Duo graduate after making 'powerful' documentary for grassroots charity

BA Television and Radio Production students Lauren Taylor, 21, and Isabelle Hough, 21 walked the graduation stage at The Lowry to collect their First Class Honours degrees to cap off an inspiring few months for the pair.

For their final project, the duo teamed up to make a short documentary for the Our Jay Foundation – a charity set up by Rugby-based Naomi Rees-Issitt to campaign for defibrillators to be in place in all emergency vehicles after her 18-year-old son, Jay, passed away in January 2022 following a cardiac arrest.

The professional short titled ‘Our Jay: Every Second Counts’ follows Naomi as she recounts her son’s passing and how the lack of a defibrillator with the arriving emergency services led to wasted minutes that ultimately cost Jamie his life. It also features Naomi visiting Jamie’s grave, delivering CPR and defibrillator training and donating life-saving equipment to police forces.

The moving documentary has been resoundingly praised by the programme teaching staff and Naomi herself who showed the documentary to Good Morning Britain, leading to the doc being played on national television in May this year.

Lauren knew of Naomi’s story having grown up in Rugby and approached her about making a documentary having seen the work that Naomi was putting in locally to raise awareness.

She said: “It felt like no-one ever saw how Naomi was feeling and all the work that she was putting in, day after day, to raise awareness. I really wanted to be able to her story. To tell Jamie’s story. To make people aware of what he was like as a person.”

The documentary was the first video project that Lauren undertook having previously done similar hard-hitting interviews via podcast and audio form.

She added: “We were never aware of how far the documentary would go whilst we were filming it. We obviously hoped it could have an impact for Naomi and help her tell her story but for it to get on the news, become this campaign asset for her and help potentially make a difference, it’s been brilliant.”

Isabelle was personally motivated to help tell Naomi’s story as her father suffered a cardiac arrest a few years ago and said she was very ‘proud’ of the product that the duo pulled together.

“I feel very proud of what we’ve done but it is all really down to Naomi. We made the documentary to tell the story and reality of what she’s been through. It needs to go to a wide audience and bring more attention to the charity.

“But we also knew that it was vital that we got it right and that the edit was as professional as it could be. We started to ignore the fact that we were students working on our final project and started working as if we were professional filmmakers in our own right.

“I am so pleased with how it turned out. It was the best decision we made because it’s clear watching it back just how much effort and teamwork has gone onto it.”

In response to the documentary, Naomi expressed her thanks to Lauren and Isabelle for the film, calling it ‘truly unbelievable’ and that the students ‘deserve the utmost credit for what they have achieved.’

Lyndon Saunders, Subject Group Head for Broadcast Media at the University of Salford, said: “Isabelle and Lauren have created one of the most powerful and professionally accomplished films I have seen from undergraduate students.

“What stands out most is not only the exceptional craft and editorial maturity that they have demonstrated, but the care, sensitivity and integrity with which they have worked with Naomi to tell hers and Jay’s story.

“This film is exactly the kind of socially purposeful work we love to see our students create, and now it has the potential to make a real difference.”

Reflecting on the last three years, Lauren said that she feels that her time at Salford has allowed her to achieve things she never thought possible.

She said: “I never thought that I would get into university if I’m honest. I really didn’t think it was something for me. But when I saw the MediaCity campus, it looked like the perfect place to do it.

“To move away from home was really hard at first, but I am so buzzing that I’ve done it and am now graduating with a First Class degree.”

In terms of next steps for Lauren and Isabelle, they are both set to start working with the BBC as Lauren is working as a freelance autocue assistant for BBC Breakfast whilst Isabelle is beginning an apprenticeship with BBC Morning Live in September.

You can watch the impactful documentary below.