A weekly editor is stepping down from his role after seven years and moving back to being a reporter.

Mike Lewis, who took over the chair at the Ammanford-based South Wales Guardian from Elizabeth Cartwright in 2007, has accepted a reporter’s job with the Cambrian News in Aberystwyth.

The 53-year-old hit the headlines in 2012 when he revealed that the paper had been subjected to an unofficial advertising boycott from Carmarthenshire county council following “unfavourable” reporting.

Steve Adams, currently the Guardian’s chief reporter and sports editor, has been named as the new editor.

Mike, who leaves the Newsquest title later this month, said: “I’ve been lucky enough to work alongside some extremely talented people and the Guardian team rank among the best.

“Sometimes it’s really seemed like it was us against the rest of the world – the privilege has been all mine.”

Mike also disclosed that he intends to devote more time to Cardigan Amateur Boxing Club, of which he has been chairman since 2001.

“Teaching a kid to throw a right hook gives me far more satisfaction than instructing a trainee journalist in the art of headline writing, he added

His successor Steve, 43, has worked for the Guardian in various roles since 2006.

He said:  “This is an extremely proud day for me. I consider it an honour and a privilege to be entrusted with the editorship of the South Wales Guardian.

“I firmly believe that that Guardian should play a key role at the heart of the community it serves and I will do my utmost to continue its long tradition of reporting the news, serving the people and promoting the region to the very best of my abilities.

“We have a fantastic team of dedicated staff and I am confident that together we can work to make the South Wales Guardian the very best weekly newspaper in Wales.

“I will strive to ensure that the Guardian grasps the challenges posed by new technology and uses them to serve our community better than ever before.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to Mike for all his hard work over the past years and I look forward to overseeing the next stage of the South Wales Guardian’s evolution into a truly 21st century local media outlet.”