I'm a 'Journalist of the Year'!

Yep, I've won the first award of my career. I'm the National Society for Epilepsy regional Journalist of the Year 2006 for writing responsibly about epilepsy! I couldn't believe it when they rang. I was actually speechless and for those who know me, you'll know that's an achievement!
The charity has a competition every year open to anyone writing about epilepsy. The whole point is to promote responsible reporting of it i.e. not enforcing myths or stereotypes, but telling the truth and not sensationalising it. I thought I'd enter and never hear anything back. Four months later they ring!

Here is the one I wrote: Bear us in mind Oxford Mail, Nov 17, 2006

They said they liked the fact I included my own experiences of having the condition. They thought it was a brave thing to put it in print. I've just thought, when I click the publish button at the bottom of this page I'm going to be telling the whole world I have epilepsy! Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of and I really want to send out that message to anyone reading this who has epilepsy or has friends/family with epilepsy.
If you're in that position then please read my article. I'm not saying it's the best, but it's the testimony of two people who are leading a normal life despite having epilepsy for a long time. I hope it helps you!

What's a prison like?

On Thursday I had another one of those days when I realise why I want to be a journalist!
I went round 2 prisons in my reporting patch - one a closed category B prison and one a category D open prison. It was such a great day! (You probably have to be a journalist to understand how I can say that)
The first one, Grendon prison, is the largest of 2 therapeutic prisons in the UK. The men who are in there have committed some really serious crimes and have chosen to come to Grendon to sort their lives out. Every morning they "talk about their problems". Sounds a but soft doesn't it? But these are real problems - like they abused a child because they were a abused as a child and they saw their brothers and sisters being abused. They have to open up to a group of 8 other inmates and tell them all that. If they don't then they have to answer to their fellow inmates and the governors. I'm a girl who talks about my problems to the annoyance of all my friends and I wouldn't like to be in that position! Most of them are in there for 2 years or more trying to sort themselves out.
I saw inside a cell as well. A bed and a shelf, that's it. He had a TV as well, but he has to rent that from the prison out of £9 a week he earns in prison. They have to earn all the privileges and they can lose them as well. Not exactly a holiday camp!

One of the governors took me to the sexual offenders' wing, which was a bit scary. Most of the time I was there the inmates were all in therapy groups, but just as I was going they came out. It was slightly weird. Then he took me to another wing and then onto the open prison, Springhill, which is where people go towards the end of their sentence, if they're good. They work for their privileges there as well, but it's more about rehabilitation and reintegrating them back into society. After years behind bars.

It all sounds very flowery and like they're being looked after really well, but a lot of them in Grendon are serving life sentences. If I'd been in prison for 7 years - that's from my life since before uni - and suddenly had to come out to a world which has mobile phones, Internet and interactive TV dominating society I'd be scared! On top of that some of them can't read or write or can't connect with people. The Sun's expose a few months ago of a prison being a wonderful place to live wasn't exactly what I saw last week!

Like so much of journalism, it was a real eye-opener. I wouldn't recommend it for Sunday afternoon out, but it was a really great experience!