NUJ members at the Scotsman have passed a motion of “anger and dismay” and are seeking an urgent meeting with their editor to discuss the latest round of cuts in which one out of four in the newsroom has been placed at risk of redundancy.
The cuts, which were announced on Wednesday, are across specialist reporters, business and features, with a proposal to cut five roles. They follow the axing of two football writers in January, leaving just one dedicated football reporter.
At the same time, their Glasgow-based rival has been recruiting football writers and last year launched two new football websites covering Edinburgh teams Hibs and Hearts.
The NUJ chapel at the National World flagship title has called upon editor Neil McIntosh to hold a meeting with staff to explain why such severe cuts were needed only three weeks after he told journalists they had achieved year-on-year growth and congratulated them for their performance, effort and hard work.
The decision on the cuts was made by National World’s senior executives based in England following what has been described as a failure to hit targets for subscriptions. The page view target for scotsman.com was to double traffic by the end of 2024, and the first half of the year had been described as a “good start” by the editor in an email to staff.
National World boasted in their half-yearly results that their websites and apps had increased by 8 per cent since year end, and The Scotsman, Yorkshire Post, News Letter, Express and Star and Shropshire Star had grown their subscriber base by 17 per cent since December 2023.
The Scotsman, like many newspaper groups, has been unable to capitalise on switching revenues from print to digital at a time when the traditional newspaper model is in decline.
The latest ABC figures available show The Scotsman sold 7,710 daily copies on average for the last half of 2023, around a tenth of what it sold 25 years ago.
It has recently ranked poorly and below rivals in Google News’s organic search for Scottish news stories.
Nick McGowan-Lowe, NUJ national organiser for Scotland, said: “Our members at The Scotsman shouldn’t have to pay the price for the muddled mess of a business strategy from National World. They have achieved what they have been asked to do, and their editor has congratulated them for it.
“National World management claim they are trying to turn the company into a ‘premium content business’, but these job cuts fall on those same talented, award-winning journalists who consistently produce excellent Scottish journalism.
“National World CEO David Montgomery needs to be supporting the editor of The Scotsman and its journalists so they can continue to produce quality, informed journalism. You don’t attract more subscribers by offering them less content.”
The BBC’s annual report shows ‘a year of creative excellence and transformation against financial pressures and a challenging media market’
The report shows that the BBC is at the heart of national life and is the go-to media brand in the UK, with 95% of UK adults using our services on average per month, says the BBC’s Media Office.
We continue to deliver for audiences across the UK, and abroad, but we know we must accelerate the pace of change to increase relevance and value in a time of limitless choice and interactivity.
In March, we set out a long-term ambitious plan to prioritise, and focus our resources on, three essential roles: to pursue truth with no agenda; to back the best homegrown storytelling; and to bring people together.
Samir Shah, BBC Chair, said: “The BBC matters deeply to the UK, and continues to play an important role on the global stage.
“With the Board, I look forward to overseeing progress with the solid plans in place to preserve the benefits of public service broadcasting for all, and to ensure the BBC can deliver for audiences well into the future.”
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, said: “This year’s Annual Report shows how we are transforming at pace to deliver for all audiences in the digital age.
“We remain firmly focussed on prioritising our resources into building a BBC for the future that can deliver crucial benefits for the UK at a critical time – and help support a healthy democracy, a thriving creative economy, and a strong society.”
Content
More people, by far, get their news from the BBC than from any other source and – across all our services – 35 million UK adults came to the BBC per day across 2023/24.
We are now the only UK provider to appear in the top five most-used media brands for young people and it was another record-breaking year for BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, with both seeing a significant increase in the number of weekly active accounts.
The BBC was the place to go for unmissable moments. We brought people together for the Coronation of King Charles III, watched by an average audience of 14.6 million, and the Eurovision Grand Final in Liverpool, watched by an average audience of 10 million on the night.
We saw huge audiences for homegrown storytelling across all genres, from Doctor Who and Planet Earth III to Ghosts and The Traitors. It was an incredible year for distinctly British drama from across the UK, including Blue Lights, Shetland, Steeltown Murders, Sherwood and The Responder.
