Published at 16:21, Tuesday, 31 July 2012

ROVING REPORTER Finlay Ashworth, a young reporter from Ulverston, interviews the Mayor of Carlisle on CFM Radio, ahead of Cumbria School Games

IT’S not just schoolchildren who are into participating in sport who benefited from the Cumbria School Games.

The Games at Sheepmount Stadium, Carlisle involved 150 young leaders officiating, umpiring and helping out.

Four young reporters travelled around the sites interviewing and streaming live online from the media room and two young photographers took photos of the competitions and ceremonies.

Among them was Finlay Ashworth, a 12-year-old Ulverston Victoria High School pupil, who won a competition to be a young reporter, covering the Cumbria School Games.

Finlay was given a masterclass and training, as well as being mentored on the day by CFM radio journalist, Micky Welch

Finlay said: “The highlight was when we got to interview the Duke of Gloucester. We only had a couple of minutes to ask him one question each. I asked him ‘was he excited about the London Olympics?’. He said “yes” and it will be good.

“I think the Olympics will be good for England. I think all the kids are more excited now because this was kind of a mini Olympics for them.

“Everything we did was broadcast on the radio, step-by-step throughout the day.”

Finlay’s mentor, broadcast journalist, Micky Welch, added: “We had him in for a taster session last Thursday when the Olympic torch came through Carlisle, we watched the torch pass by the civic centre before me and him went vox-popping to speak to the people who watched it and get their thoughts on it, Finlay was brilliant. Nothing seemed to faze him.

“We had the chance to interview the mayor of Carlisle in his chambers, again Finlay was great, he asked excellent questions and got some great answers out of the mayor himself.

“Then on Wednesday we were at the Sheepmount, in Carlisle, for the Cumbria School Games. It was a full on day. After the success of last week I was able to let Finlay and another of the young journalists go off by themselves without supervision as I knew they could do a great job, and they did.

“He went around vox-popping the participants and their parents, then he was chosen to go across to the Sands Centre to interview Paralympians, which was filmed by the NHS who are making a short film about the Games.”

At the closing ceremony Finlay was presented with a £50 iTune voucher in front of the 900 children, teachers and parents present, in recognition of his efforts leading up to, and during Cumbria School Games.

Published by http://www.in-cumbria.com