NCTJ staff pound the pavement in 5k race to support Thomas Read bursary
Members of NCTJ staff took to the streets of London today to run a 5k race as part of our continued efforts to support the Thomas Read bursary.
M
embers of NCTJ staff took to the streets of London today to run a 5k race as part of our continued efforts to support the Thomas Read bursary.
A four-strong team ran the Great City of London race raising funds to help students with disabilities with the cost of completing an NCTJ-accredited course.
Melissa Davis (00:36:09), Joanne Butcher (00:30:34), Lyn Jones (00:40:42) and Kim Aitchison (00:37:28), pictured, joined thousands of others who also participated in the race.
Later this year NCTJ staff will be joining Read family and friends to climb Mt. Snowdon. The climb, taking place on 10 September, will be a week after what would have been Thomas’ 27th birthday.
The Thomas Read bursary was established in 2015 with donations from Thomas’ friends and family. The bursary is awarded each year to the Journalism Diversity Fund bursary recipient who has demonstrated the qualities embodied by Thomas Read: passion for journalism, a determination to succeed and the ability to overcome adversity.
Thomas, who had cerebral palsy, studied journalism at the Cardiff University School of Journalism. He later worked for Sky Sports News full-time on their sports bulletin team until his unexpected death in January 2015.
The first bursary in his memory was awarded in November 2015 to Gemma Louise Stevenson who has recently completed her NCTJ-accredited course at St Mary’s University. She has been awarded a prized place on the BBC Journalism Trainee Scheme.
Sponsorship is still open for those who wish to donate by visiting our fundraising page, here.
To find out more about the Thomas Read bursary click here.
Pictures from the race can be viewed on our Facebook here.
