Rural Jersey Spring 2017

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FARMING, FOOD & FISHERIES • EQUESTRIAN & SPORT • HERITAGE & ARTS • GARDENS & NATURE RURAL - Jersey Country Life

Spring 2017 www.ruraljersey.co.uk

MEET THE FARMERS Hail and Farewell - presidents change at the Jersey Farmers Union Issue 17 - Jersey’s rural, cultural and community magazine

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT Featuring the other Channel Islands

THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN OF F

AL SP o ni EC o ght I Tw

www.ruraljersey.co.uk

ld s Le est B& V e B fo iew sta at r 1 M bl o Se 50 e oul ishe ne of e ur in a d h Br pa os t H ote itt ge for éd ls, any ’s 25 2, é,

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Open gardens this year

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Welcome ‘OH to be Jersey, now that April’s here.’

My commiserations to those readers living away from the Island, who may now be thinking along these lines. As I sit writing this Welcome article for the ‘Spring’ issue of RURAL, the view through the windows is indeed spring-like; spring seems to have made a welcome arrival.

And so equally the ‘Spring’ issue of RURAL also makes, we hope, its own welcome arrival.

At this time of year we turn to getting our own gardens in shape for the summer, this issue features some of those lovely private gardens that open their gates to the public to benefit the Jersey Association of Youth and Friendship.

Graeme Le Marquand of the Jersey branch of the National Vegetable Society tells us about planting salad plants in these salad days of spring and early summer.

At this busy time of the farming year, we also say Hail and Farewell to the present and past presidents of the Jersey Farmers Union.

At one time, the onset of spring and summer meant pleasant excursions to the other Channel Islands – to compare and contrast exotic Guernsey with familiar Jersey, to visit Sark for a lobster lunch and to stroll or bicycle through the lanes or, daringly, to explore far-away Alderney. In recent times, these summer excursions have been curtailed by the highly aggravating loss of affordable and convenient travel links with the other Channel Islands.

At a time when unpredictable political developments and events suggest strongly that little communities like those in the Channel Islands should realise that we have far more in common than anything that might divide us, it is sad that physical journeys between the Islands should have become so much more difficult.

To remind us of ‘over there’, our foreign correspondents bring us, ‘over here’, articles about our sister Islands. Far better, surely, to be inter-insular than simply insular.

Enjoy the season, enjoy this seasonal RURAL issue.

DISTRIBUTION We will provide free delivery to any address which would like to receive a minimum of five copies.

The magazine remains free of charge to those who simply want one copy posted to their home address, but we ask for a £12.50 subscription to cover the cost of postage and packing the five issues.

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT SENDING A SUBSCRIPTION TO RURAL AS A PRESENT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY OVERSEAS? Telephone us on 865334.

Cheques can be sent to RURAL magazine, La Cohue, La Grande Route de St Jean, St John, Jersey JE34FN

VISIT US AT www.ruraljersey.co.uk PUBLISHER Crosby Media and Publishing Ltd La Cohue, St John, JE3 4FN

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Sarah le Marquand sarah@thecore.je

EDITOR Alasdair Crosby editorial@ruraljersey.co.uk 01534 865334 or 07797 773880

PHOTOGRAPHY Gary Grimshaw info@photoreportage.co.uk 07797 739426

RURAL magazine can be collected, free of charge, from any number of places around the Island. If you are unable to find a copy, please contact us and we will ensure that you receive a copy directly.

www.ruraljersey.co.uk

MEET THE FARMERS

ADVERTISING Siobhan East siobhaneast@hotmail.com 07797 726811

Hail and Farewell - presidents change at the Jersey Farmers Union

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT Featuring the other Channel Islands

THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN

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SP EC I

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OF F

old hts Le est B& V e B fo iew sta at r 1 M bli on 50 ou sh e e lin ed of pa uros at H hote Britt ge for éd ls, any ’s 25 2, é,

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Open gardens this year

Front cover image: Ariel Whatmore at her home, Les Aix, St Peter; one of this year's open gardens. See pages 34-38. Photography by Gary Grimshaw.

CONTENTS SPRING:Layout 1 26/03/2017 12:28 Page 1

30

20

34

Contents

4-

7

‘THE ISSUE’

24 - 25

8 - 10

THE JERSEY SALAMAGUNDI An assorted mixed salad of Jersey life and events

ITALY’S OTHER ISLAND A new book, by Hamish Marett-Crosby

28 - 29

THE ENERGY ‘TRILEMMA’ Chris Ambler, chief executive of Jersey Electricity, on the three-fold challenge of energy supply,

by Alasdair Crosby

30 - 31

EXPLORING THE ISLAND’S RESERVOIRS The affinity between ‘Jersey Water’ and Jersey’s countryside

34 - 35

OPEN GARDENS In aid of the Jersey Association of Youth and Friendship

36 - 38

THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN Nature imitating art – the gardens at Les Aix, St Peter, by Alasdair Crosby

40 - 41

SALAD DAYS Growing salads from seed,

by Graeme Le Marquand

12 - 14

A GENUINE JERSEY EASTER Unique ideas for locally-created Easter presents,

by Catherine Garner

16

CAKES GALORE – AND MORE Jersey ‘cup cake heaven’

18

THE PLEASURES OF RE-CYCLING AND AFTERNOON TEA ‘The Poplars’ - not just a tea room

20 - 21

‘IMAGINE’ (WITH CHOCOLATE) The versatility of the chocolatier’s art at La Mare,

by Catherine Garner

22 - 23

A PASSAGE FROM INDIA Lessons for Jersey from India on agriculture,

by David Warr

RURAL Spring 2017

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42

64

SPECIAL THEME: THE OTHER CHANNEL ISLANDS

74 66

JERSEY’S EXOTIC CATTLE SHOW A season of content for bird watchers,

by Mike Stentiford

68 - 69

THE ULTIMATE IN SMALL GOVERNMENT John Young on life in Alderney

TREES FOR JERSEY The Jersey Trees for Life hedge planting,

by Catherine Garner

70 - 71

A NATURAL ARTIST Sark’s artist, Rosanne Guille, on the inspiration of her Island home – by Tamara Timothy

THE FORGOTTEN WATER MEADOW Restoration of a hidden valley in Trinity,

by Ruth Le Cocq

72

NATURAL JERSEY A new initiative promotes community pride,

by Mike Stentiford

74 - 75 SEAWEED AND FARMING Continuing the fascinating history of seaweed in Jersey agriculture, by our farming columnist, ‘Flatcap’

THE POND PROJECT The Mencap charity’s environmental project,

by Alex Wiles

76

ESSENCE OF AN ISLAND Rural entrepreneurship in (another) Island,

by Philippa Evans-Bevan

54 - 55

MEET THE FARMERS Change of presidency at the Jersey Farmers Union

78

NATURE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS Natural health, by Diana Mossop

56 - 57

ART, INSPIRED BY NATURE The art of Anna Le Moine Gray

80

JERRIAIS With Tony Scott-Warren

58 - 59

A PLACE OF ART AND CULTURE Our regular report from CCA Galleries International by its director, Sasha Gibb

82

WHERE ONCE THERE WAS A VISION Mike Stentiford has the last word

60 - 61

SPIRIT OF UNITY, SPIRIT OF FREEDOM The forthcoming Liberation International Music Festival, by Rhona Richards

62 - 63

BROKEN WIND Laura Poingdestre repairs broken wind instruments. By Catherine Garner

64

IS THERE HONEY STILL FOR TEA A series of public lectures to mark the centenary of the Jersey Bee Keepers Association.

By Bob Hogge

42 - 43

44 - 45 46 - 47

50 - 51

52

LIFE ON LIHOU Tamara Timothy meets Lihou’s warden, Richard Curtis

DAIRY FARMING DURING THE DECADES Guernsey’s dairy industry, by Andrew Casebow

CONTRIBUTORS ANDREW CASEBOW WILLIAM CHURCH PHILIPPA EVANS-BEVAN CATHERINE GARNER SASHA GIBB BOB HOGGE RUTH LE COCQ GRAEME LE MARQUAND ANNA LE MOINE GRAY

DIANA MOSSOP RHONA RICHARDS TONY SCOTT-WARREN MIKE STENTIFORD TAMARA TIMOTHY DAVID WARR ALEX WILES HAMISH MARETT-CROSBY

RURAL Spring 2017 - 5

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The Issue ON ‘Valentine’s Day’ the States unveiled its new Rural Economic Strategy. However, that sentence suggests a degree of passion that was noticeably absent at the launch event. No romance; no passion; nothing much to unveil… a bit on the underwhelming side, really.

One of the ‘leaders if the industry’ summed up the essential message of the strategy as: ‘It’s nice to have green fields’ – which is undeniably true of course and an important message for that sector of the community that seems to have a preference for concrete over grass. But it is not exactly the stuff of front page headlines.

However, looking back to the turn of the Millennium, when there seemed to be a war going on between the then Department of Agriculture and the farming industry, and both dairy and potato sectors were themselves riven into opposing factions, this present element of ‘underwhelmingness’ is, by contrast, something of a blessed relief.

It is, of course, quite difficult to sustain high drama and civil war when the entire industry only consists of a few dozen members.

Far better and more sensible to contact the Minister or the civil servants and then go round for a cup of tea and a chat to iron out any significant problems.

For the record, the plan proposed changes to the way rural businesses receive financial support from the States. It is expected that all farms receiving financial support from the States will be part of the ‘Leaf Global Standard’ within three years, making Jersey the first jurisdiction in the world to achieve this across the entire farming sector. (Farmers believe that they are well on the way to achieving that already).

The current Single Area Payment will evolve into the new Rural Support Scheme which promotes sustainable agriculture.

The report proposes new policies to keep pace with changes in the rural economy and promote growth in the sector as well as the impact of rural business on the wider environment. It aims to change the current financial support mechanism from a payment based on the area farmed model to a performance based model, as well as to incentivise the most economically and environmentally sustainable approaches to farming in Jersey.

Taking the temperature of farming at the moment, it is safe to say that things are very finally balanced. Agriculture continues to rely on a single crop, the Jersey Royal. The profit made is about equal to the subsidy the farmers receive.

There are lots of environmental concerns, particularly concerning the use of pesticides and the resultant residues. Growing Jersey

Royals needs some pesticides, it has to be said, otherwise there won’t be a crop to harvest. But new, improved pesticides are more expensive.

Costs of farming – especially harbour dues - continue to rise all the time; nothing new there. Organic farming is in difficulty, its proponents claiming lack of States support – the Rural Strategy has not too much to say about that. Control of the potato industry is now in the hands of two players: if one of them were to ‘catch a cold’ and drop out, the whole of farming in Jersey would change.

In short, farming is quite finally balanced at the moment.

A major problem of farming in Jersey is the lack of land to farm.

As is often said, ‘they’ve stopped making more of it, these days’.

On the contrary, those proponents of concrete mentioned above keep on nibbling away at the Island’s rural sector.

In the 1970s, 68% of the Island’s surface was taken up by agriculture. That figure had sunk to 51% last year. New projects, such as the new Les Quennevais School, will take away yet more land from agricultural use. It seems probable that before too long the agricultural land bank will be under 50%. So – ever more population and ever less land for farming – or for feeding ourselves.

That, in terms of the wider economic, political and social issues is a worrying trend, but as far as farming is concerned, it is yet another discouragement for young people who are thinking about going into farming. The senior generation of now mostly retired farmers can recount how they started with a few vergées and a cow and gradually built up their holding over the years.

That option is now denied to young farmers: you need a lot of money to start off farming, and your holding needs to be big enough to warrant the serious expense you will need to incur.

There are plenty of young people who are would-be farmers, with farming in their DNA who would like nothing better than to farm.

As they often say, they would love to farm and they are keen to become involved, but the drawback is finding the land.

So how are young people going to be encouraged to farm, especially if they have no expectation of inherited land?

The word ‘sustainability’ is sometimes over-used ad nauseam, but it is surely right to point out that an ever-reducing agricultural land bank and lack of incentive for young farmers, in combination with an ever-rising population, is truly an unsustainable combination.

What to do about it? That is indeed an issue.

RURAL Spring 2017 - 7

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THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI - A mixed salad of life and events in Jersey

WHAT’S FOR DINNER? THE 2017 series of the ‘What’s for Dinner? ‘speaker events, organised by RURAL - Jersey Country Life magazine begins on 26 April.

This is the second year of this series in which UK speakers address such questions as: What sort of farming do we want in the future? Is there still a viable place for the small mixed farm? Can we – or should we – give more emphasis to producing more locally for local consumption? Can we still combine agriculture with a traditional countryside and plenty of diverse wildlife?

26 April The first speaker is Patrick Holden CBE, formerly the director of the Soil Association, and now the founding director of the Sustainable Food Trust.

See: sustainablefoodtrust.org The future speakers in the series are: 29 June Russ Carrington - executive secretary of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association.

He has a passion for embracing the challenges of food production in the 21st Century.

See: www.pastureforlife.org/ board-members/russ-carrington/

28 September James Marsden makes real Herefordshire cider and perry using 100% juice of vintage varieties of apples and pears, harvested from traditional standard orchards. He and his partner work with nature to manage the orchards and create their products.

See: www.greggs-pit.co.uk 30 November Rebecca Hosking MBE has made wildlife programmes around the world.

Her indignation at seeing seabirds and marine mammals killed from ingesting or being trapped by waste plastic in the ocean caused her to start a campaign against free plastic shopping bags being given out in UK supermarkets and shops. She now farms 175 acres of organic pasture and woodland on the coastal tip of south Devon. She describes its ethos as ‘Farming With Nature’. www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/ nov/23/plasticbags.recycling The meetings are kindly sponsored and supported by the Howard Davis Farm Trust and the RJA&HS. These events are free of charge. They take place at the Royal Jersey Showground, Trinity, starting at 8pm.

Please register in advance with Alasdair Crosby: Tel 865334; alasdair.crosby@ruraljersey.co.uk

GINGERING UP LOCAL PRODUCE FRESH ginger has been grown in Jersey for the first time.

It could be the first ginger grown in the British Isles, according to Waitrose fresh food buyer, Gary Grace.

They have a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm which has directly resulted in bringing new locally-grown produce to our customers' kitchens.’

Working with Waitrose, Woodside Farms in Trinity carried out a successful trial last year resulting in 1.5 tonnes of fresh ginger being produced. The farm is hoping to produce 20-25 tonnes this year.

Samantha Edwards, production manager at Woodside Farms said: ‘Growing the ginger had its challenges and climate always impacts this. We continually modified our growing techniques and by the end of November last year a pesticide and herbicide-free crop was hand harvested.

Gary said: ‘We have worked closely with the team at Woodside in the past couple of years and we have trialled, with success, a number of new lines with them.

"We think this ginger has a fresh and crisp flavour which isn't found in overseas products.’

The farm trialled a number of crops in 2016 including chard, red sprouts, kalettes (developed by crossing kale and brussels sprouts), beetroot and ginger with the beetroot and ginger being carried forward into 2017 on a larger scale.

A limited supply of the locally-grown ginger is being sold exclusively in Waitrose branches in Jersey and Guernsey.

Sales of ginger have shot up as the trend for fresh juices and smoothies continues. Ginger is actually a flowering plant that originated in China and is closely related to turmeric, cardomon and galangal. The rhizome, the underground part of the stem, is the part commonly used as a spice.

8-

RURAL Spring 2017

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THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI

HOW THE WEST WAS NONE PLANS to build houses on two fields at Manor Farm in St Peter mean that the Western Parish Fete will be taking a break in 2017.

However, the West Show Association will still be running its horticultural show in partnership again with the Jersey Association of the National Vegetable Society (‘NVS’). The event will be held at St Peter’s Youth and Community Centre on Sunday 16 July 2017.

Further information will be available in due course on www.westshow.org.je.

HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW? ON Saturday 20 May 2017, Graeme Le Marquand will be opening his St Ouen garden again between 11am and 4pm in conjunction with the National Trust. There will be lots to see, with fruit and vegetables growing in abundance. Advice will also be given on all aspects of growing.

