Gary's time in the Channel Islands

Gary Burgess arrived in the Channel Islands in 2003 where he made Guernsey his home.

He began working for Island FM before moving on to become BBC Radio Guernsey's breakfast show presenter.

It was in 2011 that Gary began working for ITV Channel TV in Guernsey, where he first reported on a bomb scare at La Mare de Carteret School.

A year later Gary moved to Jersey and continued to share his knowledge, wisdom and humour with colleagues and viewers.

As one of Channel's most senior reporters, Gary covered stories including complex political fallouts, the Jersey Care Inquiry and he became the go-to source of information during the coronavirus pandemic.

But, it wasn't just the serious stories Gary was known for - he became a familiar face throughout Channel's Battle of Flowers coverage.

And he was dubbed the 'and finally' man during ITV Channel's coverage of the Island Games in Bermuda, July 2013.

Gary then met his husband Alan in 2014 and the couple became the first to convert their civil partnership to a marriage when the law changed in July 2018.

In 2021 he was nominated as journalist of the year at the prestigious Royal Television Awards.

And it was in August 2021 that Gary retired from ITV following a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2020.

Since his retirement, Gary spent time travelling with his husband Alan and making memories with friends and family.

Gary passed away at Jersey Hospice on 1 January at the age of 46.