Radio piece scoops award

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), April 27, 2006

A radio documentary about a mother-daughter reunion which turned into a family crisis has led to a national award for a university graduate.

Ruth-Anne Lynch's radio feature Family Ties earned her the 2006 Charles Parker Prize for what judges described as an "engaging and natural" piece charting the changing dynamics of the parent-child relationship.

Ruth-Anne, whose parents originate from Africa, completed a master's degree in radio production and management at Sunderland University last year.

In the same year she set out to produce a piece about a reunion between her mother and previously unknown sister in Guyana.

When her father became ill, however, the piece changed and Ruth-Anne carried on recording as her family dealt with the situation.

"Family Ties was produced from hours of recordings," said Ruth-Anne, who received a cheque for pounds 500 and a work placement with BBC radio documentaries.