Graeme’s house can be found at Les Landes, at the start of the road that leads to Grosnez Castle and Les Landes race course.

There is plenty of parking.

ROYAL PROGRESS The sales and marketing director of the Jersey Royal Company, William Church, describes this year’s potato growing season as of the end of March 2017:

NEW ERA FOR THE ROSARIANS

SINCE the start of the year the weather has generally been kind to farmers and planting teams have been making solid progress across the Island. At the time of writing, over threequarters of the export crop has been planted and a good start has been made on planting the seed crop for next year.

Although rainfall is slightly down against the seven-year moving average, this has also meant, with less cloud cover, that temperatures throughout much of January and February were running at about 2°C lower, and subsequently ground temperatures were also colder. The resultant knock-on effect is that digging has been a little slower to start out of the greenhouses and polytunnels, and outdoor is unlikely to get going until April.

Quality has been good and the first consignments sent to the wholesale markets have been very well received, with the price holding firm at a strong £2.50/lb.

Looking forward, the mood around the countryside is generally positive, but as is always the case at the start of the season it is a case of having to juggle the different customers’ expectations until we start digging the côtils, and then increase production more when we move on to the flatter fields.

THE summer Rosarian show – a feature of Island life for 21 years - will in future be part of the Summer Show of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society.

The president of the Rosarians, Graham Querée, has written to members saying that after the last show in June 2016 he had spoken to his committee because he felt he had reached a point where he had to look at the future of the rose classes and Jersey Rosarians.

‘Although the rose classes had been good, it was only a shadow of what our rose shows used to be. I felt it was time to ask the Horticultural Department of the RJA&HS to take our show equipment and to include some of our classes into their June fair from 2017.‘ The Rosarians are now not collecting subscriptions, but Graham hoped that members who are not RJA&HS members would join that society and keep on showing.

He said: ’We have had some wonderful flower shows over the last 21 years since Chris Blackstone, Ronnie Cabot and I formed Jersey Rosarians, especially at Samarès Manor. I have made lifetime friends with many people here and in the UK. However, the time is right for our roses to be part of the Horticultural Department flower shows.’

RURAL Spring - 9

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THE JERSEY SALMAGUNDI - A mixed salad of life and events in Jersey

TS TOOLS A RURAL business that is expanding its range is Tractor Services CI Ltd, that is also going to be trading under the name TS TOOLS. They are remaining at their premises in Les Charrières Nicolle, St Lawrence.

Co-director Sharon Romeril said: A lot of people see the name ‘Tractor Services’ and don’t associate us with anything other than tractors. It’s an understandable mistake! But we are not just about tractors and agricultural machinery, but also garage equipment and Herock workwear and lots of other things. We were once called “The Central Market’s Triangle Stores in the countryside”! These days we can’t just rely on agriculture, unfortunately.’

Their garage equipment includes compressors and generators, trolley jacks and air tools – a range that will be of interest to the motor trade and individual motor enthusiasts alike. It also demonstrates that ‘TS Tools’ does a lot more than people realise!

The name ‘Tractor Services’ is not being lost and will continue alongside TS Tools.

19 May and 20 May this year will be open days at TS Tools – not exactly on the same scale as the country fair that they hosted in May 2013 – but there will be many special offers to encourage people to see what they have available and to visit their country showroom.

THE OLD SAIL LOFT BOUTIQUE Despite the diminutive size, the shop is stocked full of stylish knitwear, country wear and foot wear. Every item is carefully selected with that distinctive French attention to quality and detail.

The Old Sail Loft Boutique has survived through hard work and by remaining true to its original ambitions.

Stephanie said: ‘The strength of our business has always been in the timeless designs. The traditional Guernseys, Jerseys and Breton tops especially never date and the quality is high, so good that they will last years. The brand Saint James originates from France and is made for warmth whilst being stylish. As a result, customers come back time and time again to see what’s new. We are also proud to say we have the largest Barbour countrywear collection in the Island.’

With both Brigitte and Stephanie on hand to offer ideas, styling and honest opinions, this personal touch has been key to the Old Sail Loft’s longevity. If you see something in a magazine that they don’t stock, they are happy to order it for you.

‘The history of the Old Sail Loft Boutique has been a real journey,’ said Stephanie. ‘I am very excited to be part of its future.’

THE OLD SAIL LOFT BOUTIQUE on Gorey Pier celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. During this time it has become part of the very fabric of the small harbour.

Run for tourists and locals alike by its French founder, Brigitte Beard - and now also by her daughter, Stephanie Burton the shop has always been an Aladdin’s Cave of high quality French and English brands for men and women, such as Barbour, Sebago and Saint James.

10 -

RURAL Spring 2017

The shop is open seven days a week all year round, including bank holidays. Visit the Old Sail Loft Boutique’s Facebook page for more information.

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ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN?

TIME TO SWITCH TO ELECTRIC HEATING

Have to move or replace your oil tank? Move it for good.

Switch to clean, efficient electric.

For a free quotation, call 505460

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EASTER PRESENTS:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:12 Page 1

A GENUINE JERSEY EASTER Genuine Jersey producers have been busy over the winter months preparing for Spring. On offer are some unique ideas for Easter presents that will last longer than chocolate and, as always with Jersey’s talented local artisans, offer something you won’t find on the high street by CATHERINE GARNER Kicking off the new season of Genuine Jersey markets will be St Aubin's on Saturday 15 April 9-3pm and the Royal Square on Saturday 22 April, 9-3pm.

All of the Genuine Jersey producers and a full list of events can be found on the Genuine Jersey website www.genuinejersey.com.

JUDITH GINDILL’S collection of jewellery is made out of sea glass found on the beaches around the Island. These include necklaces, bracelets, earrings and handbag-charms.

Judith started collecting sea glass after a recent move to live by the seaside. Wondering what to do with it all, she began by experimenting with making jewellery and found she has quite a talent for it. She has taught herself how to make jewellery and loves trying out new design ideas. Judith will be selling her sea glass jewellery at various Genuine Jersey fares throughout the summer months. Prices range from £25 for a simple leather and sea glass bracelet up to £60 for a more intricate necklace.

Contact Judith on her

Facebook page seaglassjewellerybyjudith.

MARILYN COOK and husband Michael work together on their gorgeous hand-made poetry books. There are eight different themes including laughter, friendship, bereavement and getting older as well as a children’s book. The books can also be personalised so make a thoughtful gift.

SUE'S FUDGE is back! After five months off, recovering from a broken wrist, Sue is now back in action. These fudges are available in gift bags or boxes and flavours include vanilla, Jersey Black Butter, chocolate, Baileys & cream and ginger.

The traditional tablet is also very popular.

Sue said: ‘As a child I remember making fudge with my Mum on very special occasions. Butter was so expensive back then.

As a stay-at-home Mum with my own children, I began making fudges just like I had made with my mother, to build a small cottage industry alongside looking after my children.

This business has grown year on year since then.’

The award-winning handmade fudge can be found at Classic Herd Farm Shop in St Peter, Relish Deli in St Helier, Samarès Manor and at Fresh Fish Company on Victoria Pier. Other outlets will be stocked soon. Keep an eye on Sue's Fudge Facebook page for more information. Sue is also taking orders for fudge wedding favours, so be sure to contact her as soon as possible as her diary fills quickly.

Visit: www.suesfudge.co.uk 12 -

RURAL Spring 2017

Marilyn explained where the idea came from: ‘What inspired me was the passing of my dad and then my mum. I felt the need to write poetry to express my feelings as to how I felt and how much I missed both of them. Then customers liked some of the poems and the poetry helped them so I made a bereavement book followed by other books. The reaction and feedback inspired me to write more.’

To order or for more information contact Marilyn on 07797 737627 or go online at www.heavenquotes.com.

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NATURE IN THE FRAME - Photographer Kevin Brace’s work offers a unique take on local landscapes and familiar landmarks. He has a huge portfolio of local images and his talent is to capture the unusual: ‘I like to look for details within the larger picture, a splash of colour or a shape will catch my eye. I am often seeking out abstract elements that perhaps add a different dimension to an otherwise conventional landscape. The shots of rust and algae details on a beach breakwater (pictured) are an illustration of this. The post-processing element of my work is also very important.

It’s where I can continue to impose my style and interpretation on the scene.’

Originally from Milton Keynes, Kevin is entirely self-taught: ‘Having been interested in photography since my late teens, wasting rolls and rolls of Kodachrome until some of the pictures started to look okay. I took redundancy from the Children's Service five years ago and made photography my work.

‘I love to sit and watch clouds scud across the land and enjoy the ebbing light as it works its magic on the ground below. It’s the constant change that fascinates me. And our two terriers Bilbo and Buddy get me out every day. That’s when you realise that the same walk on the same stretch of beach in Grouville Bay never ever looks exactly the same.’

Most of his work is sold framed or ready to frame. The larger pieces range from £80 - £125 which includes the print mounted to a conservation standard and a white wood frame. Other frame finishes are available.

All of Kevin’s work can be seen on the website www.kevinbrace-photography.com There is also a selection of his work in The Harbour gallery and an exhibition there in May.

TRUE JERSEY ICONS - Artist Jools Holt explores ways to transform traditional Jersey monuments, buildings and features into modern day icons and pictures that are part of contemporary living. This has resulted in over 100 striking and colourful images that are part of the Jersey Icons series on show at the Harbour Gallery in St Aubin. A gift for the modern art appreciator could be Jools signed prints or a canvas in any size or a framed picture. Postcards, cards and polaroids are also available.

Riccardo Anfosso is the man behind the unique creations at RA DESIGN WOODWORK and OWL AND SWAN COLLECTABLES. Born in Italy, Riccardo has lived in Jersey since 1977. Riccardo established the RA Design wood working business last year. The Owl and Swan Collectables range features some great present ideas such as the Dovetail treasure chest and the Fibonacci box (pictured).

First inspired by craft, design and technology and woodwork classes at Le Rocquier School, Riccardo has been passionate about his craft for many years. He uses modern technology and CAD software to create 3D rendered images. These can give a very accurate image of how a piece of woodwork will look before it is made. His CNC router is then capable of three-dimensional wood machining, using a choice of ten species of sustainable forestry hardwood.

Jools explained: ‘My work is a process incorporating photography, painting, software and collage to get the image I want. I use the term Artography to describe how I use photography and mixed media to create.’

Jools attended art college at the North East Wales Institute, now known as Glyndwr University, during the Punk era – a particularly memorable time because of the music, clothes, attitude and images. She now lives and works near Hougue Bie. For Easter gifts ideas visit her website at www.joolsholt.com or call Jools on 07797 855087 or 01534 743715.

You can email her at joolsholt@yahoo.com.

Contact Riccardo at RA Design via email at radesignje@gmail.com or on Facebook at radesignwoodwork. The workshop can be found at 25 Commercial Buildings in St Helier.

RURAL Spring - 13

EASTER PRESENTS:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:12 Page 3

A GENUINE JERSEY EASTER LANDSCAPE photographer Georgie Ng has come up with a great gift idea.

Better known for her classic Jersey scenes, she produced maps of the Island portraying the Jersey outline with an iconic image from each parish.

She came up with a special package for wedding, anniversary, birthday or even Easter gifts. Georgie said: ‘The maps can be customised to include shots that capture memorable places such as a first date, a special dinner, favourite walks, where someone proposed or where they met in the various parishes’. The maps are priced at £18 for the mounted map or framed for £28. Embroidered maps and cards are also available.

Email Georgie at georgie.ng@icloud.com or call on 07797 748370. The website is www.georgiengphotography.co.uk and her Facebook page is called georgiengphotography.

LIBERTY ROCK’S collection of bold print tote bags of different sizes, matching accessories and storage items are entirely handmade.

Keen sewers Liz Pirouet and Lynn Wojciechowski launched Liberty Rock over five years ago as a hobby.

Liz said: ‘Our range of goods has extended considerably and we never mass produce any item in any particular design.

People enjoy buying unique items. We both travel quite a bit when away from the sewing machines and love sourcing fabrics from the places we visit. Lynn's daughter lives in Sydney so she regularly brings back lovely bright prints from Australia and Far East and we are currently making a new Summer range with beautiful blue and white fabrics I brought back from Majorca. I am, at this moment, in the US and will definitely be fabric shopping on my visit.’

Potter Karen Hibbs at THE POTTERY SHED has designed and created a range of Easter bunny ceramics (pictured) as well as with her popular Jersey cow mugs, jugs and a new Jersey butter dish for 2017.

Her passion for ceramics began with collecting pottery whilst travelling and it was a course at Highlands that introduced her to the potter’s wheel. Karen explained: ‘I thought it was about time that I had a go at making some myself. I attended evening classes at the Philip Mourant Centre under the excellent guidance of tutor Dave Brown for a couple of years until I received a surprise birthday present of a potter's wheel from my husband Jonathan. We then built a shed, bought a kiln and the Pottery Shed was born.’

Her inspiration for her designs comes mainly from animals and nature. However, she also enjoys experimenting with glazes and techniques. ‘You are never quite sure of the result until you open the lid of the kiln!’ said Karen.

Contact Karen at The Pottery via her Facebook page thepotteryshedjersey or by email at thepotteryshedjersey@gmail.com.

There is also a display of pottery for sale upstairs at the Harbour Gallery.

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Liberty Rock products are available at Genuine Jersey markets, The Harbour Gallery, St Aubin, or check out their Facebook page libertyrockbags.

PAGE 15:Layout 1 27/03/2017 11:58 Page 1

STUDIOS | GIFTS SHOPS | GALLERIES | CAFES

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i

"' +, 2F Genuine Jersey is the guarantee of true local provenance.

Accredited products begin life in raw form and through the creativity and craftsmanship of Islanders become objects of desire. Available across the Island, a purchase supports local craftspeople and supports the local economy.

@GenuineJsy | genuinejersey.com

Look for the Mark before you buy

Classic Butcher A L L OUR HOME -R EA R ED TENDER B EEF A ND S UC C UL ENT PORK ARE F ED ON A G M F R EE DIET

SHOWROOM, LA GRANDE ROUTE DE ST JEAN TRINITY, JERSEY, JE3 5FN Open: Mon - Fri 8am - 5.30pm and Sat 9am - 5pm T: 733277 • F: 768916 • E: sion@jftu.co.uk

www.jftu.co.uk

Manor Farm, St Peter, Jersey, JE3 7DD. Tel: 485692 www.classicfarmshop.com Opening Times: Monday to Saturday 8.30am - 5.30pm

CAKES GALORE:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:14 Page 1

CAKES GALORE - AND MORE Chocolate eggs are the obvious choice for edible Easter presents but so are cakes, specifically cupcakes, judging by their popularity in the Island

THANKS to television programmes like the Great British Bake Off and Cake Boss, people now have inspiration about what can be achieved with just flour, sugar, eggs and butter.

Jersey cupcakes

There are Genuine Jersey producers who specialise in cupcakes and themed cakes, each cook gives them their own unique twist.

Ceri Dickinson at CERI’S CAKES uses only the freshest, local Genuine Jersey ingredients for all of her delicious cupcakes. They are made in a wide range of flavours.

These include Cream Egg and Mini Egg for Easter as well as others such as Custard Cream, Nutella, Jammy Dodger and Malteser.

Ceri said: ‘For me, creating beautiful and delicious cakes is much more than a day’s work; it's what makes the day worthwhile.’

Ceri’s cupcakes are priced at only £7 for a box of four, £10 for a box of six or £20 for a box of twelve. Cupcake bouquets are also available for something completely different.

You can place an order via email: ceridickinson@hotmail.com or visit facebook.com/ceriscakesjersey.

I soon started getting requests from customers to make their celebration cakes and cupcakes. I still sell the cupcakes with the Coffee Car but most of my orders come online from customers all over the world.’

Many of her ideas come from her customers. She said: ‘My customers are really creative and the concept and ideas that they come up with for cakes is really inspiring.

