Journalism Diversity Fund student wins place on BBC scheme

One of the speakers at the Journalism Diversity Fund lunch last week was Megan Bramall. Her story demonstrates the difference that the Fund and its media supporters can make to someone who has the determination to break in to journalism.

Here is the speech that she gave:

I’m Megan, I’m 23 and I’ve lived in quite an unlovable little town up north called Wigan since birth.

It’s a working class town through and through and there certainly aren’t many opportunities. The closest I got to journalism growing up was when my mum worked in the canteen at The Wigan Evening Post.

My parents brought my up to be a hard worker and constantly reminded me that I could be anything I wanted to be – there was a whole world out there away from little old Wigan.

What I wanted to be was a journalist, so although the odds were against me I wasn’t about to admit defeat.

After taking all the work experience I could get in between working on my gap year and hitting a brick wall without an NCJT despite a first class degree I decided to apply for a Journalism diversity fund bursary.

After a long and terrifying interview I was awarded the funding.

The fund made a career in journalism a possibility for me and I’m guessing for some of you too. Without it I couldn’t have trained and I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Last year I was standing where you’re standing. I had just started my NCTJ training like you and this week I’m coming to the end of my 4^th week of training on the BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme – which is a year- long paid training scheme allowing trainees to spend time in different newsrooms across The BBC. This year I’ll be spending time at BBC Breakfast, 5 Live and UK online. It really is a precious and completely unique experience.

My whole life changed last year at this lunch when I met someone from the BBC. She’s here today – Cheryl Varley. She handed out her email address and told all of the bursary recipients to email her, so I did, the same day. I wrote about where I come from – the high pregnancy and unemployment rates, how I’d been working non-stop from the age of 14 and became the first in my family to go to university. Cheryl has since told me that it was this quick response, keeping in touch with her and responding quickly when she needed me that impressed her and kept her informing me of opportunities.

All of you here have the opportunity to meet Cheryl today and apply for the BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme next year.

Wherever you go my advice to you will be not to hide your diversity. Big news organisations like the BBC aren’t looking to fill their newsrooms with the same people. Being funded by the Journalism Diversity Fund it is now your responsibility to represent that diversity wherever you go.

You need to speak on behalf of the communities you come from and tell the stories that matter to them. Ensure that journalism represents everyone from the UK.

Finally I’d like to thank both The Journalism Diversity Fund and the BBC for the amazing opportunities presented to me over the past year.