Charlotte Ramsdale is a reporter for the South Hams Gazette series, producing news content for the print editions, website South Hams Today and for social media.
She joined the company in April 2025 and is based at the Kingsbridge office. She says: “I have a lot of freedom in my role.”
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
My main responsibility is to gather local news stories, which could involve going out to local events or court hearings, with a lot of speaking to residents and members of the local community. Local news is about finding and telling stories of local interest, then writing them up and putting them into various formats for print and online.
I am responsible for keeping the local community informed while also giving a voice to the people we represent. I could be following up something I have seen on social media, the news could be from a press release by a local organisation or it could be people coming into the office. We also keep up to date with things like police news and court listings. We cover a large area of Devon, taking in Salcombe, Totnes, Dartmouth and Ivybridge, each of which have their own identity.
Which jobs did you have before you joined the company?
Working for Tindle is my first full time job since I graduated from university in November 2024 and I moved back to Devon having graduated with a BA honours degree in journalism from the University of Derby.
I originally did my first year at university before the Covid-19 lockdown but deferred during the pandemic and worked instead for two years. For my first year I was a bartender. I progressed to front of house general manager in a pub, which was a public facing role that involved skills which I can draw upon in newsgathering. I did hospitality for a long time so I am used to dealing with people, sometimes defusing situations.
What was the appeal of joining Tindle?
Having grown up in Exeter I knew the area. I have always been most confident in writing so moving to newspapers felt like a natural progression. Coming to a local newspaper has given me the chance learn and develop as a journalist. I have had a lot of support and guidance from my peers as they have the time to help. I have a lot of freedom in my role.
What is a typical working day in your role?
It involves listening to people, going out and being very community facing. We get a lot of people visiting and on a typical week there will be a couple of days out and about. When there was a local restaurant on fire I went to that and got to interview the owners with photos before other publications. I write several stories each day as we have a focus on originated content. Every week is different which is what I like about it.
Which colleagues do you interact with the most in your working day?
I work with my fellow reporter Richard Harding, and Chief Reporter Tom Ladds, reporting into Devon editor Joe Bulmer. We also work with the advertising team including Sam Jackson and Carol Beavis.
How does your work fit into the business?
I deliver the local news that drives engagement with our readers, ensuring it is relevant and trusted by the local audiences. We make sure we stick to the ethos of delivering news which matters and to keep the local community informed.
What do you enjoy about working for Tindle?
I like the freedom which I have in my role. Because we are such a small team I have gone into the deep end. I feel very supported and valued by the people I work with. Being able to go out and meet people is great experience.
How do you use digital skills in your role?
With each of the different media available there are different ways of telling stories, including video, photos and live blogs. With my mobile journalism skills I am able to do everything for a video on my phone, from filming and editing it to uploading it online. As we represent our publisher we have legal responsibilities and audience expectations to meet. I am encouraged to improve our social media output as each platform needs more content, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Substack. The audience on each channel is consuming their news in different ways.
What are your interests outside of work?
I like to be out exploring in my car, going to new places. I like learning new things and being out with my friends. I also like going to grassroots music venues and I read a lot.