An independent publisher has hired three new apprentices at its newsrooms across England in its latest recruitment drive.

Tindle Newspapers has announced the appointments of Tomos Evans, James Griffiths and Marcus McQuilton.

Tomos has joined Tindle’s Lydney team, James is based in Wellington, Somerset, while Marcus is the newest member of the Farnham newsroom.

Their recruitment comes after the publisher hired an initial cohort of five apprentice journalists, four of whom have subsequently gone on to take up full-time reporter roles.

Scarlett Hills-Brooks, pictured, who was taken on by the Cornish Times and the Cornish & Devon Post, said: “It has been six months since I qualified from my apprenticeship with a NCTJ qualification and during that time I feel I have become an established and well-rounded journalist within the newsroom.

“Since then, I have been involved in a mixture of exciting experiences such as being out and about with the local police force during a Christmas drugs campaign and being invited to watch and review a number of theatre performances, both of which have really provided an insight into the variety of things you can get involved with as a journalist.

“The apprenticeship was a great stepping stone within my journalism career. It has provided me with a well-known qualification within the industry and allowed me to gain a plethora of journalist knowledge.”

Tindle group editorial director Emily Woolfe said: “Building on the progress made by our first cohort of apprentices, we are looking to give new opportunities to more learners who can get invaluable experience learning in an editorial environment while gaining their essential qualifications.

“The majority of our first group have stayed with the company and are making a major contribution to their websites and newspapers every week as fully-trained colleagues.

“To have all five complete their programmes speaks volumes about the success of the learning provision as many apprenticeship programmes expect to see people leave.

“We continue to be well-supported by the NCTJ and are pleased to have seen our apprenticeship intake recognised as award-winning, adding to the sense of shared pride among everyone who has helped the trainees get established. I am excited to see what our new intake are able to achieve.”