Northumbria student Josh Wilkinson has landed a starring role as co-host
of a new online mini-series showcasing the impact The National Lottery funding
has had on Sunderland.
The 24-year-old, who is studying on the Entrepreneurial Business
Management (EBM) course at Newcastle Business School, auditioned for the part
and was chosen ahead of 25 other applicants. The mini-series, which will cover
good causes across Wearside that have benefited from National Lottery funding, has
already seen Josh take to the streets of Sunderland with a camera crew and a local
yet-to-be-named celebrity to meet and interview some of the city’s
inspirational people who are behind these amazing initiatives.
Four episodes have already been finished and will launch in January
2019.
EBM students at Northumbria are required to start up and run their own
businesses, and Josh believes this learning experience helped him impress the The
National Lottery panel and secure the role.
He explained: “The EBM course is very much about learning by doing,
and it has given me the confidence and ability to talk with people and really
put myself out there – and have the courage to pursue something I have wanted
to do for a long time. I saw the
opportunity to present this mini-series and had to go through a round of
interviews and a screentest to reach a final shortlist of five local people. Thankfully
I was then chosen as one of the hosts.
“Working with the production company has been an incredibly valuable
experience, which I hope will lead to similar opportunities in the future. I've
also learned so much about the great schemes that The National Lottery has
helped fund in my local area of Sunderland.”
Last
year, The National Lottery invested more than £15million into projects across
Sunderland and it has funded more than 1,800 good causes in the area since
1994. These include Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, which received
£3.8million via the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a tropical paradise in the
heart of the city, and the National Glass Centre which received £6.9 million
from Arts Council England for its construction.
Jonathan
Tuchner, Director, National Lottery Good Causes, said Josh captivated the team
with his "confidence and impressive storytelling".
Lucy Hatt, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and
Strategy at Northumbria, added: “We are all really excited for Josh. It is an
example of the enterprise, drive and ambition demonstrated by our students, and
why it is such a stimulating place to learn and teach.”
Find out more about
available courses, including the EBM here.
