Bursary 2022
Our applications for 2022 bursaries again exceeded what we can currently financially offer, and competition for the bursary was extremely strong. We remain very grateful to the NCTJ for all their support and assistance in making some difficult decisions.
This year, Edward Hardy has received the bursary and is an extremely worthy recipient. Edward wrote and spoke passionately regarding diversity, and that disability is not always visible but can be hidden. His previous work with a number of local news agencies was of very high quality and the panel felt that he channeled the determination and work ethos that Thomas had set for himself.
Edward has already made contact with our friends at Sky News and will be undertaking placements with them later this year. Congratulations, Edward and very best of luck over the coming year! Edward will be studying for the NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism through News Associates.
This year, Edward Hardy has received the bursary and is an extremely worthy recipient. Edward wrote and spoke passionately regarding diversity, and that disability is not always visible but can be hidden. His previous work with a number of local news agencies was of very high quality and the panel felt that he channeled the determination and work ethos that Thomas had set for himself.
Edward has already made contact with our friends at Sky News and will be undertaking placements with them later this year. Congratulations, Edward and very best of luck over the coming year! Edward will be studying for the NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Sports Journalism through News Associates.
Bursary 2021
2021 saw another year of high quality applications to the bursary, and our ongoing thanks to all at the NCTJ for helping us run the interview process through the Journalism Diversity Fund.
After some very hard decisions, we are really pleased to announce that our recipient for 2021 is Melissa Osborne, who will be using the bursary to help fund a part-time MA in Journalism at Kingston University.
Melissa has demonstrated huge motivation and drive to become a journalist, despite living with a chronic health condition that has not made this an easy journey.
We look forward to hearing how Melissa gets on over the next year, and hope that we will have the chance to celebrate in person when the situation with COVID-19 allows.
In response to receiving the award, Melissa said: “I feel immensely fortunate to be awarded this bursary from the Thomas Read Foundation.
“As a journalist with a disability, having this support will help me to achieve my career goals and will provide me with opportunities that I have always dreamt of having!”
Carolyn Read, founder of the Thomas Read bursary, said: “We are very pleased that Melissa is to be the next bursary recipient.
“We were very impressed with her application and her enthusiasm and commitment to succeed in journalism.
“She shows the same determination and drive that Thomas had and has also been reflected in our previous recipients.
“We have every confidence that Melissa will make a positive contribution to her chosen field of journalism and will enjoy studying for her MA.”
After some very hard decisions, we are really pleased to announce that our recipient for 2021 is Melissa Osborne, who will be using the bursary to help fund a part-time MA in Journalism at Kingston University.
Melissa has demonstrated huge motivation and drive to become a journalist, despite living with a chronic health condition that has not made this an easy journey.
We look forward to hearing how Melissa gets on over the next year, and hope that we will have the chance to celebrate in person when the situation with COVID-19 allows.
In response to receiving the award, Melissa said: “I feel immensely fortunate to be awarded this bursary from the Thomas Read Foundation.
“As a journalist with a disability, having this support will help me to achieve my career goals and will provide me with opportunities that I have always dreamt of having!”
Carolyn Read, founder of the Thomas Read bursary, said: “We are very pleased that Melissa is to be the next bursary recipient.
“We were very impressed with her application and her enthusiasm and commitment to succeed in journalism.
“She shows the same determination and drive that Thomas had and has also been reflected in our previous recipients.
“We have every confidence that Melissa will make a positive contribution to her chosen field of journalism and will enjoy studying for her MA.”
Bursary Recipient 2019
2019 marked the fifth time we had been able to award bursaries to two further very worthy recipients. Carolyn (Thomas' Mum) had been fortunate enough to be able to attend some of the interviews with the team from the Journalism Diversity Fund and was exceptionally impressed by the standard of those who had applied.
This year, our two recipients once again demonstrated their passion and commitment to a career in journalism, despite having to overcome so additional challenges.
Kate Pounds, who will soon begin the part-time multimedia journalism course at News Associates London, was awarded the bursary alongside Amy Clarke, who will study at the University of Sheffield on their NCTJ-accredited MA journalism course.
Kate would like to help promote the fact that visually impaired, and other disabled, people take part in sports as often and fully as their peers.
Amy says journalism has helped her overcome anxiety, and she hopes to become part of the next generation of journalists who are a truer representation of the public.
This year, our two recipients once again demonstrated their passion and commitment to a career in journalism, despite having to overcome so additional challenges.
Kate Pounds, who will soon begin the part-time multimedia journalism course at News Associates London, was awarded the bursary alongside Amy Clarke, who will study at the University of Sheffield on their NCTJ-accredited MA journalism course.
Kate would like to help promote the fact that visually impaired, and other disabled, people take part in sports as often and fully as their peers.
Amy says journalism has helped her overcome anxiety, and she hopes to become part of the next generation of journalists who are a truer representation of the public.
Our Third Bursary Recipients
On 18th October 2017 we were delighted to be invited by the NCTJ to join them at Google News HQ in London to award the third of our Thomas Read Bursaries.
This year the standard was higher than ever and we found it impossible to pick just one recipient. We were delighted that with the support of the NCTJ we have therefore been able to award two bursaries this year.
Details of our fantastic aspiring journalists are below:
Rory Claydon
Since joining the ranks of the award-winning blog Backbench during his sixth form years, Rory has had an interest in political and investigative reporting. During his tenure at Backbench, Rory served as a lead writer, sub-editor and also as the education editor. During the summers between sixth form and university, Rory kept writing and blogging for the site on topics that caught his interest, ranging from Scientology to foreign policy. He was awarded 'Article of the Month' three times for his writings at Backbench.
