Reporters from around the country gathered for a “bootcamp” as part of their training.

Eleven journalists employed under the Meta-funded Community News Project met face-to-face for the first time at Sheffield College.

The reporters are training towards the NCTJ’s Diploma in Journalism with the college, usually attending journalism lessons remotely every Monday.

Course leader Bethan Hyatt decided to bring them to the college for a two-day bootcamp so they could meet each other and be given in-person training on story angles and well-structured intros.

From left: Community reporters Madeleine Raine, Craig Buchan and Charlie Watson at the bootcamp

Ten of the reporters involved work for various National World titles, while the other works for the Congleton Chronicle under the scheme.

Bethan said: “They have been doing a lot of self-study when it comes to the essential journalism module and I’ve been doing some focused sessions on it remotely.

“When I got some stories back from them recently, I realised there were some basics we needed to be looking at.

“I wanted to bring them together to look at things like story angles and well-structured intros. This was an opportunity to see their writing and stop them right in the middle of it.

“I was trying to recreate the experience of having an editor walking around them and tweaking their copy. I also wanted to get them together to learn from one another, as I always found that beneficial when I was learning.”

Charlie Watson, community reporter for the Northumberland Gazette, added: “I really enjoyed the bootcamp. As someone who works from home full-time, it was really nice to get out and meet people who do the same job as me.

“We all shared ideas and got to know each other.

“The time during college was also beneficial. I feel like sharing ideas in-person and having discussions face-to-face are always much more engaging than online learning, so it was really nice to get a taste of that within the course.”