Mary Atkinson

Freelance Journalist at BBC News Streaming. Previously Journalism Coordinator at BBC Radio York. 

Formerly Deputy Sport Editor at Palatinate the SPA 2022 Best Sport Section UK & Ireland and Presenter/Researcher at PalTV, the NASTA Student Broadcaster of the Year UK 2022 & 2023. 

In addition, I have experience in social media as a Social Media and Communications Intern at St Chad's College, Social Media, Merchandising and Website team member at Empowered by Vee & Visual Content Creator at Driven by Diversity. 

Furthermore, I have cultivated followings of up to 5000 on my personal channels and 130,000 likes on Tik Tok.

Further information is available on my LinkedIn. 

Palatinate •

Durham University Hockey Club beat Scotland’s U21 men’s and women’s teams

Durham University Hockey Club’s (DUHC) men’s and women’s 1st teams recently took two wins against Scotland’s under 21s in challenge matches at Peffermill. The men’s and women’s 1st teams took a 5-1 and 1-0 victory respectively in the first set of matches, with 2-1 and 4-0 in the second games.

In the first match for the men’s team, Durham scored two goals in the first three minutes against a slower Scottish side who were unable to convert three corners into goals.

The Durham team continued their…
Palatinate •

New restrictions imposed for university and college sport

As a part of the University’s temporary adjustments for teaching, learning, and the wider student experience (WSE) for the beginning of Epiphany term, new restrictions have been announced for both university and college-level sport. These restrictions will be in place until “at least January 23rd”.

A negative LFT from the previous 48 hours from a University testing site must be presented for participation in all University or college sport, both indoor and outdoor.

Indoor sport will be capped…
Palatinate •

Durham alumna Gemma Collis McCann heads for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games

Durham alumna Gemma Collis McCann heads for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, opening August 24th, competing in the wheelchair fencing Category A épée and sabre events.

Tokyo will mark Collis McCann’s third Paralympic games after taking up fencing at Durham University in 2011 whilst studying Law, where she was recruited by Hungarian wheelchair fencing coach Laszlo Jakab. Collis McCann qualified for London 2012 just 11 months into the sport and finished eighth at Rio 2016. She hopes to improve on..
Palatinate •

Tokyo 2020: Team GB week two medal roundup

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games now at a close, Team GB finishing in 4th place behind the USA, China, and Japan with a medal count matching that of London 2012 at 65, I decided to round up all the Team GB medal-winning action that you may have missed.

In the first week of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games Team GB achieved a total of 24 medals.

And in the second week (plus two additional days) Team GB achieved a further whopping 41 medals, the details of which, you can find below...
Palatinate •

Tokyo 2020: Team GB week one medal roundup

With the first week of the 16-day Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games completed, leaving Team GB sitting in sixth in the overall medal count, I decided to round up the first week’s medal-winning events and athletes, enduring the sometimes brutal feeling time difference, so you don’t have to.

In the first week of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Team GB achieved six gold’s, eight silver’s and nine bronzes, an overall total of 23 medals (July 23rd, 2021 – July 30th, 2021.)

Team GB’s first three gold medals of the games…