Sports journalist faces questions and inspires pupils at Darlington school
ONE of the region's most experienced sports journalist has inspired pupils during a question-and-answer session at a North East school.
Scott Wilson, Chief Sports Writer at The Northern Echo for more than 20 years, was guest of honour at Polam Hall School, in Darlington, answering questions about his career.
The visit came the morning after Scott had covered Sunderland's last-gasp victory over Coventry to secure a place in The Championship play-off final against Sheffield United at Wembley.
Scott, a former pupil at Wolsingham School, talked about how he turned his passion for sport into a fulfilling career which has taken him around the world.
His highlights included covering the London Olympics, England in two successive European Championships finals, The Lionesses victory in the Euros in 2022, and Newcastle United's recent triumph in the Carabao Cup at Wembley.
Asked to name the most famous person he has ever interviewed, Scott cited Nelson Mandela when he was working as a news journalist early in his career. As a sports journalist, he nominated David Beckham.
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Scott also talked about career paths in journalism, the qualities needed in the profession, and the rapidly changing face of the industry during the digital age.
Craig Wilkinson, Head of Sport and Technology at Polam Hall School, said: 'We can't thank Scott enough for coming in, especially after such a busy night covering Sunderland getting to Wembley! I have no doubt that our pupils went away feeling inspired.'
Scott said: 'I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to Polam Hall. There were some really great questions, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some future journalists in the audience.'
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