London Calling
Second year HND Journalism students experienced a jam-packed three-day visit to London last month taking them to the heart of UK politics, a BBC newsroom and a premier league football club.
On the first full day, the group was treated to a tour of the UK parliament. This involved a walking tour of the House of Lords where they were allowed to enter and stand in the debating chamber before they watched a debate in the House of Commons.
Local MP Chris Stephens then spoke to the students about the work he has been involved in to help his constituents. This included the opening of the new Linthouse Larder in Govan Road which is designed to help residents suffering from the cost-of-living crisis as well as helping to reduce food waste.
The day of politics concluded when the students were given an exclusive audience with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack, who provided them with an insight into what it’s like to sit on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet. Mr. Jack also spoke candidly about devolution in the year the Scottish Parliament celebrates its 25th birthday.
The group then split into two on the second day of the trip. Half the students were invited to the BBC’s political unit near Westminster where they watched Politics Live go out on air on BBC Two. They were then treated to a Q&A session with the broadcaster’s Political Editor, Chris Mason and Political Correspondent, Iain Watson. Mr. Watson, enjoyed talking to the students about his time in Glasgow, from being a student himself in the city before becoming the Sunday Herald’s Westminster Editor.
The other group managed to get a behind-the-scenes tour of Stanford Bridge, home to English premier league club, Chelsea FC. The tour included access to the media room where students were able to see how the sports journalists interact with the manager and media officers. They were then shown the changing rooms, and were able to get pitch-side by walking down the famous tunnel to the sounds of Chelsea’s match-day anthems. And no trip to one of England’s most successful teams would be complete without a look at the trophy cabinet in which the group managed to get their photos taken with some of the most illustrious cups such as the Champions League and the Premier League.
Curriculum Manager Ross Nixon said: “Thanks to my colleague Monica Brown, we were able to provide the students with a once-in-a-lifetime trip during which they experienced so much fun. They were amazed by the grandness of the palaces of Westminster. The group conducted themselves very well in front of the various guest speakers asking brilliant, thought-provoking questions to their guests. In fact, we received great feedback from the speakers on how well informed they were on
current affairs and in turn this helped to shape their questions on a number of newsworthy issues. They were fantastic ambassadors of Glasgow Clyde College.”
