A sports journalism student has been selected to play first team ice hockey for the Blackburn Hawks.

University of Central Lancashire first year undergraduate Daniel Smith travels all over the country with the Northern English National Ice Hockey team and has played the sport for the last 13 years.

He has previously captained Slough, represented the south of England and has travelled to Canada for fixtures.

Daniel contacted the manager at Blackburn before he left his home town of Reading and arranged a trial with the Hawks.

He has been granted one of only ten "Making a Difference" scholarships from UCLan that will provide up to £3,000 each year of study.

Students who receive the funding, provided by an anonymous donor, have to prove how the scholarship will make a difference to their lives and how it will "enable them to nurture a particular skill or talent through the experience that UCLan offers".

His dream job is to be involved with the 2012 London Olympic Games.

He said: "I’d love to be involved in the Olympics. I like athletics as well as reporting on rugby, tennis and cricket. I’m not interested in football, most aspiring sports journalists want to report on it, it’s too competitive."