It will be the end of an era at the Isle of Wight County Press when long-serving editor Alan Marriott leaves at the end of March…but two top Island journalists are set to take the reins of Britain’s best-selling weekly paper.
Alan has been at the paper since 1984 and will have completed nearly 39 years with the title by the time he departs.
He is being replaced by two co-editors…the title’s current head of content Lori Little and audience and content editor Lucy Morgan.
Alan, 60, is partly retiring but will retain a small ambassadorial role with the County Press.
After training with the now defunct Cheshire Observer series straight from school in Chester, he moved to the Isle of Wight in 1984, to become the CP’s sports editor.
He held a number of positions before he was appointed editor in 2007.
Following a brief spell as the paper’s publisher he returned to the editor’s chair in 2020.
He said: “I have had a great career in local newspaper journalism and have loved every minute. The move to digital has been a fascinating experience over the past two decades.
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“I have worked with some top journalists, not least Lori and Lucy, who will be great successors and will serve the Isle of Wight’s people well.
"It has been an honour to serve the Isle of Wight over so many years and to have met so many wonderful inspirational people and cover some incredible stories.
“I am looking forward to seeing my successors further accelerate our digital progression while at the same time producing superb County Press newspapers.
“It will be nice to take a step back from the world of work and enjoy my sporting hobbies to the full while I can still run about…albeit slowly!”
Alan plays cricket for Island Bakeries and veterans' football with Real Vectis Veterans. He is also a trustee of the Isle of Wight Sports Foundation.
Lori, who went to Sandham Middle and Sandown High schools, joined the County Press in 2001 as a trainee reporter and went on to work in the news and features department before becoming head of content in 2019.
Lucy, who joined the County Press in March 2020, has been working in journalism for around 25 years, including at Isle of Wight Radio and Solent TV, as well as at mainland TV and radio stations, including a stint BBC Radio Solent.
She grew up in Sussex and studied at Cardiff University and Goldsmiths University.
Lucy said: “Lori and I are delighted to be given the chance to take on such an integral piece of Isle of Wight history.
“The Isle of Wight County Press continues to be a crucial player in keeping Islanders informed and we will strive to do this historic title proud, embracing its future both online and on our newsstands.
“It has such a strong, loyal readership with a huge following in print and online, with the latest JICREG data showing that the County Press reaches 86 per cent of all adults on the Isle of Wight every month.
“We know we have big shoes to fill — Alan has been such an important name in Island journalism for decades and moving forward, we’re thrilled he’s chosen to continue to represent the brand in the community, as ambassador.”
Lori said: "Despite being around since 1884 the CP has taken huge strides in recent years to modernise and embrace changes in how Islanders consume news.
"Our digitally-focused newsroom has the biggest team of professionally trained local journalists of any Isle of Wight media outlet and it's an exciting time to be taking the reins.
"Lucy and I are sad to see Alan leave the newsroom but will follow in his footsteps as champions of Island businesses, charities, community groups, etc. Send us your news!"
The County Press is part of Newsquest Media.
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