Issue 157

Editor to leave Waterfront after four years of hard work

08th October 2007

Andrew Gwilym is set to leave Swansea this Wednesday after a total of four years working for the paper, including around fifteen months as the paper's editor.

Andrew was a History student at Swansea when he started his work on the Waterfront, and focused his efforts on writing for the sports section, becoming sports section editor the following year and maintaining that position until the end of his undergraduate course. He commented that, "I realised quite early on that I wasn't quite good enough to play sport professionally and I could think of no better way of contributing to sport than to write about it." Sport remains Andrew's passion.

Andrew went on to Cardiff University to study Journalism at post-graduate level before returning to Swansea as editor of Waterfront. Andrew has always taken pride in pushing the paper forwards, ensuring that accurate, up-to-date information is one of the main attributes with which people regard the paper, commenting that, "accuracy gives us legitimacy in the eyes of the reader, and is of immense importance."

Among his proudest moments is the coverage of the elections in March 2007 as he emphasised that the coverage was 'without peer'. Other papers have since tried to replicate the effort put into the to-the-minute coverage, which utilised tools such as podcasts, internet blogs, live text coverage and more to keep those interested in touch.

Andrew himself was enormously proud to have had the opportunity to interview former Wales coach Mike Ruddock shortly after Wales's grand-slam victory in the Six Nations, and stated that it was his favourite personal moment. He told Waterfront that "it hardens your resolve to get where you want to be when something like that happens".

One of Andrew's few disappointments has been that he has not been at the paper quite long enough to see it win awards; a feeling expressed when asked whether he had achieved all that he aimed for: "Being the best among our peers is our goal: The paper has improved immeasurably and will go on to win awards," he stated.

A job working for the Press Association awaits Andrew as he moves from Swansea to Hull to continue the pursuit of his sports journalism dream career. His message to the students of Swansea is to 'keep reading Waterfront', believing that it is a vitally important part of university life which will go from strength to strength, but which cannot continue without the support of the students. "Seeing people reading the paper gives me an enormous satisfaction every day" he commented, "it is what keeps us doing what we do".

Andrew also expressed best wishes to his successor Amy Wilkinson and everyone who is to be involved in the paper in the years to come.

Andrew commented that, "The paper cannot progress without the hard work and drive of its editors and I will miss their enthusiasm for the paper and commitment to it, and the ability of all who help to push it towards the award winning standards that we have set."

Waterfront would like to wish Andrew all the best.

James Lenney