BBC Radio continues to be the market leader in the audio space, with over 30 million adults listening on average per week – more than any other broadcast radio company or on-demand player. Radio 2 is the UK’s number one station overall, Radio 4 the number one speech station and 6 Music the biggest digital-only service.
Across the UK
Our Across the UK plan remains mission critical and has now entered its second phase. It is currently on track to exceed its £700 million spend target outside of London. To date, the programme has seen the BBC deliver more than £200 million of cumulative investment across its programming and services, including more than 350 roles being relocated outside of London. Over 54% of our workforce are now based outside of London.
In 2023/24, the BBC achieved its target to spend 60% of the Network TV budget outside of London and we are on track to sustain this permanently by 2026. While 44% of total radio and music production spend was outside of London, and we are well on the way to achieving the 50% target by the end of the current Charter.
Transparency and impartiality
We’re building trust with our audiences with a laser-sharp focus on transparency, spearheaded by the launch of BBC Verify. The team fact-check, counter disinformation, analyse data and explain complex stories in the pursuit of truth. This year we’ll be taking BBC Verify to audiences worldwide.
In May, we demonstrated our continued commitment to impartiality by publishing our second independent thematic review, on BBC coverage of migration, and announced the next review into our output on authentic and accurate portrayal and representation.
Finance and commercial
BBC Studios achieved a solid year of performance, despite a backdrop of challenging trading conditions, with sales of £1.9 billion (2022/23: £2.1 billion). An increase to our borrowing limits has kickstarted further investment and the recent acquisition of streaming service BritBox International demonstrates our sustainable future growth plans.
We aim to double our commercial business by 2027/28, generating additional content and funding for the BBC.
While licences in force declined by 2% year-on-year, the vast majority of our audiences remained committed to paying the licence fee and 95% of public service spend was directed to content and its delivery.
In real terms, the licence fee generated 30% more income in 2010/11 than it does today – a difference of more than £1 billion a year. We have been clear that the significant funding pressure we are under means we need to make further savings, on top of the major savings and reinvestment we have already made, to deliver the most value for audiences.
Transformation
We are becoming a leaner, more agile organisation, and we are accelerating our digital-first approach to reach audiences where they are. Public service roles continue to reduce this year, with headcount down 10% in the last five years; a reduction of almost 2,000 roles.
Over the course of the next two years, we will look to further move the money we have into the priority areas that provide real value for audiences. This means, in public service, we will close and transfer roles in some areas, and create roles in growth areas. By the end of March 2026, we expect to see a total reduction of around 500 public service roles.
Workforce diversity
We’ve made progress towards our overall 50:20:12:25 Diversity and Inclusion targets for the year, but there is much to do to ensure we remain representative of our audiences as we get smaller as an organisation. Disability and ethnicity are behind our expected ambition and both will be a focus of our refreshed D&I strategy which will be released in the coming year.
The report demonstrates delivery on all three of our key pillars.
We pursue the truth with no agenda ;
75% of UK adults use BBC News on average per week – well ahead of the next nearest provider
1.3m 12-15 year olds in the UK follow the news with the BBC – higher than any other organisation
We carry the UK’s voice, values, and influence to a weekly audience of 450 million people worldwide
We are the world’s most trusted international news provider
We back the best homegrown storytelling;
We contributed almost £5 billion to the UK economy last year and for every £1 of the BBC’s direct economic activity, £2.63 is generated in the UK economy
Half of our economic impact is outside London – versus 20% for the wider industry
99% of our original content is made in the UK – we are the largest single investor in UK-made programming.
We won 14 BAFTA TV awards in 2024 – more than any other broadcaster or streamer
We bring people together;
BBC coverage reached 25.2m people in the UK on the day of the Coronation of HM The King and HM The Queen Consort
There were a record 8.1bn streaming requests on BBC iPlayer – up 10% on the year before
Of the UK’s top 10 most viewed programmes in 2023, seven were on the BBC, highlighting our ongoing importance and relevance for today’s audiences
People spent 5hrs 44m watching BBC TV/iPlayer on average per week – more than all the big SVOD streamers combined
TODAY (1st July), Sally Gray, TV presenter, media trainer, business leader and charity worker, was awarded an honorary degree by Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.
