A Huddersfield actor, journalist and DJ has been nominated for several national awards.

Ruben Reuter, 23, from Slaithwaite is a reporter and disability correspondent for Channel 4 News and has just been shortlisted in the Journalism of the Year category in the Sense Awards 2023. Sense is a charity which supports disabled people in the UK and campaigns for their rights.

The shortlist says: “Ruben is now a cornerstone of Channel 4 News. As a young man with Down’s Syndrome, Ruben has brought a new dimension to the programme since joining in 2021, putting the challenges faced by disabled people centre stage and giving a voice to communities in mainstream news programmes.

“One of Ruben’s key interviews last year was with Oscar-winning actor and film-maker James Martin who also has Down’s Syndrome and the pair talked candidly about disability funding cut fears. Ruben also tackled the impact of Covid on disabled people and co-presented a documentary called Disability And Abortion: The Hardest Choice with actor and campaigner Ruth Madeley.”

Ruben is also shortlisted for the London Press Awards Best Young Journalist of the Year and New Journalist of the Year – British Journalism Awards.

Ruben’s other reports for Channel 4 News have included the proposed closure of railway ticket offices, disability hate crime and a campaign to save one of the UK’s most threatened birds, the swift. He is due to make another documentary for the channel in the coming months.

Ruben’s Disability and Abortion documentary is up for three other awards – the Grierson Award for The Open University Best Science Documentary, The RTS Awards North West Best Inclusive Practice for programmes with Disability Development Network contribution and the MIP COM Cannes Diversify TV Awards Representation of Disability.

As an actor Ruben stars in a horror film called The Puppet Asylum currently on Sky and Now TV and a BBC 3 comedy pilot called Mobility which was filmed in Huddersfield and written by Britain’s Got Talent comedian Jack Carroll. 

In the past he has starred as Finn McLaine in The Dumping Ground, the follow-on to TV series Tracy Beaker which featured the adventures of a 10-year-old girl living in a children’s residential care home nicknamed The Dumping Ground.

He also appeared in TV drama The Syndicate about a lottery syndicate cheated out of their huge win, playing the brother of main character Keeley.

He’s also in the Borough of Kirklees Para Swimming Squad, competing in special Olympics and European Down Syndrome events.

Ruben volunteers for Kirklees Active Leisure teaching disabled children to swim and dances with Northern Ballet’s Ability group. 

And when he’s not doing all this, Ruben’s a DJ and has been since he was 12.

Ruben is the son of Kim Reuter and Russ Elias who set up Shabang! Inclusive Learning in Slaithwaite more than 30 years ago and are now based at the Grade II-listed Providence Baptist Chapel which was built on Hollins Row just off Manchester Road, Slaithwaite, in 1816 but closed down several years ago due to dwindling congregations.

Shabang! runs several arts and performance groups for pre-school children through to young adults – all with additional needs.

Kim said: “We are so proud of Ruben. He proves that given good opportunities and support learning disabled people can thrive and achieve amazing things.”

Written by ANDY HIRST who runs his own Yorkshire freelance journalism agency AH! PR (https://ah-pr.com/) specialising in press releases, blogging, website content and copywriting. 

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