An award has been presented for the first time in memory of a journalism graduate who died aged 28.

De Montfort University has given out the inaugural Adam Redfern Media Prize for Extraordinary Commitment in Journalism.

Adam, who studied journalism at the Leicester-based university between 2011 and 2014, died last year after suffering a suspected heart attack while jogging.

He wrote about sport for the Leicester Mercury during his studies and later went on to work as a social media and digital communications officer at DMU.

From left: DMU lecturer Brian Dodds, graduate Tom Carter, and Christine and Ian Redfern

The inaugural prize was awarded to Tom Carter, who has graduated from the university and now works for London-based events company GreyGreen Media, by Adam’s parents Ian and Christine Redfern.

Tom said: “It’s an absolute honour to receive this. I never met Adam but I feel as though I know him because we both edited [student publication] The Demon magazine, we love football, we studied journalism and there’s that link there.

“To receive my degree was good, but to be given this on the same day is just incredible, and to meet Adam’s parents and get to know a little bit more about him and find we had so much in common means the world to me.”

Journalism lecturer Brian Dodds, who taught both Adam and Tom, added: “Adam would have loved Tom.

“He was a star student, threw himself into journalism studies and loved it, did Demon Media, and just like Adam, got involved in all sorts of extra-curricular activity.

“Like Adam, I know I can always turn to Tom if I needed help getting something done. He is the ideal first recipient.”