‘It is extremely rewarding and the look on my customer’s face when you deliver their ideas in a cake it priceless. I love been a part of their special celebration. The most memorable order was of a marriage proposal, I was entrusted to put the engagement ring onto one of the cupcakes.’

The recipes have been developed through trial and error.

‘I can quite quickly judge which recipes are commercial sellers and which are non-starters,’ Vicki explained. ‘I love to bake the things I that I would like to eat but I do need to keep an eye on what my customers like, which can be a bit of a compromise.’

Ceri’s cupcakes Vicki Hudson launched her business, JERSEY CUPCAKES, in January 2011. She is City and Guilds qualified in Patisserie and Confectionery and produces themed cakes as well as customised orders. Vicki explained the origins of the company: ‘I have always baked - my Auntie was a professional baker and my Grandma was a proper home baker. She didn’t measure or weigh anything. My husband bought a mobile coffee car and I started baking cakes, cupcakes and muffins to sell alongside the coffees.

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Vicki loves to use local fruit in her cakes. She said: ‘I love tangy flavours such as zesty lemon and spicy carrot cake.

Raspberry and white chocolate tastes and smells delicious.

My customers prefer the sweet cupcakes; I bake a Toblerone cupcake which is a big seller as is strawberry cupcake.’

Children’s cakes are available with Minions, Super Heroes and Ben and Holly proving popular in the last few months.

Vicki and her creations can be found at the Horse Racing on Easter Sunday or purchases can be made online at www.Jerseycupcakes.co.uk.

PAGE 17:Layout 1 27/03/2017 12:00 Page 1

M A R K E T S | FA R M S H O P S | R E S TA U R A N T S

,,"(' - (.- (( F

Whether it’s reared, grown, caught or made in Jersey, Genuine Jersey is the guarantee of local provenance.

In a nutshell, the Mark allows you to make an informed choice to support the local economy, embrace seasonality and reduce your food miles.

@GenuineJsy | genuinejersey.com

Look for the Mark before you buy

THE POPLARS TEA ROOM:Layout 1 27/03/2017 12:42 Page 1

THE PLEASURES OF RECYCLING AND AFTERNOON TEA The Poplars Tea Room, La Moye, has a strong following among their neighbours in St Brelade and the owners, Ken and Sue Healy, run a forward-looking and green ‘Ecoactive’ business. They talked to ALASDAIR CROSBY He and Sue met and married and after ten years at the Atlantic they took over the Poplars from Sue’s parents.

There is still a sense that the farm has not gone too far away: the Bisson family still live close by; there are chickens, geese, a pig, steers… Ken is a keen beekeeper and has hives on the edge of a family-owned field. It all seems… well… very local and homely.

‘We make everything ourselves,’ said Ken, ‘we bake our own bread, quiches and rolls. We are passionate in trying to make as much as we can on site: our cakes, sausage rolls, cheese scones, soups, salads and quiches. We are big supporters of local produce.’

THE Poplars Tea Room – La Moye in St Brelade – has both expected and unexpected aspects to it for the first-time visitor. One might expect in a tearoom to find a range of cakes on the counter - carrot, coffee and walnut, lemon meringue pie and so on and so forth – and tables and chairs set on the garden lawn, with flowering shrubs nearby – all very pleasant on a sunny afternoon.

But what is relatively unexpected is that the business is part of the ‘Ecoactive’ campaign; they recycle cans and glass, cardboard and coffee; there was a huge sack of cans ready to go off to Durrell for their ‘Cans for Corridor’ programme.

Ice cream tubs are saved for schools who want to re-use them for class projects; and one of the banks have donated arch lever files for anyone who might want them, which is better than throwing them away, after all.

Ken Healy, who runs the tea room with his wife, Sue, said: ‘We are glad to have been members of Ecoactive since 2009, especially as so much waste is generated these days and that creates so many challenges.

‘It also makes sense in terms of running a business cost-effectively – in conjunction with Ecoactive they identified savings in utility useage, that’s the bottom line, after all - but also it is clearly brilliant for the environment!’

The Poplars Tea Room used to be an export packing shed belonging to the Bisson farming family. There was a vegetable stall at the farm entrance and produce was sent regularly to Market. But in 1984 the Bissons gave up farming and converted the shed into a tearoom. Their daughter, Sue, had gone to catering college and specialised in patisserie.

Not too far away at the Atlantic Hotel, Ken, who comes from the Dublin area, had begun work in the kitchens and became head chef – he was also a member of the Jersey Chefs’ Circle.

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With the changes in the pattern of tourism, there are more locals than tourists coming to the The Poplars. But Ken said they were very pleased to have a huge local strong following to keep them afloat.

He continued: ‘We love what we do. Once Christmas and January are gone, we are eager to get back to work! We enjoy our lifestyle here: we don’t open in the evenings, which is good for the work-life balance. Our three children go to La Moye School. So everything is very local: no commuting to work, no reliance on cars. We value family greatly.

Sue’s family all live here on the old farm site, so family members are never very far away.

‘It is quite usual for us not to leave the premises for a week – we relish the fact that we don’t have to drive into town or have the hassle of finding somewhere to park.

We tend to recruit our staff locally as well, so they can walk to work easily. A few family members work for us during the season nephews and nieces do Saturday jobs.

‘It is truly a small, local family enterprise.’

*For further information e-mail: info@thepoplarstearoom.com

EARLY SPRING FULL PAGE:Layout 1 27/01/2017 15:46 Page 1

Opening hours: Monday – Saturday 8.30am - 5.00pm Retail showroom at Five Oaks

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‘IMAGINE’ (WITH CHOCOLATE) La Mare Wine Estate might be best known for their wines, ciders and spirits but the chocolatier there, Darren Stower, with his team of helpers have been busy over the last month producing handmade Belgian Easter goodies. CATHERINE GARNER met Darren and his team for a lesson in the art of chocolate making

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LA MARE:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:16 Page 2

SOME 60 to 70 eggs a day are made at La Mare Wine Estate and sold in their shops in St Mary, Maison de Jersey at the Airport and in King Street.

Every year, their chocolatier, Darren Stower, and the team like to come up with new ideas for the chocolate eggs and bars. New for 2017 are the bunny bars, funny faces and chickens.

From bean to bar, handmade chocolate making is a lengthy and labour intensive process. The skill is in keeping the chocolate mixture pliable whilst avoiding extremes of temperature, which ruins the taste.

A handmade Easter egg can take up to three hours to make from scratch and goes through many stages but perhaps what is most surprising is the transformation of the cocoa husk before it even gets anywhere near resembling cocoa.

Firstly, cocoa pods look more like large, orange bell peppers. It’s what’s inside that is the important part. The crops are grown approximately 23 degrees north and south of the Equator and the cocoa that is bought by La Mare is from Ghana and the Ivory Coast in West Africa. It is ethically sourced and grown by producers under the Growing Great Chocolate scheme through the Cocoa Alliance.

Darren explained: ‘This scheme ensures that any money generated by the sale of cocoa is invested back into community education. We end up with a higher quality product and you know where your money is going.’

Once picked, the pods are split in half, the white pulp inside is scooped out and fermented, the beans are then removed

and shipped off to the refiners. In La Mare’s case, this is Belgium. Here they are roasted and refined and winnowed to separate the bitter, hard shells from the raw cocoa nibs leaving the cocoa nibs. These must now be crushed and ground into a thick paste called cocoa liquor.

‘Conching’ then evenly distributes the cocoa butter within the chocolate and is the point of difference between different grades of chocolate. The chocolate is then heated, cooled and heated again to produce a uniform sheen and a crisp snap. What you are left with is high quality cocoa solids.

The colour (dark, milk or white) of the chocolate is really just the proportion of cocoa to other ingredients such as milk, sugar and vanilla.

Back at La Mare Wine Estate, Darren is ready now to work his magic. With 25 years’ experience as a patissier and chocolatier on the QE2, at the Hilton in Park Lane, London, and then Longueville Manor and Sumas in Jersey, the cocoa is in safe hands. Extremes of temperature or careless handling can spoil an entire batch.

The egg is then tipped upside down and placed on an agitator which makes sure the chocolate is evenly spread in the mould.

This is all done very quickly to ensure that the chocolate is the right temperature to be pliable. Then the moulds are put into a cooling cupboard to set. Next comes the really fun part - decorating the egg before it’s placed back in the cooling cupboard to set.

The shells are then placed on a marble slab to melt the outer rims so that the two side of the Easter egg shells stick together. Then it’s back to the cooling cupboard until Darren is left with an Easter egg made with the highest quality chocolate.

Darren can then hand over to his team of helpers who wrap each egg by hand ready to be sold.

After so many years working with chocolate in all its forms, Darren still loves it: ‘Chocolate is one of the most versatile ingredients I have ever worked with – if you can imagine it, you can make it with chocolate.’

At the side of the kitchen are three giant tempering machines full of thick liquid chocolate. These are constantly moving and agitating the cocoa. At this stage essential oils, chilli or sea salt might be added to give a delicate flavour to the chocolate.

After testing the temperature with a handheld thermometer, then zapping it with a heat gun, Darren takes an Easter egg mould, dips it in the chocolate and removes any excess with the scraper.

RURAL Spring 2017 - 21

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A PASSAGE FROM INDIA There are many lessons for Jersey from India about agriculture and soil management, believes coffee merchant DAVID WARR MY first experience of the devastating impact of extreme weather was when I visited India in March 2015. I was meeting up with a group of Coffee producers in Araku, south east India which meant that we had to fly to a regional airport in Vishakhapatam.

As we exited the terminal we were met with a wall of scaffolding which was supporting what was left of the end of the building.

The incredible damage, we were told, was the devastating impact of Cyclone Hudhud, which had hit the coast in October of the previous year. Five months on they were still picking up the pieces.

For the coffee producers this single weather event had wiped out over 60% of the crop. Can you imagine what it must be like, when one day the future looks set fair and then a couple of days later you don’t have a livelihood, through no fault of your own?

The impact of climate change is already upon us and I see its impact all over the coffee growing world. In his book ‘Gaia - a new look at life on Earth’, James Lovelock made what is a hugely insightful comment: ‘There is no set of rules or prescription for living with Gaia, there are only consequences.’ Basically - adapt or die.

Why what is happening in Araku is so interesting is because the ‘experiment’ could so easily be replicated in Jersey with, in my view, significant long term economic benefits to the Island. I would also argue that we really don’t have much of a choice if we are to maintain the long-term productivity of the soil that is so necessary for food production.

As with Jersey growers, the challenge for the producers in Araku is trying to find markets that are willing to pay a premium for their produce. For years, producers have been beholden to the vagaries of world markets, having to accept prices that in no way reflect the cost of production. That is totally unsustainable under any economic model.

Let’s start with a reality check about the state of our environment.

It is said that if soil erosion continues at its current rate there will be insufficient soil in which to grow our food in 60 years’ time (Scientific

American Dec 5, 2014). Surely that’s the kind of statistic that should grab everyone’s attention, yet local food security barely features in Island politics. It’s amazing how apathetic we become when supermarket shelves are always full.

In Araku, as the old adage goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’.

With so many mouths to feed and so much poverty, doing nothing is not an option. But whereas in the past solutions have tended to last as long as a politician’s tenure in office, today with the help and vision of the NAANDI Foundation (an NGO), the thinking is much more long term.

NAANDI, which means ‘a new beginning’ in Sanskrit, has brought farming and marketing expertise to these rural communities.

They are teaching farmers how to look after their land and providing markets for them with guaranteed minimum prices for their produce.

At its base is the use of Biodynamic and organic farming techniques and a total focus on quality.

The environment has been denuded of trees for so long that the soil is losing its capacity to retain nutrients. As a result a huge tree planting scheme is currently underway. Sequestering carbon in this way is helping to mitigate some of the damage done over the last 100 years.

It’s ironic that modern farming techniques using heavy tractors actually reduces the ability of the soil to retain moisture, which in turn means we have to irrigate our soil when it’s dry. Another impact of the insatiable desire for cheap food at all costs.

So where does that leave local producers? How does Jersey up-sell her produce to put her producers on a more sustainable footing?

One thing’s for sure - we can’t keep kicking the can down the same street and expect change.

I believe we’ve forgotten nature’s premium: the long-term health benefits of healthy soil to not only our own long term welfare, but also to that of our planet. The multi-billion dollar agro-chemical industry would, I’m sure, disagree - as would ‘big pharma’, but they would, wouldn’t they? After all, if we all got to be healthier we wouldn’t need the pills upon which vast industries are built.

It’s time for a new long term vision in agriculture here on Jersey.

There are many lessons we can learn from Araku.

RURAL Spring 2017 - 23

ITALY'S OTHER ISLAND:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:23 Page 1

ITALY’S OTHER ISLAND A new book by HAMISH MARETT-CROSBY provides us with a snapshot of the era of Italian contribution to modern Jersey tourism FROM the mid-1950s onwards, the arrival of the Italians into an austerity ridden and insular Jersey tourism industry had a huge impact. They brought a much appreciated professionalism to the Island, as well as influences of best practice from Europe, which was very different from a traditional British seaside offering.

Crucially, they also brought with them the discipline and skills of the brigade and the experience of those brigades in some of the best hotels in Europe. They arrived in Jersey keen to celebrate their own catering heritage to find an island in which olive oil, for example, was only available at chemists in tiny bottles and for medicinal use only. Far-seeing hoteliers gave head waiters and chefs the freedom to recruit for brigades within an agreed budget and so seasonal hotels would open with a trained staff who, from the most humble commis to the maître, knew each other, were properly trained and who would not be allowed near a customer unless they could speak English. It was revolutionary then; indeed some might say it would be revolutionary now.

Another theme which comes out very strongly is one of integration; the Italians arrived with the intention of learning English in order to be better qualified. As I was told: ‘We were here in an English speaking country and you had to learn to fit in. You can’t sit in a corner with your friends speaking Italian, and not adapting, instead of trying to integrate.’

Many married British girls who they met as any young man and young woman would do and, as they prospered, successful Italians achieved the status of businessmen who happened to be Italian rather than successful Italian businessmen - and that is a very important distinction.

Many came on the recommendation of others already here and these were connections that ran through their Jersey careers. A young Mirto Sappé, for example, suggested to his former colleagues at the Turin Palace Hotel that Jersey would be a good place to work. So Renzo Martin came here, as did the late owner of the Apple Cottage restaurant, Setti Pozzi.

Mirto eventually managed the Moorings, Setti worked there for a time and Renzo, many years later, came to own it.

Italo Miorin left with Hamish Marett-Crosby at AMIRA stand at the Italian Trade Centre, Piccadilly, London 1984 Many will remember the evenings of professional flambé work

by AMIRA (the association of Italian maîtres and restaurateurs).

As a sponsor for their wine I used to accompany them as they travelled abroad promoting Jersey as a fine dining destination.

The Italian Trade Centre was one such occasion where a small team of Italo Miorin and Victor Cornaglia prepared a selection of scallops and mixed shellfish flambéed in brandy and wine and then cooked in stock. At one critical moment Victor rushed off to catch up with some old friends from the Savoy and I was press-ganged to keep stirring the sauce – adding a touch more stock if necessary - until he got back.

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ITALY'S OTHER ISLAND:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:23 Page 2

Maurizio Marzana, Renzo Martin, Tino Rossi at celebration lunch when Tino received the Capo di Stato Photo courtesy of Jersey Evening Post It wasn’t much, but a photographer passed by and now I can tell my grand-children I have prepared a gourmet dish in public in the centre of London.

Essentially, the Italians had a huge influence on the tourism industry and their legacy is very important. They started the development of a truly international offering for Jersey Tourism without which, in my view, later generations of chefs and restaurateurs would not have been able to flourish. On a more human note, they gave their children a much better start to adult life than many of themselves were ever able to receive back in Italy.

SPECIAL OFFER! Two nights B&B for 150.00€ for two, subject to availability. Please quote code VM001 when booking.

