A journalism hopeful has scored a hat-trick of front page stories while on work experience.

Gemma Peplow, who recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Print Journalism from Nottingham Trent University, completed placements at the Nottingham Evening Post, Leicester Mercury and Manchester Evening News – and was amazed to get a front page byline at each paper.

Her Nottingham Evening Post story – about doorstep conmen pretending to collect for charity – was also the first article she had ever had printed in a paper.

Gemma said: “It was brilliant. I couldn’t believe it.”

The newsdesk had received a letter from the Alzheimer’s Society and asked Gemma to work on it, and it soon became clear that it was a bigger story than first thought.