Jill Dando News Centre
What is the Jill Dando News Centre?
April 2019 marked twenty years since we lost the extraordinary BBC presenter, Jill Dando. Having studied at Worle Community School, Dando is a huge local success story. Students from across the TWAV (TWAV) - have taken inspiration from her positive journalistic work and created a news centre in their school so that she has a lasting legacy. Every week budding journalists across all year groups meet at the Jill Dando News Centre in the heart of their school to interview, write, photograph, film and edit the latest ‘hot off the press’ news. Unlike so much of today’s press, the journalists follow one rule: every story must be a positive and inspiring one.
Journalists are also joined by their furry assistant, Jeffrey (the King Charles Spaniel and TWAV Mascot) who visits the schools across the Trust as part of the Jill Dando News Centre.
Special Guest Interviews
Mark, John & Merlin
Andrew Buncombe
Nigel Dando
Branwen Jeffreys & Katherine Smith
James Witts
Ed Chamberlin & Tim Williams
Nolli Waterman
James Heappey & John Penrose
Anthony Marshall
Belinda Bradley
Mike Westlake
Scott Laird
Chris Cooke
Dawn Carey
Dai Flanagan & Leon Brown - Rugby Special
Doug Wheelock - NASA Astronaut
Jodi Parslow
Richard Payne - ITV News Presenter
Dr Smith: Software Engineer - Pixalytics Limited
Jamie Thurston: Founder & CEO 52 Lives
Emma Britton
Sophie Long
Neil Criddle
Fiona Bruce (Clip 1)
Fiona Bruce (Clip 2)
Dan Ayers
Dean Edwards
Scott Murray
Ross King
Ross King Snippet 1
Ross King Snippet 2
Darren Harris
JDTV Sonny Cox
Dr Milad Shadrooh
Testimonials
Testimonial from Tim Williams: TV Producer & Programme Editor for ITV Racing – the BAFTA winning home of free-to-air horse racing in the UK.
The Jill Dando News Centre is an amazing opportunity for them all to get that experience at such a young age, something I would have loved at school myself. The questions were brilliant - well researched, concise and well delivered - more so than some of my answers! I hope those with ambitions of making a career in journalism stick at it. They'd be most welcome to contact me with any further questions if they do. They're already well ahead of the majority of people for their age and I can definitely see some future broadcasters amongst the group.From Andrew Buncombe - Chief US Correspondent for The Independent.
The interview was a genuine pleasure. It was uplifting and exciting to see such enthusiasm among the students. I would very much like to take up the invitation to pay a visit next time I am in the area. Thanks again, Andrew