Offer available from December 2016 to April 2017 (except bank holidays)

Renzo Martin, Setti Pozzi and Mirto Sappé, A grand total of around 150 years in Jersey ‘ITALY’S OTHER ISLAND’ - The Italian Community and the Making of Modern Jersey by Hamish Marett-Crosby is being published in May by Crosby Media Publishing Ltd at a cover price of £10.00. The book may be ordered in advance at a pre-publication price of £8.00 (+ postage if applicable). Contact the publishers at 01534 865334 (editorial@ruraljersey.co.uk) to reserve a copy, signed by the author.

Le Vieux Moulin • The Valley of the Mills 35630 HEDE-BAZOUGES BOOKING +33 2 99 45 45 70

www.levieuxmoulin-hede.com

GRANGE DEVELOPMENTS DPS:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:24 Page 1

from £699,000 to £1,249,000

GRANGE DEVELOPMENTS DPS:Layout 1 24/03/2017 19:24 Page 2

Carrefour Mews Grange Developments will shortly commence work on Carrefour Mews, an exclusive development in the rural parish of St John. The development will consist of 3 traditional properties with a high specification, modern, interior finish. The development will consist of two, 3/4 bedroom barn conversions and a larger 4/5 bedroom traditional looking granite house.

Due for completion September 2017, these stunning homes will have a rural outlook in a desirable location. The development is in keeping with the surrounding countryside, being perfect for those wanting to live in a village setting but with plenty of amenities close by.

Beautiful cliff path walks and Bonne Nuit Bay are just a short drive away. The development also benefits from the convenience of a local primary school, family friendly pub/restaurant, Marks & Spencer and St John’s Village located just a few minutes down the road.

The modern specification includes luxury fitted kitchens with a range of built in appliances and electric under floor heating throughout. All 3 properties will be extremely well insulated and are designed to offer minimum running costs.

Grange Developments are focused on developing niche sites, be it refurbishments, conversions or new build apartments and houses. They are also passionate about creating homes that are sensitive to the Jersey environment and are proud to be able to enhance people’s lives by providing beautiful practical and sustainable dwellings whilst always maintaining the very highest care and fastidious attention to detail.

Prices range from £699,000 to £1,249,000.

A full colour brochure will be available shortly on online at www.grangedevelopments.co.uk.

The development will be completed and ready for occupation by September 2017.

Telephone: 01534 732777 Email: louise@grangedevelopments.co.uk Visit: www.grangedevelopments.co.uk

CHRIS AMBLE:Layout 1 24/03/2017 20:33 Page 1

Photo credit Andy Le Gresley

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THE ENERGY ‘TRILEMMA’ The Chief Executive of Jersey Electricity, Chris Ambler, talked to ALASDAIR CROSBY about the three parts of the ‘energy trilemma’: achieving security of supply, sustainability and affordability IT was, perhaps, the most unfortunate and awkward moment for a power cut: the morning of Liberation Day last year, just as the Bailiff stood up to make his address.

It was caused, said Jersey Electricity’s Chief Executive Chris Ambler, by a network stability issue when Jersey’s Normandie 2 subsea supply cable was out of service during planned maintenance by French network operators RTE. ‘The maintenance work was happening over the long holiday weekend,’ said Chris.

‘We needed a long weekend and it made sense to do it then when people were not working and the commercial sector would not be affected.

‘In this particular instance the first tranche of customers was back on supply in 12 minutes and the others within 17 minutes.’

In fact, Jersey scores extremely well on energy security and reliability. It has been rated among the top four islands in the world, along with Iceland, the Isle of Man and Tasmania, for ‘energy generation security’ in research into ‘island vulnerability factors’. Based on last year’s average Customers Minutes Lost, Jersey’s electricity supply was also around three times more reliable than the UK’s.

‘Of course, a fundamental consideration for supply security is to ensure we have enough supply into the system, whether from local generation or from importation,’ said Chris.

‘Our third link to France, Normandie 1, which went live last December, now enables us to access a combined 190MW of importation capacity across three circuits - laid over two diverse routes for added resilience.’

Energy security is one of the three factors of ‘the energy trilemma’ that Chris and JE have to keep in mind all the time: energy security, sustainability and affordability. Think of it as an old fashioned milking stool that needs to be set on a solid base; balancing it only on one leg to the exclusion of the others is bound to lead to problems.

Turning to the second leg of the stool, sustainability, Chris said: ‘Jersey’s electricity is also one of cleanest supplies of any island anywhere in the world. Since the mid-1990s our importation strategy has helped the Island as a whole reduce overall carbon emissions by a third despite a 40% increase in the consumption of electricity, and we expect this figure to improve still further as

electricity is put to more uses such as those in the transportation sector.’

Last year, low carbon imports accounted for 92% of Jersey’s electricity actually delivered to customers. Of this 36% was from hydroelectric sources and 64% nuclear, giving Jersey’s electricity a carbon intensity of just 47 grammes per kilowatt hour (47g CO2e / kWh) – almost one tenth of that of the UK’s electricity grid supply at 412g and one fifth of that of local gas and oil at 241g and 298g.

And now with Normandie 1 in service, that carbon intensity is likely to get even lower this year.

Chris said: ‘It is now widely understood and appreciated among scientists and politicians alike that global warming and its adverse effects are driven by raised carbon levels in the atmosphere and that is something of which we as a company are very conscious.

We are immensely proud of the progress we have made with our decarbonisation agenda and the Island has benefited greatly from this.’

‘But it’s also worth noting that sustainability is about much more than carbon. For Jersey Electricity, sustainability is also about security and reliability in our service provision.

It’s also about fair pricing for customers that enables the business to make a fair profit to satisfy shareholders and fund new investment to ensure a viable service proposition going forward so we can meet the energy needs of future generations as well as those of today.’

But could not those energy needs be met from renewable sources closer to home?

What about such green alternatives as wave power, tidal power, off-shore wind power and all the rest of the gamut of non-nuclear energy producing technologies?’

Chris replied: ‘Tidal power is at a very early stage in its technological development and wave power is even further behind. People are becoming excited by the possibilities of generating power from natural resources that are being tested at the moment, but they are not commercially viable yet. They are still very costly and there is a great deal of development risk involved. But the cost is coming down and it’s going to become viable at some point – although not for a few years.

One of the main problems is that energy found naturally in the environment is very dispersed and it is difficult to concentrate and collect it in an economically efficient way. As our electricity supply is already virtually de-carbonised, the drive for

renewables locally would be diversity of supply, not carbon reduction as in the UK and other countries.’

But isn’t nuclear energy supposed to be… well, hazardous?

‘Of course there are hazards in the nuclear industry. There are hazards in lots of technologies. But nuclear energy is a very necessary part of the energy mix.

The consequences of not having nuclear generated electricity are far reaching.

Without it, we would be burning many more tonnes of hydrocarbons and the seas would be full of turbines and the land infested with solar panels and wind farms.

‘Jersey Electricity is not against alternative energy. There is a role for all these technologies, but nuclear has an important role to play.

It is all very well for people to say “I don’t like nuclear” but they need to ask themselves: “If I don’t want nuclear, what would I get? We are fortunate the nuclear industry in France is extremely well run and has an impeccable track record.’

The third leg of the energy ‘milking stool’ is affordability and Chris explained that Jersey’s electricity is competitively priced when compared with other countries.

‘Given the challenges of operating a small scale, isolated network, coupled with the investment necessary to bring energy into the Island, we are very pleased with our pricing levels.

‘Our prices haven’t changed since April 2014 and furthermore we have announced a price freeze for the full calendar year at a time when generally electricity prices are rising by up to 15% in the UK.’ Chris concluded: ‘What we are trying to do is to get the balance right between the three strands of the “Energy Trilemma” namely deliver power to consumers that is affordable, secure and sustainable now and long into the future.

‘Therein lies an on-going challenge for every utility the world over.’

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EXPLORING THE ISLAND’S RESERVOIRS Jersey Water has a close affinity with the environment and rural Jersey

Mare) open for the public to enjoy. The arboretum at Val de la Mare is beautiful, particularly as the seasons change providing a natural kaleidoscope of colour. It is the tranquillity of Queen’s Valley that attracts dog walkers, runners and mothers with prams to enjoy the beautiful scenery, whatever the weather!

Home to many species of birds, wildlife, fish and rich greenery, the reservoirs are perfect for leisurely walks, running or simply relaxing and enjoying the spectacular views.

Queen’s Valley

QUEEN’S VALLEY Queen’s Valley is the newest and largest reservoir as it was completed in 1991 and holds up to 1.2 billion litres of untreated water, which is enough (when full) to supply Jersey with water for approximately 60 days. The company supplies islanders with a colossal 21 million litres every day.

AS the Island’s second biggest landowner behind the States of Jersey, much of Jersey Water’s property is in the countryside and most of the water catchment areas are in the heart of the Island’s farming community. So naturally enough, it has a close affinity with the environment and rural Jersey.

Jersey Water has a dedicated Facilities Team who looks after all of the company land which is a whopping 1,186 vergées or 526.97 acres or (2,132,607.54 square metres)! They carry out six miles of branchage each year, which takes approximately six weeks in July and September.

The Company team are very proud of the investment they make into the paths and landscaping that enables them to keep their two biggest reservoirs (Queen’s Valley and Val de la 30 -

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Queen’s Valley

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particularly encouraged at the reservoir – see if you can spot their nesting boxes! Jersey Water also works together with Jersey Trees for Life to preserve and protect the ‘forgotten forest’; an arboretum which is situated on the valley side of the reservoir.

BIRD WATCHING Although many of the reservoir’s resident bird species, such as coot, moorhen, mallard and domesticated geese, have a strong association with the areas of fresh water, the surrounding woodlands, hedgerows, fields and scrub margins provide ideal habitat for many other small animals and birds at all times of the year.

Val de la Mare Most people don’t often think about the sheer scale of supplying so much water to homes or how it gets there.

There are several walking routes around Queen’s Valley; the full circuit is 1.9 miles (3.1km). If you are a keen runner, you can track your reservoir runs around both reservoirs; track your progress and compete against other locals! You just have to download the free Strava Run iPhone app.

Queen’s Valley is connected to the raw water transfer main, allowing Jersey Water to move water between the reservoirs.

This means that when one reservoir is full, the water can be transferred to another, allowing the first one to keep filling.

This way they make sure that every drop of water is stored until all reservoirs are full.

VAL DE LA MARE Val de la Mare, constructed in 1960, is the second largest reservoir and holds up to 938.7 mega litres of untreated water; 1 mega litre is equal to 1 million litres so when the reservoir is full, it holds enough to supply the Island for approximately 47 days. The full circuit is 2.8 miles (4.5km).

Near the West end of the reservoir you can see a floating piece of equipment called a ‘ResMix’, it works by slowly mixing and circulating oxygen-rich water from the surface to the bottom of the reservoir helping to reduce and control algae and manganese levels in the water.

Val de la Mare has a natural wealth of flora and fauna and is home to many species of birds and wildlife. Owls are also

While some birds will be easy to see and identify, others are more secretive and can only be noticed by their songs or contact calls.

Because of the deep sided surrounds of the reservoir, the species most likely to be seen on the open water will be moorhen, mallard duck and the occasional cormorant, but the surrounding woodland, hedgerows, fields and scrub margins provide ideal habitat for many other species of small land birds at all times of the year.

STREAM ABSTRACTION POINTS As well as collecting water in the Island’s main reservoirs, the Company also collects water from many of the Island’s streams which are remote from the reservoir catchment areas. These streams are fed by rain water running off the land and by underground springs.

The water in the streams is caught in a collecting pond or small reservoir. Each of these sources or small reservoirs has its own pumping station allowing the water to be pumped into one of the main reservoirs for storage before treatment.

You can see one of these ponds opposite the St. Catherine’s Lifeboat Station, water from here is being pumped to Queen’s Valley.

The amount of useable water that can be collected from each stream varies according to the size of the catchment area, the levels of rainfall and the quality of the water in the stream.

Stream flows are generally at their highest in the autumn and winter and can reduce significantly or even dry up completely in the summer (depending on the levels of rainfall).

Jersey Water welcomes visitors to discover Queen’s Valley and Val de la Mare reservoirs but remember to take care; stick to the footpaths and respect the environment, this is everyone’s drinking water so it’s important we all protect it.

Val de la Mare

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FIXED PRICE ELECTRICITY? – ACT NOW If your business has a significant daytime power need you could really benefit from Solar power and be using your own green electricity source Sun Works (C.I.) Ltd is a Jersey based company providing a complete design and installation service for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems. Solar PV provides ‘green’ electricity, enabling your business to make substantial savings and become more self-sufficient.

“With the assistance of Sun Works, a young but growing Jersey company, we have future-proofed our energy costs through the installation of this efficient and environmentally friendly technology.”

Colin Macleod, CEO, Co-operative Channel Islands

What we can do for you...

• Advise on suitable roof or land

• Undertake installation

• Design your PV system

• Set-up and provide web monitoring

• Arrange planning permission and JEC notification

• Maintenance contracts

Call us today on 01534 498 822 or email info@sun-works.co.uk

By MARK BRANDON of Sun Works C.I. Ltd FROM November 2017 a new ‘stand-by charge’ is being applied to commercial owners of electricity generation.

However, the new charge will not be retrospective to those with on-site generation already in place by November.

The term ‘Commercial’ will include farmers and growers among other businesses.

So, if you had ever thought of on-site electricity generation, be it via solar photovoltaic (“PV”) panels, Combined Heat and Power (CHP) or even a wind turbine, you have less than eight months!

Solar is by far the quickest and most effective renewable technology to implement in Jersey today (and yes it works even in low light conditions). Those who will benefit most from such an investment will typically have higher daytime power users e.g. electric machinery, chillers, staff accommodation, office/kitchen facilities etc. Savings occur from generating your own power instead of purchasing it from the grid and the JEC will ‘buy back’ surplus electricity, so you are still connected as normal, but have two supplies working seamlessly together.

The good news was that from January 2017 JEC consolidated its ‘buy back’ rates to a single rate of 6.24p, meaning those exporting at night increased from 4.74p to 6.24p per unit any time of day.

Solar can be installed to any roof type of sound construction or substructure but panels weigh only 15 kg/m2. The aspect should be broadly southerly aspect and systems are very low maintenance. Planning have shown strong support for renewables by allowing solar to cover up to 90% of a roof without seeking permission.

Alternatively ground mounted panels can co-exist with certain livestock (sheep are a favourite elsewhere for their lawn mowing abilities) and the land can be returned to its original state after the life of the system ends, some 25 years or more down the line.

And the next big thing? New battery technology enabling you to store your surplus solar power for use overnight. But that’s another story.

Contact your local renewable installer for surveys, pricing and more information or JEC website for details on ‘buy back’ and the ‘standby charge’.

As a rough guide the solar array shown in this picture would generate around £3,500 worth of electricity per annum at today’s prices (14.5 p/kwh). If you think prices might go up in the next 25 years then future production will be worth a good deal more!

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THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR JERSEY

SUNSET CONCERTS FRIDAY 23rd JUNE

THE WORD ON THE STREET THE KINGS OF SWING

SATURDAY 24th JUNE

GRANTEZ ST OUEN BRING A PICNIC! SITE OPEN FROM 5:30PM MUSIC STARTS AT 7.15PM AND PLAYS UNTIL THE SUN SETS.

Parking on site £5 per car

In association with

MORE INFO: 483193 www.nationaltrust.je

Like us: search for Sunset Concerts

Proudly supporting the Coastline Campaign for 9 years

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OPEN GARDENS

in 2017

In the spring and summer in Jersey the annual Open Garden events take place and some of the finest gardens in the Island open their gates to visitors in aid of the Jersey Association of Youth and Friendship

SUNDAY afternoons in the late spring and summer – there can be hardly a better way of spending than admiring some of the Island’s loveliest gardens.

The owners have opened their gates to visitors in aid of the Jersey Association of Youth and Friendship.

The gardens listed below are open from 2pm to 5pm; Jersey cream teas can also be enjoyed.

The entrance fee, which goes to the charity is £4.00; children under 12 are free – but the organisers regret no dogs, please!

