IF you enjoy a varied and busy life, sending faxes with one hand and answering the phone with the other, then work experience in a newspaper editorial department could be for you.

As a result of my growing interest in journalism as a possible career, I wrote to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, inquiring about placements for young people and was lucky enough to be offered the chance to spend two weeks working with news desk secretary Ruth Loft.

My work station was in the hectic centre of the newsroom, surrounded by the editor, news editor, reporters and photographers, all busy meeting deadlines and preparing pages for publication.

My working day started at 8.30am and my first job was to sort out the stacks of mail coming in each day. Then the news-desk mail had to be opened and copies of the national papers filed.

Readers send letters voicing opinions and these were "booked in" ready for the editor to choose the best of them for publication.

In addition, letters had to be written to winners of competitions and outgoing mail taken to the post room.

At the same time, the fax machine never stopped and everything coming in needed distributing to the right people -- if you could remember all their names!

All this activity keeps the news room very busy until the final of the four daily editions goes to press during the afternoon. Then the pace quietens down and staff can start planning tomorrow's pages.

I really enjoyed working at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and now feel even more determined to pursue my ambition to become a sports journalist.

By KATHRYN CORDING, 15, Queens Park High School, Blackburn