History was made on the Isle of Wight last week when two MPs were elected - and the County Press was up all night to report on the action as it happened.
For myself and my colleague, Zach Saunders, it was certainly an experience.
It’s not everyday you get to report on history as it unfolds and that responsibility was in the back of my mind in the run-up to the big night.
We knew, as journalists, it was our duty to report on the events fairly, accurately and quickly.
Read more: Isle of Wight elects two MPs in General Election 2024
That’s probably why we were the first to turn up, around half an hour or so before the doors even opened to media. Oh, and we wanted to get a good seat!
In fact, Islanders were still voting when we arrived at 7.30pm, equipped with our (not-so) goody bags of unhealthy food and drink.
Polls didn’t close until 10pm.
We did a quick Facebook live outside Medina Leisure Centre, Newport, where the count was held, to inform Islanders of what to expect of the night ahead.
We were then given a helpful run down from the council media team who showed us to our seats, behind a metal barrier.
We were told we weren’t allowed to venture onto the count floor, until the declarations.
After setting up live blogs, the hall soon filled with count assistants and counting agents.
Read more:
- Isle of Wight West elects Richard Quigley as first Labour MP
- Joe Robertson elected as Isle of Wight East's first MP
- Isle of Wight West: LIVE at the General Election count
- Isle of Wight East: LIVE at the General Election count
Too early to open my sandwich? Probably, I thought, resisting temptation.
As the polls slammed shut, we set about tracking down the 12 candidates for interviews.
Labour’s Richard Quigley and Conservative Bob Seely were the last to turn up.
Every candidate agreed to having a chat, other than Bob who said he would prefer not to and would release a statement afterwards instead.
Our biggest challenge on the night was probably the inadequate Wi-fi. Tethering off our phones and running outside to upload videos was a common theme of the evening.
Tension was certainly building in the room, as was the grumbling in my stomach.
On the count floor, it was a race to see who would finish first – the East or the West.
The West led the way and finally declared, closer to 4am than the 3am estimated time.
The East followed suit around half an hour later.
By this point, adrenaline was pumping through my veins (and probably the bottle of Coca-Cola I’d just drunk).
After uploading stories detailing who had won and by what margin, within seconds of the results being declared, we set about chasing the winners – Joe Robertson in the East and Richard Quigley in the West.
Richard Quigley speaking to County Press reporter Oliver Dyer. (Image: IWCP)
Now onto my giant bag of salt n’ vinegar Hula Hoops, we swiftly carried out video interviews with the winners before uploading them.
The next time I looked up, the hall had started to empty, and we were being told we need to go in 15 minutes. First to arrive and last to leave!
Home to bed? No. Back to the office to write up more stories, including a summary of the events for those just waking up.
It was an historic evening and kudos goes to Zach, especially for putting up with me all night.
We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed doing it.
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