7 MAY DOMAINE DES VAUX, ST. LAWRENCE Here there are 20 vergées of beautiful gardens and woodland set around a traditional farmhouse. The valley contains native and species trees including magnolias, and a profusion of camellias. Its grassy banks are carpeted with primroses in the spring. In addition to the glorious main garden, there is also a formal herb garden, greenhouse and vegetable garden.

Open by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Marcus Binney.

Delicious Jersey cream teas will be served.

Address: Domaine des Vaux, La Rue de Bas, St. Lawrence Les Aix SUNDAY 4 JUNE LES AIX, ST PETER

Domaine des Vaux

Lined by oak trees underplanted with bulbs and wild flowers, the driveway provides a delightfully informal introduction to this beautiful traditional granite property, part of which dates back to the 12th Century. A wide variety of flowers and shrubs - from roses to delphiniums, hellebores to peonies will charm and inspire. Highlights include a yew maze that incorporates five small circular gardens, each a different colour, to symbolise an artist’s palette. Open by kind permission of Mrs Ariel Whatmore.

Address: Les Aix, La Rue des Aix, St Peter

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SUNDAY 23 JULY THE GROVE, ST LAWRENCE The Grove is an imposing mansion in a beautiful elevated position with spectacular views across its glorious formal rose-filled gardens to St Aubin. The property was built in 1840 by Abraham De Gruchy, founder of one of Jersey’s largest department stores who chose the location so he could watch his trade ships sailing into St Helier. Terraces lead to Mediterranean, palm, magnolia and Chinese gardens, the latter including an extensive collection of bamboo and stone statues. Open by kind permission of Mr and Mrs R Frost.

Address: The Grove, Le Mont Cambrai, St Lawrence St Ouen’s Manor SUNDAY 18 JUNE ST. OUEN'S MANOR, ST OUEN Guarded by impressive ramparts and dating from the 15th Century, the Manor will delight lovers of history, art and gardens alike. Its chapel contains beautiful stained glass windows by local Victorian artist, Henry Bosdet. Its delightful grounds are a mixture of woodland, water and landscape containing many mature trees and shrubs, including a fine avenue of native trees (ash, beech and oak). Open by kind permission of The Seigneur and Mrs Charles Malet de Carteret.

Address: La Grande Route de St Ouen

The Grove

SUNDAY 20 AUGUST ST JOHN’S MANOR, ST JOHN The Manor stands in 10 acres of land, with an additional 40 acres of farmland and surrounding woodland. The magnificent grounds incorporate a lake, a chapel, Japanese and kitchen gardens. There is also a yew maze and an aviary containing golden pheasants and parakeets. Over 12,000 bedding plants enhance the natural beauty of the gardens.

Address: St John’s Manor, La Rue de la Mare Ballam, St John Le Coin

SUNDAY 2 JULY LE COIN, ST. BRELADE Originally a farm, Le Coin dates back in part to the early 17th Century. The main house was built in 1760 by Brelade Janvrin, a wealthy ship-owner. His initials and those of his wife, Elizabeth de Lecq, can be seen on a lintel above the front doorway. The five-acre garden is modelled on those of Monserrate in Portugal, once part of the late Sir Francis Cook’s family estate. It is open by kind permission of Lady Cook.

Address: Le Coin, Le Mont du Coin, St Brelade

St John’s Manor

Contact: Rachel Andrews on 07797718592 www.facebook/JAYF Gardens

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THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN On Sunday 4 June, Les Aix, St Peter will open its garden in the sequence of open garden afternoons organised by the Jersey Association for Youth and Friendship.

The owner, Ariel Whatmore, talked to ALASDAIR CROSBY IN late February, the Jersey artist, Ariel Whatmore (who paints as Ariel Luke) held an exhibition of her work at the Berni Gallery at the Jersey Arts Centre.

The paintings were in a variety of styles and media, but nearly all of them had some reference to the countryside, in many of them, to gardens.

‘I love gardening,’ she said, so I tend to paint in the morning and garden in the afternoon. Quite idyllic, really!’

She continued: ‘I always have had this fascination of the combination of canvas, studio and subject matter (I don’t know why though!) and that was part of the theme at the exhibition.’

Ariel is a prominent British painter who has specialised in painting gardens for many years. She graduated at Wimbledon School of Art and has since exhibited her work around the world. She has shown her work at the Royal Academy and at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Among the famous gardens she has painted are those of Lord Carrington’s Bledlow Manor, Glyndebourne and Lord Vestey’s Stowell Park. She has also designed an airmail for UNICEF and set of stamps for Jersey Post. Her book ‘Garden Painters – contemporary artists’ was published in 2009. It surveyed 21 contemporary artists, working in a wide range of media, who specialise in painting gardens.

So that’s what she does in the mornings. In the afternoons?

Out in the garden, of course.

Her home, Les Aix in St Peter, which she shared with her late husband, Richard, and her now grown-up children, is one of the oldest domestic and largest houses in Jersey. It was always clearly of high status. Parts of the old stable block date back to the 12th Century and there is no sea view – after all, if you can’t see the sea, it is more likely that pirates won’t see your home either.

Batts Farmhouse

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There seems to have been building or re-building activity in the 15th Century; there is a very large fireplace dating from 1445, which must be one of the largest in Jersey. Parts of the house were added during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Now, the results of 33 years’ care and attention are plain to see. The quite magnificent gardens would surely have inspired Kipling: ‘a garden that is full of stately views, of borders, beds and shrubberies and lawns and avenues.’

The words ‘Les Aix’ is Old French for ‘The Waters’ – Les Eaux – and the name probably refers to the springs in the field south of the house. Les Aix was bought by Richard and Ariel in 1984. The previous owners had seven children, so there was not much time to do the gardening.

The drive is lined with oak trees and hawthorn and comes to life in the spring with a mass of daffodils. During May and early June there is a scattering of Queen Anne’s Lace or Cow Parsley, comfrey and a few bluebells that keep alive the informal, wild aspect of the approach to the house.

‘I created the garden,’ Ariel said. ‘I always had a bit of a passion for gardening. I started painting gardens at about the same sort of time, 1984. My first painting was of a friend’s garden in Gloucestershire. I have never been without work since!

There are borders: white, pink, yellow, foliage and red ones; a courtyard garden, and to the left of the house there is an avenue of lime trees that is under-planted with spring plants snowdrops, aconites and crocuses. The avenue leads on to a border of hellebores and a further avenue of hazelnut trees and finally an arch of yew with a clipped topiary bird above.

‘I spent my first year at Les Aix doing up the garden and, from the time we bought it, the garden has slowly but surely developed. By living and working here, ideas about design have slowly transpired that hopefully suit the period of the house. Virtually the whole area has been rearranged and replanted.’

In addition, there is a pool garden and maze. The maze is in the shape of an artist’s palette with yew making the outline.

The central area where the thumb would hold the palette, has a water feature of a Jersey cider press with water lilies.

This is to symbolise les eaux of ‘Les Aix’.

In addition to much else, there is a hedge of yew with clipped birds, supposedly pheasants, which are constantly seen around the garden. In its infancy is a small flock of chickens made from clipped box.

The opportunity to view the glory of this garden is quite simply not be missed. *The gardens will be open during 2pm to 5pm, Sunday 4 June, by kind permission of Mrs Whatmore.

All proceeds go towards JAYF (Jersey Association for Youth and Friendship). Delicious Jersey cream teas will be served on the lawn.

Address Les Aix, La Rue des Aix, St Peter.

Entrance £4.00 – Children under 12 free – Regret no dogs Contact Rachel Andrews 07797 718592; www.facebook/JAYF Gardens.

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Water is becoming more precious than ever. Increases in population, changing lifestyles, pollution and shifts in weather patterns all place increasing demands on the fresh water that we have at our disposal.

Please help to reduce the amount of water that is wasted every day.

Visit our website for water saving tips and free water saving devices.

jerseywater.je

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SALAD DAYS There are thousands of different types of vegetable and herbs that can be grown and this is the season for being adventurous and growing at least some of them. The chairman of the Jersey Association of the National Vegetable Society, GRAEME LE MARQUAND, suggests some salads that will improve our meals in the months to come

THERE is a huge difference in freshness and taste by ‘growing your own’ rather than just relying on shop purchases. Your vegetables come straight from the soil – a huge added bonus for both health and flavour – and go straight into the pot or on to the plate.

The spring season is now under way and I am growing 30-40 different types of vegetables and many different herbs, such as the fizzy-tasting ‘Electric Daisy’.

By way of introduction, I am the chairman of the Jersey Association of the National Vegetable Society. We are a district association of the UK and are a non profit-making organisation dedicated to advancing the culture, study and improvement of vegetables and to offering help and advice to novice gardeners, schools, allotments and all those who have a passion for growing their own food.

April is a very good time of the year to commence sowing out of doors the crops that will suit your taste buds, although if the weather is bad it is sometimes better to cover the seedling bed with fleece (which will give the crop an earlier start).

From now on, one can grow seed right through the year until, say, late August or September – or even October.

There is even a variety of broad bean that can be sown in November which will withstand abnormal temperatures and which will produce a crop the following year.

Some vegetables and herbs will take longer to produce than others, depending on the type of vegetable that you want to grow and the time of year. Carrots, for example – I would sow an early crop of Nantes carrots now for harvesting at the end of June.

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A main crop of carrots, like Autumn King, could be sown in June or July for harvesting as late as October.

The most important elements for growing a good crop are: daylight hours, heat and, of course, water.

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IT is always good to be adventurous and, with longer summer days coming on, why not try growing some salads as fresh accompaniments to your meal?

Here are some varieties for you to try - most of the seeds are readily available from reputable seed specialist and garden centres.

BRIGHT AND SPICY SALAD LEAVES: Contains mizuna, pac choi, canton white, tatsoi, red zest mustard and lots more. It will grow under 30 days during the summer months from March to September. Sow thinly 13mm deep in pots in a good multipurpose compost or sow in drills in the garden 23cm (9 in) apart.

Bright and Spicy

Oriental Mustard

ORIENTAL MUSTARD: Can be sown directly out doors in a seed bed, thinly in rows 20cm (8 in) apart and cover with 0.5cm (quarter inch) of fine soil.

ROCKET SALAD ASTRA: This one is easy to grow and can be sown and harvested in 21 days between March and September. It can be grown indoors all the year round. I have sown my rocket in pots 13mm (1/2 in) deep and scattered the seed close together and have used a good multipurpose compost.

MEXICAN TREE SPINACH: Can be used in salads or stir fries. My Mexican tree spinach was sown in pots in February in multipurpose compost 13mm (1/2in) deep.

It can also be grown outside from April in prepared soil and if left will self-seed. I grow this one in my herb garden and it is quite spectacular.

STORM MIX: This is a fascinating variety which I came across last year that contains packets of small capsules, with each capsule producing 2-3 different kinds of kale that can be used in stir fries, salads, or simply steamed, I sowed 3 capsules of kale in pots in February about 13mm (1/2 in) deep and covered with multipurpose compost.

LETTUCE VALMAINE: This is a great space saver with early showings harvested in about 60 days (40 days in mid-season) and is ideal for containers. I sowed this one in February 13mm (1/2in) deep, and the seedlings were sown close together in multipurpose compost.

a Rocket Salad Astr

ach Mexican tree spin

One of my favourites: WONDER WOK STIR FRY (VARIETY NAME: STORM MIX:) This contains mustard, kale and bok choi. This plant can be sown with a single seed pellet and will produce up to three different varieties of salad. This type of salad is best grown in a 2-3 litre container by placing the seed pellet 1/2" deep in good multipurpose compost. April is a good time to sow and it can be covered with fleece during the sowing period. It would look good on the patio.

Storm mix

Lettuce Valmaine

y Wonder wok stir fr

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LIFE ON LIHOU The furthest west of the Channel Islands, Lihou is connected to Guernsey by a 400m stone causeway. A Ramsar site, it is a haven for nesting birds and wild flowers. Part of its protection comes from the fact the island is only accessible for around two weeks every month during low tide. TAMARA TIMOTHY made it across to speak to warden Richard Curtis about the importance of Lihou and the work he does there

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BEING warden of Lihou is an unusual job. The warden, Richard Curtis, spends much of his time on the island, with a commute that’s either made by tractor or boat. It wouldn’t be a job for everyone, but it certainly suits him.

The facilities are orientated to youth groups and schools, which has been the aim of the Trust since its inception.

Much of Richard’s work is done with those groups as he educates and guides them around the island.

Richard was one of the founder members of the Lihou Charitable Trust, which has had responsibility for the house and grounds since 2005. That means constant fundraising for the Trust as they try to maintain and improve it. Recent major projects have included re-roofing the property and installing photovoltaic panels for energy.

‘Working with the schools is certainly a very enjoyable aspect of the job; it’s tiring and challenging but very rewarding.

Children when they’re here are very different to when they’re in the classroom and it’s wonderful to see them develop.

We offer activities from rock-pool rambles to archery and try to make sure that everything is accessible to everyone.’

The Trust gathers much of its income from renting the house, with a sliding scale that means schoolchildren pay just £12 per person per night while private groups pay £35.

Those costs certainly aren’t discouraging anyone as the house is fully booked throughout the year.

Guernsey’s Bailiff, Sir Richard Collas, is the patron of the Lihou Charitable Trust. He explained why he believes the Trust’s work is important.

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‘The remote situation of Lihou enables visitors to enjoy peace and tranquility in a beautiful, unspoiled natural environment.

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Richard Curtis

The work of the Charitable Trust enables the island to be enjoyed by people of all ages, especially the young and including many from disadvantaged and less fortunate backgrounds.’

But while the birds make the most noise, Richard is also keen to emphasise the importance of the island’s more reticent residents.

For many, the appeal of Lihou seems to be in its disconnect from the modern world. The house has no WiFi, television or radio. But that doesn’t mean there’s no entertainment.

Richard says: ‘You can sit in the conservatory at “rush hour” and watch the 200 gulls that invariably fly past at 5.30pm every day. You can stand on the island and see the horizon in every direction you look. The sunsets on Lihou are also incredible – I’ve taken hundreds of sunset photos there and no two of them are the same. It’s a very special place.’

‘Lihou is particularly special for wild flowers as they don’t get trampled here in the same way they do elsewhere. If visitors walk around at night they can unwittingly walk all over them, so we try to minimise that damage.’

The popularity of the house hasn’t impacted on the wildlife that call Lihou home. In fact the numbers of nesting gulls have recently increased. Richard believes that overall, their work is beneficial.

‘Although the Trust isn’t responsible for the island, we do all the litter picking and beach cleaning that is necessary. Lihou is now a much cleaner place than it was ten years ago.’

Caring for the natural environment is particularly important as the island welcomes spring. From February to August visitors are asked not to go on to the beaches or off the footpaths from sunset to sunrise. Richard explains why: ‘We leave the foreshore as the domain of the true residents of Lihou, the birds. All three species of gull that breed on Lihou are on the international red list. We should be grateful and proud that they’re here and we need to protect them.’

For Richard, protecting the island year-round is vital: ‘If you visit Lihou four times a year it can look very different each time. At this time of year it is very green while just a few months ago it was brown with bracken. In a month or so it will turn to pink with the thrift before the bluebells again change the colour of the landscape completely.’

It’s something he would encourage everyone to come and see it for themselves.

Photo credit: Liz Taylor-Kerr LIHOU FACT FILE Size: 36 acres/89 vergeés Population: Uninhabited Causeway: 400m/1,300ft Ramsar status granted: 2006 Climate: 4.4°C to 19.5°C

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THE ULTIMATE IN SMALL GOVERNMENT From our own correspondent – JOHN YOUNG, formerly Chief Planning Officer in Jersey and then a St Brelade States Deputy. He has since been ‘Mr Planning’ in Alderney. Here is his dispatch from our more distant sister island to the north ALDERNEY’S public sector is the ultimate in small government.

Guernsey, as required by the Crown agreement, provides some revenue support to Alderney and funding for its school, hospital and airport. However public spending of more than £100,000 in Alderney needs approval from Guernsey.

