Journalism Diversity Fund bestows its 200th NTCJ bursary

The Journalism Diversity Fund has sponsored 200 minority trainee journalists since its launch in 2005.

The fund has provided four more students, who lack the means to pay for an NTCJ-accredited course and are socially or ethnically diverse, with a bursary that pays for their course fees and supplies a subsistence allowance for the year.

This year the following four students recieved the award:

· Beth Baldwin, Press Association Newcastle

· David Laniyan, Lambeth College

· Mantej Mann, Press Association London

· Abiola Olanipekun, News Associates London

The interviews for the 2015 award were hosted by The Daily Telegraph last friday with NCTJ chief executive Joanne Butcher, BBC social mobility executive Cheryl Varley and Guardian leader writer and columnist Hugh Muir on the interviewing panel.

Varley said she felt priveleged to be a part of the scheme: “The diversity fund is a wonderful initiative that practically tackles the economic and cultural issues that have led allowed the profession journalism to become infamous for its social exclusion. It was an inspiring experience to meet the applicants, I wish each of them every success for the future.”

To mark its 10th anniversary, the Journalism Diversity Fund recieved £100,000 from NLA media access, who have now provided over £1 million towards the scheme.

A reception for the fund's 10th anniversary was held last month, presenting the winners with their awards and revealing the new Thomas Read bursary helping disabled journalists.

Gemma Louise Hogson, currently studying at St Mary’s University, was the first recipient of this award.