Journalism students who carried out a major multimedia project to report on the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review have won a BBC award for their work.

The team from the University of Central Lancashire was presented with the Innovation Award by comedienne and actress Victoria Wood as part of the BBC North Partnership Awards.

As part of their coverage, the undergraduate and postgraduate students spent the day reporting the government’s announcement last October with ‘The Preston Cuts’ – which included producing an eight-page printed publication, a web edition, plus radio and TV inserts.

The awards were held as part of the BBC North Developing Talent Conference which was hosted by UCLan and attended by BBC staff, partner organisations and students from universities and colleges across the North of England.

Paul Egglestone, digital coordinator at UCLan’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication, said: “It was gratifying that so many of our students were involved and it’s great that we’ve won.

“The Preston Cuts was an exciting and confidence-building project for our students. Once again it demonstrates the School of Journalism, Media and Communication produces students who can work together professionally to produce great content for every platform.”

Other winners included Jenny Wotherspoon, from Leeds Trinity University College, who was given the Journalism Award for a report about the closure of a Gannex raincoat factory.

The Award for Achievement was won by the School of Arts, Media and Education at the University of Bolton for the ‘Writers’ Lab at Bolton’ project, while the Production Award was won by the University of Chester for their short film Til Death Do Us Part.

And the BBC Writersroom Award went to MA student Bill Grundy from the University of Salford for his screenplay Gifted.