Sally, a QMU graduate who has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the UK media and runs a highly successful media training business, was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University, Honoris Causa in recognition of her significant contribution to culture and the creative arts.
Sally celebrated her success with Dame Prue Leith CBE, Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, and hundreds of new graduates and their families at the first of the QMU’s graduation ceremonies to be held in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall this year.
Sally studied communications and media studies at Queen Margaret College in the 1980s, and it was her dissertation work about children’s television that led her into the BBC’s Blue Peter offices.
She landed her first ‘proper’ job as a BBC secretary, which brought her into contact with many highly experienced broadcasters, such as David Dimbleby, who was on the first programme she worked on, and she played a part in bringing the TV politics programme ‘Question Time’ to Scotland for the first time.
Sally’s presenting career kicked off on a BBC Scotland children’s education programme ‘Go45,’ which she co-hosted with Grant Stott.
This programme was a fresh take on educational broadcasting and attracted an average audience of up to five million people per episode. Her TV credits range from fronting lifestyle shows such as ITV’s ‘Moving Day’ and ‘Our House’, BBC’s ‘Real Rooms’ and the ‘Really Useful Show’ to ‘live’ roving reporting on GMTV.
She has also hosted fun CBBC entertainment shows, as well as presenting ‘Record Breakers’, ‘50/50’ and numerous other children’s programmes.
Nowadays, she focuses her energy on nurturing talent, with a particular interest in helping young people build their confidence and find opportunities in the media. She worked with the London Academy of Film and TV as their Head of Production, training young people up as TV presenters and mentoring new talent.
She then set up her own media training company, Presenters Inc, where she has helped people with a story – including Olympic champions, Strictly Come Dancing professionals and human rights lawyers – to find their voice and engage with audiences.
In 2003, Sally received an MBE for services to young people through her work as an ambassador for the Millennium Volunteers. This was a youth volunteering award scheme, now re-badged in Scotland as the Saltire Awards.
Similarly, through her role as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, she has supported young people facing disadvantage and adversity to create a better future.
Sir Paul Grice, Principal and Vice Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, said: “Sally has created an incredibly successful, exciting and varied media career.
“She has travelled the world in search of the kookiest inventions, chased after wild alligators, flown a fighter plane, gone head-to-head with Hollywood heavyweights, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pierce Brosnan, and sung a duet with actor and comedian Sir Norman Wisdom.
“But, Sally has not only entertained us – she has used her wealth of expertise to give voice to others, helping many fulfil their potential. In that, she personifies Queen Margaret University’s values of making the world a better place and allowing individuals to thrive.”
Sir Paul concluded: “Sally Gray is a true inspiration to our creative industry students and the whole of the QMU community, and we are delighted to recognise her impressive achievements with an honorary degree.”
Over 100 entries have been shortlisted for the 45th Scottish Press Awards, it has been announced. The awards recognise excellence in national, regional, and digital journalism from across the country.
With 26 categories featuring a mix of several long-standing award titles complemented by a range of new-look categories, the judges have received a flood of entries, representing the finest talent from across the industry.
The finalists will be hoping to scoop an award from a range of categories including politics, business, sport, and the arts.
This full list of categories for 2024 includes:
Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year
Best Coverage of a Live Event
Campaign of the Year
Columnist of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Financial/Business Journalist of the Year
Food and Drink Writer of the Year
Front Page of the Year
Journalism Team of the Year
Lifetime Achievement Award (not applicable for entry, chosen by the editors’ committee)
Scottish Newsbrand of the Year
News Photographer of the Year
Nicola Barry Award
Podcast of the Year
Political Journalist of the Year
Regional Journalist of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Specialist Reporter of the Year
Sports Columnist of the Year
Sports Feature Writer of the Year
Sports News Writer of the Year
Sports Photographer of the Year
Weekly Journalist of the Year
Weekly Newsbrand of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year
Journalist of the Year (not applicable for entry, chosen by the judges)
Shortlists for the sought-after Scottish Newsbrand of the Year, Journalist of the Year, and Lifetime Achievement Award have not been revealed as winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony. The shortlist for Weekly Newsbrand of the Year will be revealed in May.
