A dream job covering the Eurovision song contest has become a reality for a successful broadcasting student.

Jamie Davies from Malpas is a graduate of the broadcasting, journalism and media communications course at Wrexham Glyndŵr University.

A keen Eurovision fan he had already booked a holiday to see the contest’s semi-finals which are being held in Lisbon, Portugal in May.

In the meantime he has been recording a series of hour-long radio shows on the contest which are broadcast on Calon FM based in the university’s creative industries building.

Jamie said: “I speak to a lot of Eurovision experts on my show, play some of the music involved and generally have a good time.

“The show’s been running throughout the year and the editor of a Spanish Eurovision website and YouTube channel, ESC Plus, heard it and got in touch with me to say ‘we’ve really enjoyed listening to your shows, can we use them on our YouTube page?’

“From there, they said ‘we are going to Portugal to cover the event – would you like to come?’

“I obviously said yes, and they sorted out my accreditation to get me in to the events as a reporter..

“Suddenly my Eurovision holiday became a working holiday which is great.”

Jamie, a keen sports fan, will be reporting from the semi-finals in the contest as by the date of the final on May 12 he will be working as an event announcer for England Hockey.

His memories of Eurovision are often linked with sport as he became a fan after he began watching the contest in 2011, the same day his beloved Manchester United won their 19th League title.

“Later that night my mum was watching Eurovision and I started watching one of the songs and just got into it, by the time it got to the voting I was hooked,” added Jamie.

From that initial spark Jamie developed his interest in the contest, particularly its competitive aspects, but he still believes the key to winning is ultimately very simple.

“It is still a case of having the right song at the right time,” Jamie feels.

“This year 43 countries are participating, you have to be the best out of all of them. When Portugal won last year it was their first time in 53 attempts.”

Jamie, who is currently working as a freelance journalist, credits his time on the university’s degree with helping to build his portfolio of work.

He advises others considering applying to work with their lecturers to develop theirs.

He said: “Use that opportunity to do as much as you can, get as much work experience as you can, build your portfolio and develop your CV.”

“Throughout the course we really got to know our lecturers and they really got to know us.”

Angela Ferguson, programme leader at Glyndwr, said: “It’s so good to see Jamie achieving his dream of covering the Eurovision song contest for the ESC Plus channel.

“He has always worked hard and made the most of every opportunity for valuable work experience and opportunities that have come his way while at university and beyond.”

She added: “We pride ourselves on offering our students a range of live projects with industry clients during their time here.

“It’s great to see that Jamie’s extensive range of work experience is clearly paying dividends. We hope he has a fantastic time in Portugal.”