From Miracle Baby to Champion of UK Charities and Schools: Lady Diana Award Winner Josh Bell Joins Good News Post as Charities and Schools’ Correspondent
By Jill Dando News
In Weston-super-Mare, Somerset the hometown of beloved BBC journalist Jill Dando and Jill Dando News a new advocate for positive change has emerged.
Josh Bell, aged 24, was born in 2000—just a year after Jill’s tragic death.
Like Jill, who survived life-saving heart surgery as a child, Josh overcame critical health challenges early in life.
Diagnosed with a severe heart defect, he underwent open-heart surgery at just six weeks old, followed by a stroke and further complications.
Now he is the newly appointed Charities and Schools Correspondent for the Good News Post and Jill Dando News,
Josh is on a mission to spotlight every charity and School in the UK—and eventually the world—by offering them a platform to share their uplifting stories for free.
“Every charity and schools have hundreds of powerful stories, and we want to tell them,” says Josh.
”I’m passionate about charities and schools and the Good News Post is an exciting platform for them to get free publicity.
“From grassroots community projects to national campaigns, these are the stories that change lives.
“We want to help them raise awareness and support.”
Josh is formerly of Ashcombe Primary School in Weston-super-Mare where the seed of Jill Dando News began in 2008 when Nigel Dando, Jill’s elder brother, and Shane Dean the founder of the Good News Post met during coverage of a news story being featured by the BBC.
Josh then went to Hans Price Academy in the town. His journey is as extraordinary as the mission he now champions.
By the age of 17, he had already raised thousands of pounds for Bristol Children’s Hospital, supported Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal, and began volunteering with the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed.
In 2017, Josh was honoured with the Princess Diana Award—the highest accolade a young person can receive for social action or humanitarian work.
He was later named South West NHS Rising Star in 2020 for his educational work on sepsis awareness, while also volunteering with the UK Sepsis Trust and working in frontline healthcare during the pandemic.
Josh’s passion for saving lives led him to launch the Donate for Defib W-s-M Project, aiming to install defibrillators in every school and public space.
With backing from both Great Western Air Ambulance Charity and Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance, the project has already transformed Weston-super-Mare into one of the most defibrillator-equipped towns in the UK.
As Project Lead, Josh has worked closely with his former cardiologist, Professor Graham Stuart—now the Project’s Clinical Lead Ambassador—and local supporters to ensure access to life-saving devices.
The campaign has garnered support from businesses, healthcare professionals, and civic leaders alike.
“Every defibrillator installed is another life potentially saved,” Josh says. “This is my way of giving back for the gift of life I was given.”
Now stepping into the media world as UK Charities and Schools Correspondent for the Good News Post, Josh wants to inspire a movement of celebration, compassion, and community impact.
A Call to All Charities
Josh is now inviting charities large and small to send in their good news stories for free publication.
“If you run or support a charity, we’d love to help raise awareness of your cause. We are treating schools in the same way as charities – they are helping community and changing the world.”
Send your story to news@goodnewspost.co.uk and be part of a global good news movement,” he says.
Josh is not just leading a local defib project. He’s leading a national wave of inspiration—proof that even the most fragile beginnings can become foundations for powerful, world-changing missions.
For more on Josh’s work and to support his project, visit www.donatefordefibwsm.co.uk and for stories see www.goodnewspost.co.uk
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