This year’s judging panel was led by Richard Neville, former Head of News Brands at DC Thomson, and current Director of Neville Robertson Communications.
Richard Neville, chair of the Scottish Press Awards judges, said:“It has been fantastic to see the quality of entries to this year’s awards. The talent in this industry stretches right across the spectrum of digital and print publishing and across every region of the country.
“The need for incisive, challenging journalism grows every year and Scotland’s journalists have risen to the task in the past 12 months.
“Telling good stories will always be at the heart of what the industry does but holding the rich, powerful, and opportunistic chancers to account is of equal importance. It is clear from this year’s shortlist that Scotland is not a place to come to avoid scrutiny.”
The 45th Scottish Press Awards are sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, Diageo, VisitScotland, Edrington, Openreach, Glenmorangie, The Law Society of Scotland, Caledonian MacBrayne, Registers of Scotland, Muckle Media, Amazon, Women in Journalism Scotland, BIG Partnership, Weber Shandwick, Event Consultants Scotland and Newsbrands Scotland.
Overseen by Newsbrands Scotland (formerly the Scottish Newspaper Society), the awards ceremony and dinner will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on 29 May 2024.
For more information and to view the shortlist, visit:
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is joining GB News as a programme maker, presenter, and commentator.
Johnson joins in the new year and will ‘play a key role in the channel’s coverage of both the UK general election and the US elections next year’.
He will create and present a new series showcasing the power of Britain around the world, as well as hosting the occasional special in front of live audiences around the UK.
Announcing his first major broadcast role, Boris Jonson said: “GB News is an insurgent channel with a loyal and growing following. I am excited to say I will be joining shortly – and offering my frank opinions on world affairs.”
He said of the new series: “I will be talking about the immense opportunities for Global Britain – as well as the challenges – and why our best days are yet to come.”
In a video Boris also promised he would “be giving this remarkable new TV channel my unvarnished views on everything from Russia, China, the war in Ukraine, and how we meet all of those challenges, to the huge opportunities that lie ahead for us.”
Editorial Director Michael Booker said: “I’m delighted to say, GB News has got Boris ‘done’!
“We are tremendously proud to have him join the GB News family, particularly as we head into a seismic year for politics both here and across the Atlantic.
“Boris has been the most influential Prime Minister of our generation and his unique insight into domestic and world affairs will be a smash hit with our viewers and listeners.
“As well as his political skills, he’s an incredibly talented journalist and author, so we can’t wait to start working with him on what will be must-see TV.”
The trade association for Scotland’s news publishers, the Scottish Newspaper Society, has been renamed Newsbrands Scotland, dropping “newspaper” from its title for the first time in a history stretching back 108 years.
While printed newspapers remain an important part of news publishers’ operations, the name change reflects modern newsrooms which reach far bigger audiences through digital platforms, with news operations working round the clock to deliver news to readers in the format they want, when they want it.
Newsbrands Scotland’s inaugural president, National World plc’s chief commercial officer Mark Hollinshead, said: “Our newsbrands reach more people than they ever did in the print-only days and the new name of our trade association reflects the multi-platform reality of the modern newsroom.”
Industry research [TGI, December 2022] shows that nine out of ten adults in Scotland engage with print or digital newsbrands at least once a week and are seven per cent more likely to rely on newspapers to stay informed than UK adults. And according to the latest JICREG analysis, 96 per cent of Scots read a local brand once a month.
Mark added: “Ever since the advent of the internet, Scottish news publishers have been evolving and innovating to keep their audiences well-served with up-to-the-minute, trusted information and analysis, and the audience figures speak for themselves.
“Scottish newsbrands keep communities across the country well-informed and connected, have a vital role to play in holding national and local politicians to account for the decisions they make, and are an essential means for services, businesses and charities to communicate with their users and customers.”
