition for us to enter. The experience we got from this alone was a great insight to how a real news report is put together. The facilities at the college are perfect for students like myself looking to branch into print journalism and broadcast. The work experience prize was the main reason for entering the competition. Of course the money is a bonus but I’m always willing to learn as journalism is always on the change. I hope that people take something from the video piece and I’m overwhelmed that Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke association want to take it on board as part of their awareness scheme. This winning drives me forward even more into what I’ve always wanted to do.”