Thankfully, the Island has a community of volunteer organisations who provide many of its essential services. The community has needed to adapt to life within very limited resources.

After being devastated in the Second World War, Alderney recovered economically as a result of post war tourism. Like the other Channel Islands, tourism has since declined but Alderney doesn’t have a large finance sector to fill the gap.

Since Guernsey acquired Aurigny, the Island’s air links have reduced and their reliability deteriorated. The airline is loss making and fares have increased beyond the reach of many

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islanders. Direct links to Jersey were severed. Capital investment in the airport to restore and widen Alderney’s runway to improve service reliability is long overdue. Sadly, the Island is low down the Guernsey priority list. Consequently its resident population has declined to an unsustainable level.

Through necessity a high proportion of older residents are economically active, but its dependency ratio is high.

Guernsey housing law discourages Alderney’s young people.

Those who are attend secondary school in Guernsey and have strong family connections are unable to live and work there when they leave school, despite them paying Guernsey tax.

They either accept the limited job opportunities and lower earnings in Alderney or they leave for the UK. Guernsey taxes also work against Alderney. It imposes TRP property tax and a high rate of stamp duty on property sales

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in Alderney despite the depressed economy. The threshold of 90 days tax residence means that the third of Alderney houses, which are owned by second home owners, remain empty for most of the year, making it more difficult for local businesses to survive. Consequently local house prices have fallen severely. Many business and hotels have closed or are up for sale.

Despite these adversities, there are positive signs that Alderney’s economy is set to improve once capital investment in its essential infrastructure happens and its transport links are improved; big efforts are being made by the community to arrest the decline. The States of Alderney are working to restore lost sea and air transport links to Jersey, France and UK. They are encouraging new residents and businesses to take up the many opportunities which offer extremely good value. Alderney’s door is wide open to all.

There is big enthusiasm for the proposed new air service to Jersey which is planned to commence in June. There was excitement at the sea trial of a small ferry to Guernsey and Jersey and hopes prematurely raised when the possible acquisition of a vessel serving St Helena surfaced as a possibility.

Although dependent on improved air transport links, Fort Tourgis offers a restoration project on a truly magnificent coastal site. There is the opportunity for a marina and associated development in Braye Harbour widening its already strong appeal to yachtsmen. Arup have recently recognized the importance of Alderney’s unique fortifications and heritage and recommended the Island seeks world heritage site status.

It could offer Alderney the opportunity potential to transform local tourism.

Alderney has huge renewable energy resources and licensed its sea bed for utility scale exploitation. Estimates of gross yield are measured in many hundreds of millions of pounds.

At the present the future of the France Alderney Britain cable (FAB), one of the EU funded of-gen energy interconnector projects, is yet to be decided by the States amidst strong local concerns, but in the longer term when the tidal technology matures, the potential benefit of its tidal energy resource in the Alderney race is likely to increase.

Despite the difficulty of Alderney achieving capital funding from Guernsey for the infrastructure investment it so desperately needs, the quality of life in Alderney offers compensation. The Island environment is unspoilt and spectacularly beautiful, its wildlife incredible and its heritage world class. Its people are welcoming and friendly.

Everything has a human scale and its unique relaxed way of life redolent of 1950’s Britain, is uplifting to the soul.

Having spent much of my last two years working with the people of Alderney and witnessed their resilience and adaptability, I have a lasting impression of a small community able to live within its means and a strong belief in putting people first, lessons which Jersey could do well to follow.

It would also be good for Guernsey to reflect on its stewardship of Alderney to ensure the Island’s long term future. The historic divisions which for so long have reinforced insular jealousies should be put aside by all our politicians.

They need to work together more cooperatively on the huge post-Brexit challenges which face all Channel Islanders.

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A NATURAL ARTIST Sark artist Rosanne Guille is very much a product of her island home.

With a family history she can trace back to the first settlers, she credits Sark as the true inspiration for her art. She spoke to TAMARA TIMOTHY about her work and her new gallery LIFE on Sark is always going to involve spending a fair amount of time outdoors. Luckily for Rosanne Guille that suits her well – as an individual and as an artist. ‘I much prefer working “en plein air”. I like to paint whatever I come across.

I will go to a particular part of the Island with my sketchbook or watercolours and just see what I find; it might be a lovely funghi I spot or a bird that takes an interest in me. When I work like that, the subject matter almost finds me.’

Wildlife and landscape artist Rosanne first studied natural history illustration courses. For her, that specific and detailed way of working was too restrictive. So when she undertook her Masters at the Royal College of Art she moved on to working in the field, and she’s stayed out there ever since.

‘I like to work from reality rather than from photos. I feel that I can then portray a reaction to what I’m seeing rather than just copying an image. If I paint from life I feel the spontaneity comes through in the work and it seems much more alive.’

Luckily for Rosanne, she finds plenty of inspiration in her island home. ‘Sark has always been my passion. I feel that I’m a part of the Island, and whenever I’m not here I miss it.

For me Sark offers such freedom as an artist, it’s an amazing place. I’ve been all over the world and loved the work I’ve done elsewhere, but Sark’s in my heart.’

Rosanne organised their visit to Sark in 2011 and is now joining them as they record the Dead Sea and the bird life that migrates through the area.

The ANF’s 2011 visit was something Rosanne felt was important for the Island. ‘I feel in Sark there is a threat to the way of life, the landscape and the wildlife. It’s important to use art to encourage other people to recognise the importance of those things. I hope the ANF’s visit made people more aware of what could be lost in Sark. It was a positive celebration and I think it made Islanders appreciate what we have here.’

Rosanne is shortly opening a new gallery on Sark’s main Avenue. She says she’s very excited about the prospect of meeting her customers while she’s working. ‘I’m a sociable person and find working alone quite difficult so I’ll be taking my drawing board down and working there. I don’t like feeling that my work isn’t being seen, and this way I’ll be able to interact with people as they view it. I’m just hoping we get plenty of visitors coming to the island this year to enjoy it.’

For her, this time of year is particularly stimulating. ‘Spring is my favourite season. I love the whole regeneration of the Island and seeing the flowers come out and the birds flying through. When you live somewhere like Sark, it’s so wet and windy in the winter that it’s fairly bleak and the arrival of spring is very welcome.’

She believes that her work reflects her love of the Island and that had she lived elsewhere her work itself would be different.

‘The gentleness of the landscape in Sark is very special. I use a colour palette that’s very particular to here – lots of ochres, siennas and blues. It reflects the colours in the rocks and the landscape. If I was somewhere else my work would look different. But from an artistic point of view it’s good to challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone.’

Rosanne is doing just that this spring as she travels to Israel with the Artists for Nature Foundation (“ANF”). The ANF describe themselves as a non-political organisation who send artists around the globe to focus the attention of policy makers on the natural world.

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A GOURMET PARADISE

An institution in the Channel Islands, La Sablonnerie Hotel in Sark has won numerous awards and accolades. But for many, it is the food they enjoy there that has brought them back time and time again. Owner ELIZABETH PERRÉE explains why ‘keeping it local’ has gathered them a global fan-base FOR a small island, Sark offers an abundance of fresh quality produce that can be enjoyed for casual and fine dining.

But head across La Coupée to La Sablonnerie Hotel on Little Sark and you’ll find a unique combination of food, wine and

atmosphere. Owner and manager of La Sablonnerie, Elizabeth Perrée, describes her hotel as having a ‘joie de vivre’ and nowhere is it more apparent than in the joy of food at the hotel.

La Sablonnerie prides itself on using locally sourced produce – from the lobsters and scallops freshly plucked from the sea to the fresh berries that are grown on the Island during the summer season and the gorse honey produced by Sark bees.

Elizabeth said: ‘The food we can source locally is really something very special and we are very proud to offer it on our menus. The waters around Sark produce the finest seafood you can imagine; a Sark lobster is simply something everyone should try.’

She added: ‘I know that many of our customers return year after year to Sark just to enjoy a lobster lunch in our beautiful gardens in the summer. But if anyone doesn’t quite make it in time for lunch, they can always enjoy the treat of an afternoon cream tea in the sunshine.’

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Like the rest of the food on offer at La Sablonnerie, that cream tea would be freshly prepared by Elizabeth’s expert team in the kitchen. Under the auspices of head chef, Colin Day, the kitchen is able to produce gourmet offerings to merit the awards the hotel has received.

Elizabeth said: ‘I have a wonderful team at the hotel who make sure our guests are cared for during every part of their stay. Our two Michelin starred chefs in the kitchen produce superb food and so I know every meal will be a delight.’

For those visitors who want to explore the island, La Sablonnerie can even help provide food for a picnic – with bread and cheese made on site to ensure everything is as local and as delicious as possible. Return in the evening though and the

candlelit fine dining in the restaurant will help explain why La Sablonnerie was given the Condé Nast Johansens accolade of ‘most romantic hotel’ as well as ‘small hotel of the year’.

Elizabeth says, “We were very proud to receive those awards, along with recognition from the Which? hotel guide as ‘the place to stay in the Channel Islands.’ But we know we must always keep trying to improve what we can offer our guests, such as with our recent refurbishment of our rooms. We want to guarantee that anyone staying with us will enjoy not only fabulous food but exceptionally stylish and comfortable rooms and unsurpassed service.’

Visit: www.sablonneriesark.com

E-mail: reservations@sablonneriesark.com Visit: www.sablonneriesark.com

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DAIRY FARMING THROUGH THE DECADES

Miss Hocart, St Sampsons: c1920

Dr ANDREW CASEBOW, Guernsey States Agriculture and Environment Adviser and president of La Société Guernesiaise, takes a look back at how dairy farming has evolved in Guernsey from the Occupation to the present IN 1945 there were 2,200 Guernsey cows in the Island, spread out over 472 farms. Only 14 farms had more than 12 cows and many farmers also had a small horticultural business.

At the end of the Occupation the States asked the UK Home Office to send an ‘agricultural expert’ to advise on the state of the industry. The resultant report concluded that ‘in general terms there would not appear to have been radical changes during the past half-century’.

Farmers used the labour-intensive tethering of cattle during most of the year. In the winter cows were housed in granitebuilt stables, bedded on poor quality hay and tied into stalls where all their water and feed was carried to them and their manure was carted away.

Milking was also undertaken by hand, in the fields during the summer months and in stables in the winter. By the 1950s milking machines were slowly taking the place of hand milking. In 1990 when the number of dairy farms had reduced to 65, there were still eight farms milking by hand. By 2000 there were just 30 farms remaining and no hand milkers.

The situation in Guernsey is very similar to that in Jersey.

Guernsey cows are the only breed permitted in the Island but growers produced tomatoes for export rather than potatoes.

Deputy Gerald Poat milking his tethered cows c1990

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Malcolm Le Poidevin milking at his St Saviours farm c1990 stable building with ‘pipeline’ milking Tomato growing was a prosperous industry and so post-1945 the numbers of dairy farmers reduced dramatically.

By 1955 as production became more specialised, the number of dairy farms had reduced to 332 and the decline continued.

But as farmers retired, others took over their cows so the total number of cows in the island remained almost constant at over 2000 cows. In 2001 milk quotas were introduced, reducing over-production of milk and reducing cow numbers to 1,500 where they stand today.

Before the war cows had been hand milked twice a day and, as there was no means of cooling the milk or of keeping it cool, milk was also delivered twice a day. As the number of farms in the Island reduced, mechanisation was introduced meaning more cows could be managed by one man.

Increasingly sophisticated milking machines replaced hand milking. Housing was improved and cows were managed as a herd rather than being individually chained up in stalls throughout the winter.

Milking is now undertaken twice a day in clean, modern parlours. The milk is cooled before being stored in large refrigerated tanks in readiness for daily collection by Guernsey Dairy. Following testing for cleanliness and bacterial quality, the milk is separated into cream and skimmed milk.

Cream is made into butter and any excess milk is made into cheddar cheese or ice cream. Cartons of fresh milk have a shelf life of more than a week.

Technology has brought about dramatic changes in dairy farming over the past 70 years. The Island’s milk supplies can now be produced by just a small number of dairy farms, but there has also been a loss to the farming community.

Until recent times, dairy farming had predominantly been a ‘family farming’ operation with family, friends and neighbours in the industry available to help. Now there are just 14 farms remaining and that number is likely to reduce even further.

Farming has become a lonely occupation without a large community of people to offer friendship and support.

Now, the winter housing of cows is in large, well-ventilated buildings. Cows sleep in individual cubicles on comfortable ‘mattresses’ but are free to walk to feeding mangers and water troughs day and night. The manure and urine they produce is cleaned away by automatic scrapers and either pumped into above ground ‘slurry’ stores or falls through slatted floors into underground chambers.

The number of cows kept on individual farms has increased dramatically over the years, alongside improvements in cow breeding, nutrition, housing, fodder production, equipment and mechanization. Whereas one man looked after just five cows in 1945 he might look after 80 or more cows today.

Herds of cows have increased in numbers. A herd of 12 cows was a large herd in the 1950s; there are now over 100 cows on the average sized farm. Milk production has almost trebled in the same period. Annual milk yield had been 2,500 litres per cow in 1950, was over 4,000 litres by 1990 and is now an average of over 6,000 litres per cow.

Katherine Ogier milking her St Saviours dairy herd 2017 modern 'herringbone’ milking parlour

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FLATCAP

SEAWEED AND FARMING – A FASCINATING HISTORY Our working farmer columnist, ‘Flatcap’ continues his two-part series on Jersey seaweed – vraic – in times both ancient and modern SEAWEED, or ‘vraic’ as it is known locally, has been gathered from our shores since medieval times and its use as a fertiliser has been a defining feature of Jersey agriculture for centuries.

The scenes captured so evocatively in the etchings and paintings of Edmund Blampied of vraitcheurs loading their two-wheeled horse drawn carts, or hernais, have been played out for centuries at beaches like Grouville and St Ouen’s.

The customary activity of vraicing was so pervasive that it acquired its own vocabulary with names for all types of seaweed such as collet (kelp), cracot (bladder wrack), pliat vrai (serrated wrack) and crachet (chanelled wrack) to name just a few. Likewise, the various tools and equipment used to gather seaweed became part of the folklore of vraicing. During the vraic-cutting season (taillaison) the weed was cut from the rocks using a special sickle (faucillon) while a forque and grappin would be used to load the carts which, when heaped full, would be secured with a pitchelle à vrai (vraic anchor).

The efficacy of seaweed as a fertiliser and the benefits derived from its use were universally accepted and farmers were happy to follow the age-old advice (as recorded and passed on by former States Farm entomologist Gerald Thomas): ‘grease the land with a good lick of vraic and you can't go wrong.’

It was not till comparatively recent times that any serious scientific study of the types of seaweed and their chemistry was made, although the historian Jean Poingdestre writing in 1682 had given the first detailed description of its collection and use.

He categorised the different types of vraic on the basis of shape and expounded on the properties of the round-leafed and flat-leafed varieties, both for fertiliser and fuel. He divided the seaweeds into those derived by cutting and those washed up by the tide. It was this latter type which he stated was so important to the people of St Ouen for ‘every one of them had enough to lay it upon theire grounds as thick as ye spade or plough can turne and cover with convenience’.

Dally, writing in 1860, went further in his analysis and categorised the ‘round’ seaweed varieties as members of the wrack family which are found higher on the beach, while the ‘flat-leaved’ varieties of the kelp (collet) type are found at low water. The ‘round’ seaweeds were the ones that were traditionally cut from the rocks (vraic scié), while the piles of vraic washed up by the tide (vraic venant) contained both the round and flat leaved types, torn from the rocks by storms.

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It was F.W Toms who first applied chemical analysis of the seaweeds to determine the chemistry behind their usefulness.

In his 1905 “Notes on Farm Chemistry in Jersey” the then States Analyst quantified what vraitcheurs had known for generations – vraic’s high water content, and thus the great cost of cartage.

