James bids Alderney adieu

AND finally ... this is the last Bailiwick column I will ever write.

After three-and-a-half years in Alderney, I am moving back to my home city of Leeds to work at the Yorkshire Post newspaper.

Living and working in the northern isle has been a privilege. Editing the Alderney Journal, while working as the Guernsey Press' Alderney correspondent – and latterly Channel Television's Alderney video-journalist – has been fantastic and provided me with many wonderful experiences.

The work has been testing, to say the least, on numerous occasions. Being part of a small, close-knit community is not easy when there are controversial issues to cover. Often I've found myself writing tales about friends and acquaintances or, at the very least, people I'll see in the street.

Some islanders, quite understandably, don't want their name or picture in the paper when they're being associated with a negative story. Cue letters, emails, phone calls, stand-up rows and even people threatening to smash my head on a desk. I've probably had just about every reaction possible in the last few years.

The wonderful thing about being a journalist in Alderney is that you know each one of your contacts personally and can build up strong relationships. It feels like old-fashioned reporting here, as many of the interviews are conducted face-to-face, perhaps over a coffee or even something stronger (we are in Alderney, after all).

There have been so many highlights, but whenever I describe Alderney to people not familiar with the island, I tend to focus on a story that occurred just a few weeks after I arrived. It involved feral chickens and the States' desire to destroy them as they were interfering with the water supply.

A petition signed by hundreds of people was organised, followed by a mass protest. Furious letters were exchanged between States members and protestors. Both island vets were backing Jeanne Mapp and her band of chicken supporters. For months, until the birds were finally shot, it was the hot island topic. Only in Alderney.

*

The great thing about Alderney – and I really mean this – is that it will never change. I often look back through old Journals and always smile when I see the same issues being talked about in the letters pages. Whether it's Fort Tourgis, a marina or the cost of flying, the same matters come up time and again. And it's all part of Alderney's charm.

I sometimes get the feeling that things don't change here because the islanders are happy with what they've got and don't really want anything to be different. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I'll miss the island, particularly its beauty and relaxed way of life. But now feels the right time to be moving on and I'm relishing a new challenge back in West Yorkshire.

I'd like to thank every reader of this column and the people who put it together each week – thanks Di and Louise (your days of chasing my copy are over).

Finally, I'd like to wish my successor, Emma Pinch, the very best of luck. She's already working in Alderney and getting to grips with island life and I'm sure she'll prove to be a great asset.