A regional daily editor has appealed for more newspapers and publishers to come on board with an initiative designed to improve access to journalism training.

The Journalism Diversity Fund was set up by the National Council for the Training of Journalists to support the training of journalists from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds.

More than 60 guests attended a lunch yesterday to celebrate the success of the fund which has helped more than 150 recipients to complete their journalism training over the past seven years.

David Pugh, managing director of NLA media access, presented NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher with a cheque for £100,000 on behalf of national newspaper publishers to continue the work of the diversity fund.

NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher. right, receives the cheque for £100,000 from David Pugh

However a senior regional editor who also spoke at the event said more needed to be done.

Ian Murray, editor of the Southern Daily Echo and vice-president of the Society of Editors said:  “We need more editors to come on board, we need more companies to come on board, not only to donate, but also to play a part in mentoring and adding to the fabulous work that is going on already.”

Added Ian:  “We hope that one day the Journalism Diversity Fund will no longer be needed but we know that will not be the case for quite some time.”

The event also saw two former NCTJ students who had been helped by the fund describe what a difference it had made to them.

Dan Cooper, who describes himself as from a working-class, single-parent family, was awarded a bursary in 2012 to study at News Associates and now works as a reporter for the Newbury Weekly News.

He said: “I’ll always be grateful for the support and the faith that the Journalism Diversity Fund have shown in me. Without their help I would not have been able to afford to do the NCTJ course and go on to become a journalist and I can’t wait to see where the next year will take me.”

Fellow recipient Khaleda Rahman will be working as the journalism intern for the NCTJ before taking up a position as a reporter at the News Shopper.

She said: “The Journalism Diversity Fund has been instrumental in helping me get my foot in the door and hopefully they will continue to do the same for others from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds for many years to come.”