Toms showed that one ton of vraic contained 75% water, 20% organic matter and only 5% of ‘ash’ - that is, mineral constituents of direct value to the soil. He analysed selected seaweed types for their percentage composition of potash, soda, lime, chlorine, sulphuric acid, magnesia and iron oxide and showed that, for example, collet (kelp) is higher in potash than other varieties and therefore valuable for stimulating clover, pasture, tomato, or potato land. Toms was also able to show that the proportion of vraic’s key nutrients changed throughout the year.

Today’s laboratories can analyse seaweed samples with greater precision than ever before. Tests show that, while vraic is relatively low in the key macro nutrients required for plant growth (with one percent or less available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) there are dozens of trace elements which provide many of the minerals which are lacking in Jersey’s soils. Seaweed also contains plant growth stimulants (hormones) the main ones being cytokinins, auxins, gibbelerins and betaines. Though only required in very small proportions, these hormones are essential to plant health and growth regulation.

Trials have shown that the constituents of seaweed can increase yield by stimulating plant and root growth, retarding senescence (plant aging) and increasing water uptake in dry conditions.

They have also been shown to provide protection from marginal frosts and to be helpful to plants under stress. Controversially perhaps, trials locally have not shown a definite link between seaweed use and flavour in the Jersey Royal!

Nowadays concentrated liquid seaweed extract is available commercially in a liquid form which is active at significantly smaller rates and can be applied as a foliar spray. With a wealth of evidence as to its beneficial effects it is not surprising that many farmers and gardeners are using this as part of their growing programme. Not as romantic, perhaps, as Blampied’s scenes from temps passé but still preserving that link with the past which is so important for the brand image of our potato crop - and certainly a lot less work!

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Peter Le Maistre

MEET THE FARMERS Hail and Farewell –president’s change at the Jersey Farmers Union.

ALASDAIR CROSBY met the incoming president, Peter Le Maistre and the outgoing president, Graham Le Lay SALVE… THE Jersey Farmers Union has a new president: Peter Le Maistre, who farms at Les Pres Manor, Grouville. His brother, John, is the Constable and a former president of the JFU; their father Charles (always known as Alan) was Constable and their great-great-grandfather was also Constable.

He farms with his other brother, Philip, and their joint holding is certainly the only ‘big’ mixed farm in the Island – cows, Jersey Royals, and courgettes (grown conventionally), plus 250 vergées of organic land.

Peter was the JFU’s treasurer for five years, then the vice-president before being elected president this year.

The JFU has about 100 signed-up members. Of these, about 65 are still actively farming. The Union acts as a spokesman and representative for farmers and growers, together with the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society (the main representative organisation for the dairy industry).

One of the main roles of the JFU has always been finding labour for Island farmers, first of all from Brittany and then, in a more modern era, from Portugal – latterly from Poland.

It is a role that has become more political over the past 15 years or so and is once again a problem, simply because fewer workers are now keen to come to work in Jersey. Portugal and Madeira have become the recipients of major EU funding, meaning more chances of local employment and more recently so has Poland. Now, long-term workers resident in Jersey are making their way back to their countries of origin. EU funding helps their own countries and now people are going back home.

He said: ‘So the JFU are always looking for labour – we do have some ideas for future supply. But what is going to 54 -

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happen after Brexit? It is anybody’s guess. What is certain is that seasonal workers will always be important; so much of agricultural work is seasonal and farmers cannot afford to take on permanent workers working all the year round.’

The minimum wage is a real worry as it does not take into account the many benefits that people gain from working on a farm. These days, accommodation is charged for, but at a price far less than renting a flat and of course there are no transport costs or any need to buy lunch in a café if they live on site.

The ‘nitrate problem’ is a fairly high-profile one at the moment and a lot of work has been done on it over the last ten months. At the moment, he said, ‘we are really trying to get to grips with it.’

He continued: ‘Nitrate problems have come down progressively over the last ten years and there is more work ongoing to decrease those levels further. It will take a long time for residues to work themselves out of the system: Oxadixyl, the chemical of which traces crop up in water quality tests, has not been used in agriculture since 2003.

‘There is not going to be a magic cure by stopping spraying near the reservoirs,’ he said. ‘Perhaps another five years will elapse before there will be an appreciable decrease of these levels in the test results.’

Considering the present, much decreased size of the industry, would it make sense for the JFU to combine with the RJA&HS? He laughed: ‘Maybe, but the town offices provide free parking space for JFU council members. I doubt if they would ever agree to a move to Trinity.’

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… ATQUE VALE! The previous president of the JFU, Graham Le Lay, stood down as president at the last agm after serving for five years.

Graham’s father was a blacksmith; his forge was at Mont Mado, St John.

In the 1960s there were still several hundred horses working on Jersey farms; he recollected rainy days that gave the farmers an excuse to bring their horses to be re-shod and to have a leisurely chat with their friends and neighbours who were also queuing for the smith.

‘The problem with the JFU now is that the president carries the can for everything. In the old days we used to have a different committees for cauliflowers, potatoes, labour, flowers and indoor crops and each of those had a chairman. If there was a particular problem, it was up to the respective chairman to sort it out. Nowadays, it’s the president that has to sort everything out!

Now, in retirement, Graham is taking over the presidency of the Jersey Old Motor Club instead – ‘much more laid back and a good opportunity to spend more time in France!’

His parents were fluent Jèrriais speakers and he only learned English when he started school aged 6. After leaving the parish school he helped his father at the forge, but handling heavy farm horses and their heavy hooves caused a back injury and he had to leave. In 1966 he joined a Guernsey glasshouse heating company as a welder and went on to learn all elements of the horticultural engineering trade. Five years later he started his own Jersey business as an horticultural engineer. In 1976 He designed and installed the first integrated analogue environment control systems for glasshouses. Later, he joined up with a Dutch company to design, develop and install glasshouse environment control computers to suit Jersey growers’ needs. After about five years, he thought ‘I could do this on my own!’

He said: ‘During the 1970s glasshouses were becoming much more sophisticated – in the end that was the downfall of the industry, as instead of producing 7- 8 lbs of fruit to plant in a season all of a sudden they were doing 27-28lbs, because of such fantastic improvements in control. In a way, the industry was a victim of its own success.’

As a partner in Les Chasses Nurseries, he designed a waste boiler; at a time that the rapidly increased price of oil was causing oil fired glasshouses to go out of business, their own heating bills were negligible. He bought a glasshouse in St Ouen and produced 1,000 tonnes of capsicums every year until the States ‘pulled the support away’.

He said: ’The amount of support was negligible compared to what our foreign competitors were getting. It seemed that the States didn’t want us any more – they didn’t seem to care.

I could see the writing on the wall. I went to Poland and saw the amount of money given to Polish growers to build glasshouses. Supermarkets were demanding produce cheaper and cheaper every year – they could get it from abroad.

It was time to get out.’

He has long been interested in the environment. The glasshouse industry was always at the forefront of good environmental practice: ‘We started supplying supermarkets back in the 1970s. The crop was all biologically controlled. No sprays were used to kill insects. People came from all the UK and Europe world to visit the glasshouse industry in Jersey.

We were leaders. But it too much for the States to support the indoor industry had to go.’

He was the environmental chairman of the JFU for six years and then vice president before becoming president.

Graham Le Lay

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L'ETACQ IN SPRING

By Anna Le Moine Gray

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At the end of the beautiful walk from Grosnez, the whole of St Ouen's Bay appears. I painted this view from L'Etacq, in the spring mist, when the air warms and the sea is still so cold.

The fields of new growth - potatoes, daffodils and grass among gorse and hawthorn hedges - make a pattern in emerald and viridian, reddish or Umber green; vivid and fresh against the pure cobalt of the sea, the paleness of the sand.

A delight for the eyes.

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A PLACE FOR ART AND CULTURE CCA Galleries International launches its Summer Exhibition.

Our regular report from CCA Galleries by its director, SASHA GIBB

Exhibition Schedule April ‘Outlook Uncertain’ Graham Tovey (oils) 21 Apr – 10 May May Mark Guest with guest artist Donna Fleming Hall (sculpture in limestone, marble and granite) (seascapes in oil, graphite and charcoal) 25 May – 23 June June Caroline Hall (paintings and photography) 23 June – 13 July July CCAI Summer Exhibition (mixed show) 30 June – 28 July Visit www.ccagalleriesinternational.com for further details

Rockpools - Nic West

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AS I write in late March, artist Nic West is starting her Island-hopping journey to Jersey ahead of her private view.

Two years ago, Nic spectacularly put her entire life on E-bay (apart from her dog and back pack), left her job in Cambridge and headed off to a remote studio in Alderney. Despite the isolation and trials that followed, Nic has remained focused, committed and sane.

Her return to Jersey, after taking part in JAT’s Inter-Island Artist’s Lock-in at Elizabeth Castle a few years ago, was eagerly awaited by artists, public and press. As Islanders, I think we all feel a certain amount of awe and respect when she talks about her isolation and resolve to create. Nic’s first solo exhibition is at the gallery until early April.

Outlook Uncertain is at CCA Galleries International from 21 April to 10 May. This year, CCA Galleries International has launched its first Summer Exhibition. The exhibition is based on the successful model at the Royal Academy every summer – exhibits are selected by a panel of professional artists and critics and shown in a group selling exhibition. Being selected for CCAI Summer Exhibition and exhibiting in an international gallery is expected to help launch the careers of promising Jersey artists, as well as enforcing that of those already established.

From new beginnings to experienced veterans, Graham Tovey will be taking over the first floor gallery with his new exhibition, ‘Outlook Uncertain’ from 21 April. Graham is known for his textured, atmospheric landscapes of Jersey, UK and France.

He explained: ‘“Outlook Uncertain” is usually used as a meteorological term, but on reflection, I now find it applies to a lot of things in this uncertain world. My work for this exhibition centres on the L'Etacq area of St Ouen's Bay, although the small oils show wider aspects of the Island.

‘I call it a “best of”’ show - work from the past two years, mainly oil paintings, as well as recent acrylics.’

Graham's work is abstract by nature but is always based on the reality of landscape - he often returns to the same location over a period of time.

Landscape - Graham Tovey

Managing director Gillian Duke and Sir Peter Blake CCA Galleries International has been hosting the Skipton Open Studios exhibition for the past couple of years and the Summer Exhibition has developed through a growing appetite for high quality, curated visual art in Jersey. The initial application selection took place digitally in March, however, this month sees the main event, when shortlisted artists deliver actual work. The work is viewed collectively by a panel of judges, including Internationally renowned artists, who curate the final selection. There’s something rather brilliant about this slightly clumsy, completely hands on way of doing things that makes me glad to work in the art world.

Here it is fully acknowledged that jpgs and facsimiles can never express the full essence of the artist’s creation.

It is more than just visual.

The applications have been diverse. Out of over 100 entries, new and emerging talent has appeared alongside established names. We are pleased to include Jersey Mencap’s Taking Part, Making Art, as well as the newly formed ‘Young Arts’ at JEDFAS. Across all schools, JEDFAS will be sponsoring a total of nine students from years 11, 12 and 13, to exhibit within the Summer Exhibition. We’re delighted to be giving a platform for a student voice in Jersey and think it is in all our interests, across all sectors, to encourage a more balanced, tolerant and forward-looking community.

Once the exhibitors are announced at the end of May, there is a short turn around before the exhibition opens on 30 June.

The show will continue throughout July and will fill all seven of our galleries. Although in its infancy, the exhibition has received the support and endorsement of TEAM Asset Management , who have committed to sponsoring the event for the next three years. Jersey’s Summer Exhibition is not just here for the summer.

Landscape - Graham Tovey

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SPIRIT OF UNITY, SPIRIT OF FREEDOM The Liberation International Music Festival is being held from 6 May to 14 May 2017.

The programme is previewed here by festival marketing officer RHONA RICHARDS THE Liberation International Music Festival is back celebrating Jersey's liberation from German occupation. The central theme of this year's festival is the unifying power of music and the exciting programme, featuring works by English, American, German and Italian composers, speaks of the strength of nations working together to create unity after the 2nd World War. The Jersey Opera House plays host to several concerts and on 6 May the festival opens with Portrait of a Royal Ballet Star, an inspiring evening with principal ballerina, Lauren Cuthbertson, exploring her career highs and lows and, in particular, her battle to overcome career threatening illness and injury.

On 12 May the audience will be treated to a stunning program of chamber music, featuring Schubert’s Trout and Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G minor, played by major stars of the classical world: viola player Maxim Rysanov, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and pianist Wu Qian. Sitkovetsky, winner of the Lincoln Centre Emerging Artist Award 2016, will give a pre-concert talk about his career which began when he played his first solo concert as a precociously talented eightyear-old. Finally, on Saturday 13 May, a celebration of some of the great Italian composers of the 17th and 18th Centuries featuring Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Pergolesi's ravishing choral work, Stabat Mater and Geminiani’s La Follia Concerto Grosso. The Jersey Chamber Orchestra will be directed by

Alexander Sitkovetsky and led by BBC Symphony Orchestra first violinist, Anna Smith. The soloist will be the outstanding counter-tenor, Lawrence Zazzo.

Of course, the Festival also offers some lovely family events and on Tuesday 9th May the Musical Walk is a wonderful combination of music, history and natural beauty. Blue Badge guide Ned Malet de Carteret will lead the walk from Ouaisné to St Brelade's Bay exploring the rich history of the area and stopping at interludes to be serenaded by violinist Harriet Mackenzie, guitarist Morgan Szymanski and the Liberation Vocal Consort. Later that evening the same musicians will perform Vivaldi's Guitar Concerto, Stanford’s Thee Blue Bird and Gibbons’ The Silver Swan in the intimate atmosphere of the 12th century Fisherman's Chapel.

As the Festival ends on Sunday 14 May it’s picnic time with the ever-popular Jazz at Hamptonne. Headlining this year is the multiple award winning vocalist and sax player, Ray Gelato. Ray is a regular at Ronnie Scott's and his sensational set of jazz and swing classics is sure to end this year’s festival on a high note.

Full details of all events, can be found at www.liberationjersey.com Tickets are available from www.jerseyoperahouse.co.uk

A COMPOSER FOR ALL SEASONS

Alexander Sitovetsky

On Saturday 13 May the internationally acclaimed violin soloists, Alexander Sitkovetsky and Anna Smith will direct The Jersey Chamber Orchestra in a performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. RHONA RICHARDS writes on possibly the most famous piece of classical music every written IT is music that’s instantly recognizable. If you stop and listen the chances are that The Four Seasons is playing on the silver screen, in a TV show, on in an advertisement somewhere nearby.

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The Four Seasons was one of the first examples of programme music and each section evokes vivid images of the season it portrays. It’s an exuberant musical picture-book and, listening

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carefully, you can hear thunderstorms, a hunt, crunching ice, a crackling fire, a barking dog, birdsong and trotting horses.

Antonio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and as an infant showed little sign of the strong, fiery temperament for which he was later infamous. He was weak and asthmatic and given little chance of survival. However, he survived against the odds and developed an astonishing talent for the violin.

One German traveller of the period watched him play and later wrote: “Nothing like this has ever been seen before, nor will it ever again.”

Throughout his life Vivaldi had a reputation as a maverick that disdained convention. His first career as a priest was short lived. Health problems prevented him from delivering mass and "il Prete Rosso" (Vivaldi’s red hair earned him the nickname ‘the Red Priest’) had a habit of running from church mid-mass when struck by musical inspiration. Later he found a position as master of violin at the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, an orphanage for abandoned girls who were trained in music. However, he continually tested the patience of his employers, making outrageous financial demands, flying into a rage at the slightest criticism and allegedly enjoying a relationship with Anna Tessieri Girò, a talented student who accompanied Vivaldi on his travels.

During the early part of his career Vivaldi was celebrated, receiving commissions from European nobility and royalty.

He was a prolific composer, writing over 500 cantatas, and had a huge influence on the master of Baroque, Johann Sebastian Bach.

An 1802 biography of Bach makes the claim that he “learned to think musically” from his study of Vivaldi's concertos.