Further research from the news industry marketing body Newsworks reveals people are 2.4 times more likely to find news brands reliable than social media, and three-quarters believe it is important their news comes from a respected and recognised news provider.
Newsbrands Scotland director John McLellan said “Our titles continue to provide a depth and breadth of coverage that few, if any, networks can match, and the fact that all our members are independently regulated is also vital for maintaining public trust.
“Readers want to know they are being provided with professionally produced news, and our commercial partners benefit because readers recognise they are in a trusted environment.
“News publishers also continue to support and train the journalists of the future, and it’s important for our name to reflect an industry that is always looking forward.”
The rebranding project was a collaborative effort across member companies, with the branding design produced by DC Thomson and the marketing campaign devised by National World, with input from News UK and Newsquest Scotland.
“This was a very good example of publishers working together for the benefit of the whole sector in Scotland, whether society members or not,” added John McLellan.
Forth 1, combined with sister station Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk), has enjoyed further record-breaking listener numbers – its best in over two decades.
The latest impressive RAJAR figures for Q2 2023 show a record number of listeners now listen to Forth 1 and sister station Greatest Hits Radio (Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk).
An incredible 427,000* tune in across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk every week, which is an increase of 7,000 weekly listeners from the previous quarter and the highest total in 22 years.
That’s the equivalent of Easter Road and Tynecastle both at capacity – 10 times each!
Alongside Ewen and Cat’s award-winning breakfast show, the Ken Bruce effect has helped the Greatest Hits Network grow substantially across Scotland too, adding 51,000 weekly listeners to 553,000 (Q1 2023: 502,000).
Ken’s first show on Greatest Hits Radio across the UK – which features his popular music trivia quiz PopMaster – first aired on Monday 3rd of April 2023.
Clyde 1 and Forth 1 combined remain over the 1 million mark with 1,008,000 listeners.
There were some other great results across its stations in Scotland, with across in the West, combined Clyde 1 & Greatest Hits Radio Glasgow & The West also having record breaking results with 773,000 weekly listeners – the highest in 19 years!
Sister stations MFR, Northsound 1 and Tay FM are all up in reach too since the last set of results.
And when you combine all of the Scottish Hits Network and Greatest Hits stations, they now have a weekly total of 1,791,000 listeners – also the highest total in nearly 20 years.
Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for the Hits & Greatest Hits Networks across Scotland, said:“After record breaking numbers in our last set of RAJAR figures, it really is quite remarkable that Boogie, Arlene, Marty and the rest of the team have managed to break that record again by adding another 7,000 weekly listeners.
“These record breaking listener numbers are a testament to the talent and hard work of our whole team broadcasting live from our wonderful studios in St James Quarter each and every day and across the rest of Scotland.
“A huge thank you to the whole team on and off air who make this happen and the brilliant support from our listeners, clients, partners and sponsors.”
The shortlist for the 44th Scottish Press Awards has been announced, recognising excellence in national, regional and digital journalism from across the country.
With 34 categories this year, the judges have received a flood of entries, representing the finest talent from across the industry, with 145 finalists will be hoping to scoop an award in a range of categories including politics, business, sport and the arts.
The categories are:
Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year
Best Coverage of a Live Event
Campaign of the Year
Columnist of the Year
Feature Writer of the Year
Financial/Business Journalist of the Year
Food and Drink Writer of the Year
Front Page of the Year
Interviewer of the Year
Journalism Team of the Year
Local Campaign of the Year
Local Feature Writer of the Year
Local Reporter of the Year
News Photographer of the Year
News Website of the Year
Nicola Barry award
Podcast of the Year
Political Journalist of the Year
Regional Feature Writer of the Year
Regional Reporter of the Year
Reporter of the Year
Scoop of the Year
Specialist Reporter of the Year
Sports Columnist of the Year
Sports Feature Writer of the Year
Sports News Writer of the Year
Sports Photographer of the Year
Student of the Year
Young Journalist of the Year
Weekly Newspaper of the year
Daily Newspaper of the Year
Sunday Newspaper of the Year
Journalist of the Year
Chairperson’s Award
Shortlists for the sought-after Daily Newspaper of the Year, Sunday Newspaper of the Year, Journalist of the Year and Chairperson’s Award have not been announced, as the winners will be announced on the night of the ceremony. The shortlist for the Weekly Newspaper of the Year will be revealed in May.
