WE mark the tenth anniversary of Newport being declared a city today with a special free 20-page supplement.

Our celebration of a decade since the Queen granted Newport city status as part of her Golden Jubilee highlights many of the positives that have happened since then. But we do not shy away from the lows that have accompanied the highs.

While the riverside was transformed with a new theatre, university campus and housing developments the redevelopment of the city centre fell victim to the recession.

The scheme is now resurrected, with a developer on board and all the signs point towards work starting on a new shopping centre by the end of next year.

In the meantime, the city centre continues to struggle and it would be disingenuous to suggest anything different.

But continually moaning about the city’s problems and talking the place down will not help matters.

As Newport’s first decade as a city comes to an end let us be positive about the years to come.

To coin a phrase, things can only get better.