One of our Young Reporters won the opportunity to interview radio and TV presenter Reggie Yates as part of our journalism scheme.

Shruti Thatikonda, from Newstead Wood School in Orpington, beat a number of students from different schools around Greater London to be able to talk to the star, who is known for his roles as Rastamouse and in Doctor Who as well as his documentaries.

Shruti said: "The opportunity to interview Reggie Yates was exciting and a great learning opportunity for me.

"I built up a lot of interview skills and really enjoyed speaking to Reggie, and am very grateful to Young Reporters for the opportunity."

During the eight-month journalist scheme, run by the Newsquest Media Group, students are offered various opportunities to build up their skills as budding reporters, but this is the first time they have competed against each other to win the chance to interview a celebrity.

MHP Communications in central London, which organised the interview on behalf of Aviva, said it was very impressed with Shruti's calmness and measured questions on the call.

You can read Shruti's interview with Yates here

This Is Local London:

The Young Reporter scheme opens up a world of possibilities for students who embrace it, giving them the opportunity to write articles about subjects that are important to young people. These are then published directly onto our website.

Liberty Martin, one of our winners from 2014, said: "Young Reporters is definitely the foundation of my pursuit of a career in journalism, and the scheme was my first taste of life as a journalist.

“I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to find, report and publish my own stories on a local news platform before I'd even finished my GCSEs.

“Winning the competition gave me great confidence to continue reporting, but even if I hadn't won I would've left the program with a portfolio of hard work, resourcefulness, improved writing skills, and a sharpened eye for a story.

"Years later, as I now intern and freelance for publications, I'm still actively using the skills I developed as a 14-year-old participant.”

This Is Local London:

For many students with a dream to follow in a creative field, Liberty is an inspiration. Likewise,

Yates himself was part of a creative group as a young person and he said: “This community group changed my life quite literally.”

This has been the case for many of our Young Reporters who have successfully completed the scheme and moved onto a career in the world of media.