This year’s judging panel was led by Richard Neville, former Head of News Brands at DC Thomson and current Director of Neville Robertson Communications.
Richard Neville, chair of the Scottish Press Awards judges, said: “The pressure on journalists and news organisations continues to grow every year and, despite the incredible challenges the industry faces, the quality of entries to The Scottish Press Awards continues unabated.
“This year has been one of further diversification with digital content becoming the central feature of many newsrooms. At the heart of every entry, however, is simple good storytelling, digital or otherwise.
“While selecting the winners has been as difficult as ever, it has been clear throughout the process that Scotland is being well served because of the value our journalists and editors are placing on telling great stories, in every format.”
The 44th Scottish Press Awards are sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, Diageo, VisitScotland, Edrington, Openreach, Glenmorangie, The Law Society of Scotland, Muckle Media, Women in Journalism Scotland, BIG Partnership, Registrars of Scotland. Event Consultants Scotland and Scottish Newspaper Society.
The awards ceremony and dinner will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
For more information and to view the (not-so-short!) shortlist, visit:
Young people aged from 5 to 17 who excel in what they do – regardless of any diversity – are to be celebrated in a new awards programme to be launched at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh.
The Inspire Awards 2023 are a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which was founded in 2015 by Glasgow-based academic and educator Dr Rashmi Mantri to help children learn maths.
Inspired by the success of the college, which now runs 10 global franchises, Dr Mantri hopes the new BYITC Inspire Awards will recognise ‘Super Achievers’ young people from all backgrounds who have excelled in fields including the environment, sports, media, art and creativity, science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM).
The awards will take place at the Scottish Parliament between 5.30pm to 7.30pm on Tuesday 6 June 2023 and will be overseen by a high-profile judging panel which includes Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, Associate Principal of the University of Strathclyde, and entrepreneur Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, Chief Executive of PG Paper, an international paper company based in Scotland.
Dr Mantri said: “I’ve seen first hand how achievement in learning and skills can fill young people with confidence and show them how amazing they really are.
“Through BYITC, we’ve helped thousands of students excel in maths, English, programming and cyber security.
“Now with the Inspire Awards, we want to celebrate diversity and inclusion and recognise young people from all backgrounds who are making their futures brighter by learning and excelling in whatever they choose to do.”
There are eight categories in the BYITC Inspire Awards 2023 and 28 prizes. These are:
ENVIRONMENT
Global Warming Crusader
Share your project/work with regards to global warming and pollution
Best out of waste
Share your projects on creating useful things out of waste
Energy Conservation
Kids with exemplary achievement in the field of environmental awareness, conservation and preservation
Kids with exceptional Rubics-solving and speed-cubing skills
Best Robotics
Achievements in best robotic projects and designs
Super Scientist
Bring forward your scientific innovations
LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
Best Bookworm
Share the name of the best book that you have read and what are the learnings from it
Best Orator
Public speakers with exceptional oratory skills
Bring out the poet in you
Share your best creation in short poems
Young Authors
Share your best creations (Stories)
SPORTS
Chess Maestro
Share your achievements in Chess
Martial Arts Champ
Share your achievements in Karate, Judo, Taekwondo and Boxing
Badminton Champ
Share your achievements in Badminton
Cricket Champ
Share your achievements in Cricket
CULTURAL & SOCIAL
Best Foot Forward- Dance
Dance your way to the awards (Any style)
Singing Sensation
Sing your way to our hearts (Any style)
Best Youth Icon
Kids who are icons in their own fields and are inspiring kids around them (Any field)
Covid Hero
Share with us the good work you have done during COVID and Lockdown
Emerging Leader
Display your team leading skills
MEDIA
Young YouTuber/Young Influencer
Share your channel’s name and link and let us know about your fan following
Best Podcast
Share your 1-minute podcast with us (Any Topic)
Make a Minute Video
Share Your 1-minute video (Edited, any topic)
ART AND CREATIVITY
Best Creative Designer
Share your best creative specimen in Painting, Sketching, Doodling and Craft
Calligraphy
Share your best specimen in Calligraphy
Young Master Chef
Whip up a storm. Share a video of your best unique recipe
ACADEMICS
Best Performer
Star performer in any field
Whiz Kid
Share your problem-solving and decision-making skills
The other award judges are Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, Professor of Applied Cryptography at Edinburgh Napier University; Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant; Derek Timpany, Education Management Consultant; Jai Aenugu, Founder of Aberdeen-based cyber security consultancy TechForce, and Harminder Berman, a former Arts Development Officer with culture and sports charity, Glasgow Life.
