Hi readers

When we were both invited to our own journalism workshop by one of the senior media lecturers at Bournemouth University, we were really excited.

Soon the day arrived and three weeks ago we set off. As we stepped out of the lift into the media department, we were astounded at the huge gallery of photos lining the walls. We learned they were pictures of ex-students who had all achieved success in the media industry. Our initial thoughts - Bournemouth is clearly a good University!

Next we were introduced to Ann, our lecturer for the day. She worked with us to look at ways to structure our articles so they would be more interesting to read. It was a lot to take in and our brains were overloaded by the end of the day, but it was very helpful.

One idea she suggested was writing a monthly article where we explore the pros and cons of a subject. For example; I (Adam) would argue for something, while I (William) would argue against it. Whilst we like this idea in theory, we weren’t sure if it would work as we hardly disagree on anything!

So, we met up at the Brewhouse for supper to try and find some things we disagree on. Even that wasn’t particularly successful; the only things we could ‘agree to disagree on’ were football, bananas and Strictly Come Dancing – what a crazy combination!

We both really enjoyed our day and it was good to reflect on our writing. We came away energised, ready to write lots more articles. What was encouraging was, although there is definitely room for us to improve, we were told that with no training or background in writing skills or journalism, we’re doing ok. We hope you agree!

Adam and William are supported in their editing by The Friendship Club– a project for adults with learning disabilities, run by People First Dorset