THE Telegraph & Argus' trainee sports reporter Nathan Atkinson has narrowly missed out on being crowned Apprentice of The Year at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in Journalism at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

But the 25-year-old still received a certificate for being highly commended within the category.

The judges chose him as one of five finalists from across the country, but in the end he was beaten by Yohannes Lowe, who works for The Telegraph.

Nathan is now a trainee on the sports desk, but began life at the paper in February 2018 as an apprentice and achieved his NCTJ gold-standard diploma this August.

Speaking about the awards, Nathan said: "Despite being a fiercely proud Newcastle United fan, it was one occasion that I did not mind making a trip to the home of the old enemy.

"Just to be considered in the top five in the country, from a pool of around 170 journalism apprentices, is something I will always be proud of.

"I'll be trying to go one better at the awards next year!"