During his undergraduate course, Rory undertook a week-long work placement at the Liverpool Echo where his photography was featured in the weekly 'Street Style' print column, as well as serving as the views editor for his student paper, The Gryphon. During his tenure at The Gryphon he was awarded the 'Best Views Article of Semester 2' for his piece on Anti-Antisemitism in the Labour Party.
As someone with Dyspraxia and Hypermobility, Rory has faced some barriers in getting on the journalistic ladder. However, with excellent pastoral support and the increasing digitisation of the media, Rory has made use of other tools to ensure he can report on equal standing to able-bodied journalists.
As an aspiring political reporter with a strong interest in issues relating to foreign affairs and social justice, the NCTJ scholarship ensures that Rory can gain a qualification at one of the best centres for journalism in the United Kingdom, Cardiff University.
Connor Parker
Connor has a degree in history from Sheffield Hallam University and a Postgraduate Masters in sociology and policy research. During his postgraduate studies he developed a keen interest in pursuing journalism as a career. Always fascinated by current events, he'd previously lacked the confidence to attempt to break into the extremely competitive industry because he has dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as suffering with poor mental health - both of which he thought would limit his ability to successfully meet the demanding requirements expected of journalists.
However, after encouragement Connor settled on following his dream. Whilst doing a postgraduate degree in sociology he set up a student newspaper, HNews, which grew from being produced by a single person on Publisher in black and white to a team of twenty producing regular content in print and online in the space of six months. For his efforts he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Student Media Award and secured a work experience placement at The Sheffield Star.
On top of this he has also written several times for The Telegraph and The Huffington Post, covering issues faced by young people, and he hopes to become a political journalist promoting issues around hidden disabilities and mental health. In his spare time Connor can be found listening to podcasts and watching history documentaries.
Connor is due to start a second postgraduate course studying journalism at The University of Sheffield.
This year the standard was higher than ever and we found it impossible to pick just one recipient. We were delighted that with the support of the NCTJ we have therefore been able to award two bursaries this year.
Details of our fantastic aspiring journalists are below:
Rory Claydon
Since joining the ranks of the award-winning blog Backbench during his sixth form years, Rory has had an interest in political and investigative reporting. During his tenure at Backbench, Rory served as a lead writer, sub-editor and also as the education editor. During the summers between sixth form and university, Rory kept writing and blogging for the site on topics that caught his interest, ranging from Scientology to foreign policy. He was awarded 'Article of the Month' three times for his writings at Backbench.
During his undergraduate course, Rory undertook a week-long work placement at the Liverpool Echo where his photography was featured in the weekly 'Street Style' print column, as well as serving as the views editor for his student paper, The Gryphon. During his tenure at The Gryphon he was awarded the 'Best Views Article of Semester 2' for his piece on Anti-Antisemitism in the Labour Party.
As someone with Dyspraxia and Hypermobility, Rory has faced some barriers in getting on the journalistic ladder. However, with excellent pastoral support and the increasing digitisation of the media, Rory has made use of other tools to ensure he can report on equal standing to able-bodied journalists.
As an aspiring political reporter with a strong interest in issues relating to foreign affairs and social justice, the NCTJ scholarship ensures that Rory can gain a qualification at one of the best centres for journalism in the United Kingdom, Cardiff University.
Connor Parker
Connor has a degree in history from Sheffield Hallam University and a Postgraduate Masters in sociology and policy research. During his postgraduate studies he developed a keen interest in pursuing journalism as a career. Always fascinated by current events, he'd previously lacked the confidence to attempt to break into the extremely competitive industry because he has dyslexia and dyspraxia as well as suffering with poor mental health - both of which he thought would limit his ability to successfully meet the demanding requirements expected of journalists.
However, after encouragement Connor settled on following his dream. Whilst doing a postgraduate degree in sociology he set up a student newspaper, HNews, which grew from being produced by a single person on Publisher in black and white to a team of twenty producing regular content in print and online in the space of six months. For his efforts he was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Student Media Award and secured a work experience placement at The Sheffield Star.
On top of this he has also written several times for The Telegraph and The Huffington Post, covering issues faced by young people, and he hopes to become a political journalist promoting issues around hidden disabilities and mental health. In his spare time Connor can be found listening to podcasts and watching history documentaries.
Connor is due to start a second postgraduate course studying journalism at The University of Sheffield.
Announcing our first recipient!
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Gemma Louise Hodgson |
Diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome two years ago Gemma has faced many challenges, but one thing has remained constant, her passion for sport and her love of writing.
It was seeing her first ever Newsround Presspack article published on Ceefax that first sparked Gemma’s interest in journalism. Since then she has gained work experience at Cambridge News, Radio Peterborough, the RFL and as a guest speaker on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Currently studying for her MA Sports Journalism at St Mary’s University, upon graduation Gemma hopes to raise the profile of Para-Sport in the UK and create more positive perceptions of disability through her work.
Gemma is over the moon to be chosen as the first recipient of the Thomas Read Bursary and wishes to thank the Read family for their support, as it is allowing her to fulfil a lifelong ambition to become a sports journalist and broadcaster.
It was seeing her first ever Newsround Presspack article published on Ceefax that first sparked Gemma’s interest in journalism. Since then she has gained work experience at Cambridge News, Radio Peterborough, the RFL and as a guest speaker on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Currently studying for her MA Sports Journalism at St Mary’s University, upon graduation Gemma hopes to raise the profile of Para-Sport in the UK and create more positive perceptions of disability through her work.
Gemma is over the moon to be chosen as the first recipient of the Thomas Read Bursary and wishes to thank the Read family for their support, as it is allowing her to fulfil a lifelong ambition to become a sports journalist and broadcaster.