Dr Mantri set up BYITC after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic. The college now runs global franchises, including Dubai and Sri Lanka, and recently launched its first UK franchise in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Further UK franchises are anticipated in the coming months.
Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF) and COP26 Principal Partner ScottishPower has unveiled the team of young filmmakers who have been selected to bring the voice of young Scotland to COP26.
Twelve young Scots from across the country and aged between 16 and 21 are being trained to film, direct, present and produce content which will be broadcast daily to a global audience as COP TV during the environmental conference.
SYFF co-founder Scott Mackay who has been working with the young people this summer, said of the global project: “COP TV is a fantastic opportunity for young people to influence the climate change conversation on a global stage – to bring the voice of young Scotland to the world and the world to the young people of Scotland.
“Working with the team, I am so impressed with the knowledge, passion and enthusiasm they bring to the film-making process. They are a credit to Scotland and will be fantastic young ambassadors both to the delegates and climate change influencers we interview and to the global audience watching our daily broadcast.”
“We are hugely grateful to ScottishPower for their support. This promises to be a historic event and I’m honoured to be working with such a talented group of young Scots.”
Dr Sam Gardner, Head of Climate Change and Sustainability at ScottishPower, said: “We need everyone to play their part in tackling the climate emergency and we’ve already seen that the enthusiasm and determination of young people can not only influence the decision-makers, but can result in real and lasting change.
“COP26 is arguably the world’s most crucial conference on climate change yet. It’s where we hope to see real action taken to cut carbon emissions and limit the rise in global temperatures. ScottishPower is already playing its part, investing £10billion in the UK over five years – £6 million every working day – to double its renewable generation capacity and drive forward decarbonisation.
“I’m delighted to meet the team from COP TV and I look forward to seeing the stories and news they capture during COP broadcast worldwide.”
The team will be supported by Christie Paterson, an offshore environmental manager with ScottishPower’s parent company Iberdrola. Based out of ScottishPower’s Glasgow HQ, Christie works with Iberdrola windfarm projects worldwide, advising on how to reduce and monitor potential environmental impacts.
Christie said: “I think COP TV is a fantastic initiative and it’s been great to meet the team at our windfarm today.
“There are so many great stories to tell as we journey towards net zero and I hope I can help show this group of young filmmakers all the ways we are working to help protect the environment both here in the UK and at windfarms around the world.”
MEET the FILM-MAKERS:
Becky Gillan
Hiya! My name is Becky and I live in Edinburgh (Although I’m originally from South Lanarkshire). I study Government Policy and Society with Quantitative Methods at the University of Edinburgh and have a strong interest in economic, environmental, educational and health policy. A fun fact about me is that I work as a roller skating instructor.
With COP TV, I hope to be able to spread awareness of climate change both within my generation and beyond. As well as this I hope to be able to interview key environmental stakeholders and ask the difficult questions that young people need to know.
Josh Parker
I’m Josh, I’m 17 and I’m from the south side of Glasgow. I’m in my first year of university. I’ve been really interested in activism and have worked on a range of issues that affect young people.
I hope to bring greater awareness to the climate crisis among other young people and inspire people to get involved in learning more/taking action..
Emily Ritchie
I’m Emily, I’m 20 years old and I live just outside of Glasgow. I’ve recently graduated from City of Glasgow College, where I studied HNC Social Sciences.
