The County Press’s community content editor, Kate Young, has been highly commended in the Unsung Hero category of the Women in Local News Awards 2022.

Kate, who grew up in Cowes, was recognised for her work in championing local people, Isle of Wight businesses and good causes.

Click here to read about the winners of the Women in Local News Awards 2022...

The accolade is bittersweet for keen runner Kate, 47, who is leaving the County Press at Christmas after a marathon stint of 26 years.Isle of Wight County Press: Kate Young has run many races for charity - here she is pictured finishing the 2018 Winchester Half Marathon in aid of the Wessex Cancer Trust's Isle of Wight centre.Kate Young has run many races for charity - here she is pictured finishing the 2018 Winchester Half Marathon in aid of the Wessex Cancer Trust's Isle of Wight centre. (Image: Contributed)

She started at the newspaper in June 1996 and wrote many of the stories for the County Press’s MRI Scanner Appeal.

Kate went over to full-time feature writing in September 1999 and worked hard with organisers on several local events which the County Press supported, including the Isle of Wight International Charity Classic Car Extravaganza and the County Press Garden Show at Osborne House.

Helping charitable causes has always been her passion and in 2008, she undertook a trans-Siberian railway journey that spawned a travel book, A Trans-Siberian Odyssey, which raised several thousand pounds for Mountbatten.

In more recent years she has done sponsored runs for charities including Wessex Cancer Trust’s Isle of Wight Centre.

In October 2019, she became editor of Isle of Wight Living magazine and was also the key Island writer on several Newsquest book projects, including the VE Day and Queen’s Platinum Jubilee souvenir publications.

Last April, Kate was hospitalised with sepsis, but just three months later she did the 107km (66-mile) Isle of Wight Challenge over two days in aid of the UK Sepsis Trust.

READ MORE: County Press Kate to raise cash for UK Sepsis Trust

More recently, Kate has done fundraising events for East Cowes-based charity MAD-Aid, where her husband, Hugh, and brother, Mark, are volunteers.

READ MORE: County Press Kate takes on Isle of Wight Challenge for MAD-Aid

She is leaving the County Press to join MAD-Aid – which helps Ukrainians and Moldovans in need – as the charity’s grant manager.

Kate said: “I’ve had an incredible time at the County Press and I’ve lived through many changes. I have seen it go from black and white to colour, from broadsheet to tabloid — and I was even the reporter on duty for the millennium shift!”