From Joe Davies, Newport:

As I got ready to leave the Island for my second year of university, I reflected on what has been a really great summer.

One of the highlights was two weeks’ work experience in the County Press newsroom.

I had no idea what to expect when I turned up on my first day in a pair of ill-fitting shoes, but from the moment I arrived I was incredibly impressed with the way the newspaper works.

It was great to find out that my local paper is written by Islanders, and all of the important decisions are made by Islanders.

I saw a team of journalists who are passionate about the IW and about telling our stories, both good and bad.

I was able to talk to a passionate and inspiring mental health campaigner about the work she is doing to end the stigma surrounding mental health in young men; cover an important debate among local politicians; and bring to light the story of a customer who felt as though they had been discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Each of these stories were deeply important to Islanders in different ways. It is for this reason that we all have vested interest in seeing the survival of local journalism. Based on what I saw at the County Press this summer, I think it’s good hands.