My hope is, that through the COP TV project, I will be able to build upon my current understanding of both Climate Change and the media industry.
Going into this project, my experience was mainly media based – having made a few short films in the past, along with an interest in photography.
Already I have learned vital skills in filmmaking, more about what we can do to tackle the climate crisis and the importance of COP26, something that will hopefully continue throughout the COP TV project.
Meredith Rae
I’m Meredith, I’m 17 and from the Falkirk area. Started getting interest in this area by writing a piece for my school newspaper regarding climate, the pandemic and climate justice.
I’m aiming to do Film and Television with Politics at University of Glasgow in 2022 and in the past year created an initiative at school called ‘Lady Business’ which aimed to combat period poverty.
Joseph Olanlokun
My name is Joseph Olanlokun. I’m 17 and live in Armadale in West Lothian.
One day I want to be a film/TV director so I am interested in Directing, Screenwriting and Camera Work. It’s been fun working with COP TV so far because it’s given me the chance to meet like-minded people who are positive about Climate change.
I hope to influence the way young people think about climate change and I want more people to do their part in making the world a better place.
Zoe Conroy
My name is Zoë Conroy and I come from a village called Banchory. I am 17 years old and I am currently in my sixth year at Banchory Academy.
I also have lately secured a place at Edinburgh Napier for a 4 year long photography course starting in 2022.
I really hope to go into the fashion industry as I have always felt that change is necessary within. Change is something I am very used to. I was born in Houston Texas and lived there for 5 years, then moved to Dubai, where we stayed for 6 years and finally moved to Scotland.
As you can tell by now I don’t shy away from change and there must be change made if we want to combat the climate crisis.
I hope that COP TV will give me the opportunity to get myself and the other young people who are part of the team out there and our voices heard, so that the change is made.
Stella Duncan
My name is Stella and I come from Dumfries. I am 16 years old at present but I am aiming to do a university level qualification in global environmental issues alongside my advanced highers.
I’ve been part of the school’s eco-committee for quite a few years and outside of school I have been attending a local film making group (Scene 1 take 1) for almost 7 years.
Scarlett Alexander
Hi, I’m Scarlett from Ayr and I’m 16 years old. I am into lots of different fashion and music and I’ve been taking an interest lately not just in media and climate but how media can be more climate and carbon conscious.
Totally fascinated by the technology of broadcasting and I hope to get a real chance through COP TV to gain experience in camera work and editing. Currently making my own personal film for COP TV about waterways near my home town.
I recently had a chance to sit in on the editing of a documentary about Johnny Cash and his performance in San Quentin jail.
Rachel Henderson
I’ve taken part in school climate protests like the march in Glasgow in 2019. I’m 16 years old and currently studying Higher Drama. I go to Bishopbriggs Academy and I am a massive bookworm with my favourite book being ‘ The Midnight Library’ By Matt Haig.
I hope to gain more knowledge and insight on what’s going on in the world and to use the skills I learned to spread awareness and to inspire others to make change
Jasmin Robertson
17 years old and from Nairn I have attended the Friday climate strikes at school and I aim to improve our world throughout all my creative practices. Recent art projects have looked at things like plastic pollution and reforestation.
I am really looking forward to the act of making programmes and films; From the writing and planning to the editing and final transmission. I enjoy editing and can’t wait to get started making films for broadcast during COP 26.
Finlay McLennan
Hello! My name is Finlay, I am 17 years old and I live just outside of Inverness. I love trad and folk music and I play the fiddle with my band Cala.
What I hope to achieve at COP is inspiring other young people to be a part of the fight for climate change through the use of film and also to gain experience working in the media industry.
Charlie Topping
I’m Charlie. I’m 16 years old and from Drumchapel and just completed a short comedy horror film (despite the pandemic) for my Higher Media course.
Really looking forward to getting involved in all aspects of both broadcast and the climate crisis as we head to COP 26. Which will likely be the most important event to ever come to my hometown of Glasgow. Main focus – fast fashion.
