Charlotte Gay (2017) has been covering the G7 summit held last weekend in Cornwall.

The summit, held between 11 and 13 June around Carbis Bay, saw leaders from a number of powerful countries around the world come together to discuss the climate crisis and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues.

Charlotte, who, as we reported earlier on in the year, is on a 4-month placement in the south west for ITV, described the experience as ‘relentless but rewarding’.

She continued, ‘Highlights and challenges included reporting on Air Force One touching down at Newquay airport, keeping up with thousands of climate change protesters marching across St Ives – regretting my footwear choices as my shoes became sodden – and racing my depleting battery as I sent packages to air before getting to my live location.

‘Being the on-the-day reporter for ITV West Country meant my job was to reflect Cornwall’s reaction to the summit rather than get stuck into international politics but this still required the same amount of daily coronavirus testing and dealing with pooled footage.

‘Much like the police, I had prepared for a more chaotic weekend of protests but it seems picking a remote Cornish destination, with expensive accommodation and restrictions on travel may have made this the most peaceful G7 to date.

‘I also tried something new, doing daily TikTok videos to share the international event with a new audience online. They seemed to do well with around 180,000 views – far more than I normally reach. It hopefully demonstrates younger audiences do have an interest in big political events.’

Watch some of Charlotte’s coverage below: