RACHEL HOVENDEN

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TWITTER: RACHELHOVENDEN1 • BLOG: WWW.RELIGIONANDLIFE.COM

NEWSPAPER EXPERIENCE

SEPTEMBER - PRESENT THE GRAVESEND AND DARTFORD MESSENGERS

I write and source news and feature stories. I have had several front page
splashes including a murder which I found out about through a tip off from
a follower of mine on Twitter. I interviewed the man who found the body as
well as other local residents when our rival papers had to rely on a basic
police press release. I have headed up a range of charity campaigns and
appeals.

JULY 2010 WORK EXPERIENCE: THE MAIL ON SUNDAY I did one week’s
work experience on the news desk and they asked me to come back in for
another week and whenever I want to after that.

JUNE - JULY 2010 WORK EXPERIENCE: THE INDEPENDENT

While studying for my course I had an exclusive story about an asylum

seeker’s deportation published in The Independent. This led to an offer of
three week’s work experience on the news desk. I wrote stories, did
interviews, and research while at the paper. One such piece was about
Scottish sheep farms having Chernobyl restrictions lifted.

MARCH 2010 WORK EXPERIENCE: THE STAR (SHEFFIELD CITY EDITION)

I wrote stories for the paper and did interviews. I went to the magistrates’
court, crown court and an inquest while there.

SEPTEMBER 2008 - FEBRUARY 2009 MEDIA ADMINISTRATOR: THE

ABBEYFIELD KENT SOCIETY

I worked in their press office, writing press releases, adverts and stories for
the charity’s quarterly magazine. My boss left after a month, so I took on
everything in the media department for a while. I organised the launch of an
appeal called Who Cares? This involved liasing with the press, radio, booking
the venue, organising the catering and liasing with a PR company and a
digital media company. Many local mayors, MPs and business people
attended the event.

SUMMER 2007 WORK EXPERIENCE: THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND NEWSPAPER

They originally offered me one week’s work experience but then asked me to
stay on for two more weeks. I had several stories published with by-lines and
a front-page splash. I also reviewed the West End show Lord of the Rings,
and wrote a feature about Elin Manahan Thomas, who had just released her
debut album.
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 I wrote a feature about Christians’ views on animal rights. I received several
letters in response to this piece, with a request by the Anglican Society for
the Protection of Animals and the Christian Vegetarian Association (UK) to re-
publish it in their magazines.

SUMMER 2007 WORK EXPERIENCE: THE TIMES (BODY AND SOUL

DEPARTMENT)

2006-2008 STUDENT REPORTER: DURHAM 21 (DURHAM UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE

STUDENT NEWSPAPER)

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

09/2009 - 09/2010 PRINT JOURNALISM MA at THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD

NCTJ CERTIFICATE

The course was NCTJ accredited and I passed all the NCTJ preliminary
examinations. I passed the shorthand qualification at 100 wpm, the news
writing exam, the local government public affairs exam and got a B for
my portfolio and an A in both media law exams (court reporting (78%) and
general reporting (85%)) and in the central government public affairs
exam (98%).

We also learnt how to use InCopy and InDesign plus audio and video
equipment and editing suites. Professional journalists and former editors run
the course.

10/2005 – 06/2008 2.1 THEOLOGY BA (HONS) 69.1% (70% = 1st) at DURHAM

UNIVERSITY

Awarded the Norton Burns Prize for Outstanding Academic Achievement by

my college St Cuthbert’s Society.

09/1998 – 07/2005 TUNBRIDGE WELLS GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL

A LEVEL: English Literature (A); History (A); Religious Studies (A)

AS LEVEL: Critical Thinking (B)
10 GCSES: 6A*s and 4As

INTERESTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

• I studied Spanish at Intermediate Advanced Level at The University

of Sheffield in an evening class (which could count as 20 credits towards a
degree).
• 18/03/2009 – 13/08/2009 I worked as a volunteer for the South
American Mission Society in Lima, Peru. I worked at a disabled
children’s centre called Shalom, which was based in the slums. I also helped
run children and youth groups at weekends. I mainly worked with 0 to 8
year-olds in the mornings - Monday to Friday. In the afternoons, I did craft
TWITTER: @RACHELHOVENDEN1 • MOBILE: 07872550182
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 workshops with ages 0-20 and taught English to children from the area. I
also went into the mountains to run a holiday club for youth and children for
two weeks (at a place called Juliaca) with a group from Lima.
• During the Summer 2005 and 2007 I did volunteer work for a Christian
charity, “Education for Life”, in a village called Timbwani, near Mombasa,
Kenya. We organised and ran a holiday club for children from the village
and school, helped at an orphanage and with the charity’s feeding
programme.
• ABRSM Grade 8 Oboe, ABRSM Grade 6 Piano, and ABRSM Grade 6
Singing.

REFERENCES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

TWITTER: @RACHELHOVENDEN1 • MOBILE: 07872550182

E-MAIL: RACHELHOVENDEN@HOTMAIL.COM • BLOG: WWW.RELIGIONANDLIFE.COM