A Wimbledon woman has been chosen as one of the first budding photographers to take part in a prestigious internship.

PA Images selected Tess Derry's talents for its first sports photography internship which hopes to increase social, gender and ethnic diversity within the profession.

Ms Derry said she is really looking forward to the opportunity.

"To anyone considering a career in sports photography I would say get as much shooting experience as you can – it doesn’t have to be premier league matches, sometimes the more interesting photographs come from Sunday league games," she said.

"I have also found experience as a picture editor valuable as it helps you to understand what is needed in a great sports photograph.”

In 2017, the 25-year-old worked alongside a team at UEFA shooting promotional material for the women's game.

The same year she took up a work experience position at the Daily Mail, as assistant to three sports photographers. In that role she undertook studio and pitch-side assignments, including England team training sessions.

She and other chosen applicant Bradley Collyer were chosen from over 70 applicants from around the UK for the paid, six-month placements.

Both will receive on-the-job training with PA Images’ picture editors and award-winning photographers, including Mike Egerton, recipient of the ‘Sports Photographer Award’ at the 2019 British Photography Awards and Jane Barlow, named ‘Sports Photographer of the Year’ at the 2018 Scottish Press Awards.

Scott Wilson, head of sports at PA Images, said: “I and the other judges were incredibly impressed by Bradley and Tess’s natural talent and dogged determination to advance their careers in sports photography.

"We saw an incredibly high calibre of candidates during the recruitment process, all of whom demonstrated an ability to capture striking images and offer a fresh perspective on event coverage.”