More than 750 children have taken part in a journalism project run at the Griffin Park Learning Zone. The project, which is run in partnership with the Fearless Foundation, encourages local children to unlock their creative potential and develop their writing skills. The journalism project involves school children – from three London boroughs – writing a match report at the Learning Zone, the education centre situated in the heart of Griffin Park. The winning match report was announced last week.
To help decide the winner, Brentford midfielder Romaine Sawyers teamed up with Howard Wheatcroft, Head of Sport at the Daily Express, along with members of Danny Fullbrook's family. The Fearless Foundation was set up in memory of The Daily Star's chief football reporter Danny Fullbrook who died of cancer aged just 40 in 2012. Working closely with Brentford FC Community Sports Trust, the Fearless Foundation has developed a multitude of education and training projects for children and young people.
Mark Dickinson, who was friends with Danny Fullbrook since their university days, helped set up the Fearless Foundation in 2013. He said: "When we set up the Fearless Foundation our ethos was always about encouraging children and young people to be 'fearless' with their aspirations. By helping thousands of children discover their writing potential, Danny's legacy lives on."
The match reports were showcased at Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford before today's match. Mia Paskovic, from St Marks Primary School in Ealing, was crowned 'Fearless Journalist of the Year' for her thrilling match report. Mia attended Brentford's win over Queens Park Rangers last week along with five other budding journalists - Ria Bammi, who came second, Shay McCarthy, who finished third, Alistair Booth, Ruby Smith and Sachin Jaga. The group were on the pitch ahead of the match to receive their trophies from Romaine.
There were also winners named in each class that took part - Tegwen Mason, Aaron Murdoch, Jethro Gaitskell, Wallid Jama, Lola Nesbeth, Conor Nugent, Mahir Ahmed, Jessica Townsend, Alvara S-Almeida, Tarsh Mann, Poorti Sinha, Radha Bakshi, Oliver Steer. The Trust and The Fearless Foundation would like to thank the following schools that took part - Trafalgar Primary, Oldfield Primary, St Joseph's Catholic Primary, Heston Primary, St Edmund's Primary, Cavendish Primary, Alexandra Primary, St John's Primary, Gifford Primary and St Elizabeth's Primary.