But, the final years of Vivaldi’s life were unhappy, his unpredictable temperament made him enemies and his benefactor’s attention was diverted to younger, more fashionable composers. In 1741 Vivaldi died Portrait of Vivaldi destitute and was buried in a paupers’ grave. No music was played at his funeral.

Given the seemingly universal affection for The Four Seasons it’s difficult to believe that Vivaldi’s music remained relatively obscure until the 1920’s. His reputation was only truly resurrected following the efforts of academics and researchers who, having re-discovered the Gloria, organized Vivaldi Week 1939. Fortunately, Vivaldi’s music is once again in favour and The Four Seasons is his tour de force for the violin soloist.

Exuberant, spirited and passionate, it’s the perfect music to celebrate the Liberation.

The Four Seasons – The Jersey Chamber Orchestra directed by Alexander Sitkovetsky and Anna Smith Date: Saturday 13 May at 8pm Venue: Jersey Opera House, Gloucester Street, St Helier Tickets: Jersey Opera House (01534) 511115 and www.jerseyopearhouse.co.uk £10 - £35 Under 18s and students: £5 Concessions available

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‘Good quality instruments are made to last and need regular servicing to keep them performing at their best and I tend to get to know specific instruments very well’

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BROKEN WIND but by no means broken winded: tucked neatly away in Grouville, the last thing you think you will find is a music shop crammed full of well-loved percussion, woodwind and brass instruments waiting for collection or repair.

CATHERINE GARNER met its owner, Laura Poingdestre

THE shop sign does make you take a second look. Behind the shop is a workshop where owner Laura Poingdestre spends her afternoons fulfilling a childhood dream as a qualified musical instrument technician and owner of the business, Broken Wind.

As with car crash experts, I can generally tell what has happened and what the impact was caused by. In this case it was something soft and when the customer came back to collect it, she admitted that her son had hit his little sister over the head with the flute.’

The rather unusual name originated when she first started repairing and servicing just woodwind instruments. She was brainstorming for business name ideas with her family when she came up with the ‘Broken Wind’ name. At just 32, Laura is building up the business alongside her morning role working for the States Sports Division.

Servicing is one area that Laura is keen to build on.

‘Good quality instruments are made to last and need regular servicing to keep them performing at their best and I tend to get to know specific instruments very well.’

‘People think you are joking but everyone remembers it,’ explained Laura.

She gained a First Class honours degree in musical instrument repair after three years at London Metropolitan University and then took up an apprenticeship at Dawkes Music in Maidenhead. Laura spent two years working alongside five musical instrument technicians who taught her the art of repair beyond text books. Unsure whether she could make a living out of repairs in Jersey and living with her parents at the time, she asked her father if she could turn half of the garage into a workshop - and so the seeds of Broken Wind were sown.

Laura, an accomplished musician coming from a musical family, can play all woodwind and brass instruments to some extent. ‘In order to know how to fix something’ she explained, ‘I have to be able to test it to find out if something is playable but I wouldn’t admit that I can play them all to anyone.’

Her public performances include playing the clarinet for La Ronde Concert Band, saxophone for Inside Job and tenor horn for the Band of the Island of Jersey.

One of Laura’s favourite parts of her job is repairing instruments for professional musicians. She said: ‘I get to see, restore and play some beautiful instruments. These all have to be tested extensively for my own professional peace of mind before they are handed back to their owners.’

Scattered around the showroom are various curious items as well as an array of handmade cards, cushions, door stops and other items such as lamps, which incorporate unfixable instruments. These musically themed goods are all made by Laura and her family, who enjoy being creative.

‘Many instruments that cannot be repaired have sentimental value.’ Laura explained. ‘So I turn these into something unique and practical. I have lamps made out of trombones, I-pod speakers made out of trumpets and even plant pots made out of drums.

‘A tuba coffee table is next when I have time.’

The main part of her business is repairs, which are her passion.

This is especially true since the recession. She is able to fix anything from woodwind to brass and string instruments.

She often has to turn things around very quickly if a client has an exam or performance planned. She also sells instruments for customers looking to upgrade as they progress musically.

Anything can be extensively tested out in her rehearsal studio to make sure that the instrument they buy is the best one for them.

‘I never know what is coming through the door next’ said Laura. ‘One very memorable customer came to her with her son’s flute bent in a very unusual shape.

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IS THERE HONEY STILL FOR TEA? The Jersey Bee Keepers Association are inviting the people of Jersey to a series of public talks about honey bees, the threats to their welfare, and that of other pollinators, and what we can do to halt their decline. By its former chairman, BOB HOGGE

Say, is there Beauty yet to find?

And Certainty? and Quiet kind?

Deep meadows yet, for to forget The lies, and truths, and pain? . . . oh! yet Stands the Church clock at ten to three?

And is there honey still for tea? – - extract from The Old Vicarage, Grantchester,

by Rupert Brooke (1912) The Jersey Beekeeper’s Association is still buzzing after 100 years.

Now part of Genuine Jersey and having recently become a registered charity, it has over 100 members, who between them manage over 400 hives.

As JBKA new President, Dr Tim du Feu explained: ‘The disease, American Foulbrood, which killed off almost half the Island’s hives, has now been controlled and the Association is looking forward to the future.

Our “Beginning Beekeeping” classes are oversubscribed and there is a lot of interest in bees and beekeeping as well as a greater understanding of their importance, not least in giving us our world class and unique Genuine Jersey Honey.’

On 24th March the Association invited the people of Jersey to the first of a series of public talks about honey bees, the threats to their welfare, and that of other pollinators, and what can be done to halt their decline. Giving the talks are leading UK scientists, researchers and campaigners.

The series of talks is titled: Will There be Honey Still for Tea? (with apologies to Rupert Brooke).

The series has been generously sponsored by the Howard Davis Farm Trust.

The first lecture in the series was: ‘The Honey Bee, Predators, Parasites, Pests and Pathogens.’ The speaker was Dr Giles Budge PhD, of Newcastle University.

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Dr Giles Budge, a leading researcher in honey bee health, brought his audience up to date on the state of health of the UK’s honey bees and any future threats that might be coming.

Giles was the lead researcher into Jersey’s recent outbreak of American Foulbrood Disease that wiped just under half of the Island’s managed honey bee colonies and from which the Island’s beekeepers have still not fully recovered.

Understanding what is happening to our honey bees might help us understand the reasons why so many of our pollinators are in such a serious decline - and not just here in Jersey but in the UK and around the World. It is something that is now being recognised by governments around the world, who are concerned that a major proportion of what we require for our survival - such as food, natural raw materials and carbon storage - rely on the services of pollinators.

This talk launched the JBKA’s Centenary Lecture series, which will be of interest to all those concerned about the environment, sustainability and food security.

After all, it has been postulated that if we lose the world’s pollinators - we lose the world.

For further details, contact Bob Hogge.

E-mail rnhogge@gmail.com; mobile 07797765113 The dates, speakers and subjects of the future talks in this series are: Thursday May 11th 7:30pm at RJA&HS HQ, Trinity, Dr Michael Garratt PhD, Senior Research Fellow in Agri-Environment Studies, University of Reading, with the working title, ‘A Place for Pollinators’.

Friday 10th November 7:30pm at RJA&HS HQ, Trinity, Paul da Zilva, Friends of the Campaign Co-ordinator, with the working title, ‘On Being Bee Minded’.

Friday 19th January7:30pm at RJA&HS HQ, Trinity, TBA.

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JERSEY’S ‘EXOTIC’ CATTLE SHOW MIKE STENTIFORD reflects on a winter of content – for birdwatchers But, as each species disappears in a flurry of a hurry, their departure offers an opportunity to reflect on the benevolent winter past and to evaluate what, if anything, is worthy of any seismic avian mention?

True, while the majority of wintering visitors have generally been of the common, garden or shoreline variety, there were at least two rarities of note that doubtless caught both the eye and wild imagination of local enthusiasts.

While one, the Bittern, can best be described as a ‘home grown’ species, the other, the Cattle egret, is a bird far more attuned to life in the ‘tropics’.

Bittern WE must, by now, have noticed just how quiet it is along Jersey’s east coast shoreline?

In fact, a ‘twitcher’ of any serious intent would openly present the species with the worthiest of premier super ticks.

Not necessarily ‘quiet’ in the true sense of silence and solitude, but ‘quiet’ in a kind of, well, ‘flutterless’ way.

Although it’s now become something of the norm for ornithologists to expect the unexpected, the arrival of a species with no logical reason whatsoever to be here is now the very latest stuff of bird-watching.

While still rightly accepting the peaceful endeavours of low tide rock-poolers and dog walkers, it’s the sudden lack of wading birds that’s causing this current observation that ‘something’s missing’.

This certainly applies to the Cattle egret, a bird whose idea of a fun-day out would be jogging alongside herds of African elephants and wildebeest rather than passing the time of day fraternizing with a field full of passive Jersey cows.

Wading birds are the diminutive characters that, throughout the winter, proved such a gloriously upwardly-mobile asset to this section of coastline.

And yet, over 16 of these classic birds evidently found that a combination of mild winter weather and local hospitality suited their specialised requirements admirably.

But now, Nature in her wisdom has decreed that while thousands of them have been content to share the spoils of the Jersey tideline with us since last October, a nonnegotiable magnetic pull has now drawn them back to the far distant north.

In fact, if I were a betting man, I would seriously consider having the proverbial ‘flutter’ on both the Bittern and the Cattle egret becoming the Island’s next breeding species.

They are, of course, fairly routine occurrences, these biannual north to south and back again flights of fanciful necessity.

There’s certainly nothing new or climatically resonant about them; wading birds and Brent geese have been loyally adhering to a remarkably long-distance ‘commute’ for centuries.

Our very familiar Brent geese, for instance, have been ‘zonehopping’ between the Island of Jersey and the Russian Arctic since the 17th Century.

As with two of our most recent avian ‘immigrants’ - the Little egret and the Marsh harrier - climatic changes and habitat security prove uppermost in the minds of any species wishing to relocate.

While accepting all the negatives that wildlife is experiencing, it’s at least reassuring to know that birds of a remarkably rare ilk are already willing and able to provide us with a modicum of positiveness.

Cattle egret

We know this because they were given a respectful mention by the local historian Falle as far back as 1694.

For some reason, he referred to them at the time as ‘Sorland geese’.

Be that as it may; in the last few weeks, anyone who felt inclined to do so has bade farewell to thousands of shoreline birds that, over the past six months, managed to keep us fitfully engaged and wonderfully engrossed.

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Photo credits: Cattle egret by Mick Dryden and Bittern – by Tim Ransom

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TREES FOR JERSEY The Jersey charity, Trees for Life, celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Continuing the series of articles on its important work in Jersey, their arboriculturist, Conrad Evans, explained the ancient art of hedge laying. Are they hedging their bets? Or is this just a hedge fund?

CATHERINE GARNER investigated HEDGES are an important feature of rural life yet barely get a second glance. Usually the focus is on the field and its bounty rather than on the living and growing boundaries that divide it.

Hedges play a vital role in our rural economy and environment.

They provide the framework for our intricate field network and help mark field boundaries. They also help to clean the atmosphere by locking in carbon dioxide and filtering out particulate pollution.

Acting as wind breaks they reduce soil erosion, increase crop productivity by taking up a certain amount of available nitrates. They form a livestock proof barrier and their benefit to wildlife is immeasurable. Hedges provide shelter and nesting sites and are a huge source of food.

Today we are more likely to see hedge planting rather than formal hedge laying. Yet HRH Prince Charles is a fervent campaigner for restoring Britain’s hedgerows and patron of the National Hedge Laying Society.

The Jersey Trees for Life arboriculturist, Conrad Evans, said: ‘People are becoming more aware of the reasons why it was done historically. However, in reality and especially in Jersey, it is very much the exception than the rule. On an island of 45 square miles, fields are relatively small, so every inch of land that can be cultivated is important.

Formal hedge laying is an ancient art and more akin to weaving. It takes time to perfect but worthwhile.

Conrad explained: ‘Specimens have to be the right age, in that the plants cannot be too young or mature. Since the outbreak of Dutch Elm disease it is even more important than ever to restock with different and native species of hedging plants as well as trees. It is also important to have an uneven age population.’

The second stage is pleaching. This is rarely seen here but the basic idea behind this is to chop down the back side of the stem then bending the stem over until it's resting either on the floor or on the last stem to be laid. Doing this keeps the tree alive so that once it has been laid it will throw up shoots, making a thick hedge. The final touches are to put bindings along the top of the hedge to help hold the hedge in place and keep it compact and pleasing to the eye.

The Jersey Hedgerow Campaign is an ongoing project that is run by Trees for Life. Conrad explained: ‘The aim is to restock hedgerows, either planting afresh or filling in the gaps in existing hedgerows. This is financed by Trees for Life, States Environment Department grants, donations from the public or businesses offsetting carbon. We also plant hedgerows for landowners when requested on a commercial basis.’

Another role Trees for Life offers is advising farmers and landowners on native hedgerow planting as well as management. ‘We also can supply suitable native whip-sized plants, (two to three year old seedlings) for rural planting schemes,’ said Conrad. ‘The aftercare and maintenance of newly planted hedgerows is the key to success and we do this for the Jersey Hedgerow Campaign and for commercially paying clients who want such a service.’

Trees for Life is keen to involve the public. Conrad said: ‘The public likes to see well maintained, bio-diverse hedges teeming with wildlife. People often ring us when they see drastic cutting and damage being done. As our members do, if people subscribe or make donations, their funds can be steered towards our Hedgerow Campaign which means we can increase the numbers we plant each year. By advising on hedge planting and land management all these groups help increase the numbers of small song birds as well as our native farm land birds that are under threat.’

‘There are two main steps. The first is to determine the quality of the hedge before you start and sort out the parts you want to lay and the parts that aren't worth it. If it's a densely packed hedge you can pick the best stems – the tall, straight and healthy ones. Secondly, you need to consider what species you have, as this has a large influence on the finished product.

Hawthorn is ideal as it is bushy, relatively easy to lay and creates a good barrier. Other good species are hazel, blackthorn and willow.

RURAL Spring 2017 - 69

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THE FORGOTTEN WATER MEADOW A water meadow, hidden in a Trinity valley, is being lovingly restored for the sheer pleasure of seeing what flora and fauna will live there in the future. By RUTH LE COCQ TROUT used to swim in a stream which winds through a valley dotted with mill ponds on its way from the north coast of Jersey to the sea. Of course, that was before it became choked with weeds and the ponds became blocked with silt.

Landowners Fred Benest and his partner Alison Ahier, have spent the last six years steadily restoring a water meadow in Trinity while researching the history of the 12 vergée area.

‘We bought the land at Christmas 2011,’ said Fred, ‘and we are still at the clearing stage. We spent the first two years working on the grazing areas on the north side of the road (which runs through the land) and we are now working on the south side where it is wetter.’

The meadow, which had not been managed for over 20 years, was completely overgrow. Willow had been planted on the banks of the stream, but had self-seeded and taken over the area. Brambles and nettles thrived and plants, such as hemlock, choked the stream and prevented it from flowing freely.

Fred explained that in days gone by the meadow had been full of wildflowers such as orchids, cowslips and bird’s-foot-trefoil.

It is also home to a variety of birds including herons and marsh harriers, and to visitors such as snipe.

‘Cyril Stark remembers tickling trout during the Occupation, but he tells me the stream was poisoned soon afterwards,’

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said Fred, who has not discounted the idea of reintroducing trout into the stream.

The mill pond, next to the roadside, was hidden from view for many years because it was overgrown and full of silt. It has now been dredged and the banks have been cleared.

‘There is a sluice gate which has not been used for many years and the mill leat became blocked so the stream found its own way and divided in two,’ explained Fred.

He pointed to a large dolerite stone - not a stone of the locality – on one of the bank’s edges. He pondered whether it could have been associated with La Blanche Pierre, a standing stone, which stood nearby.

Over the years, family and friends of all ages have helped Fred and Alison to clear the area including Frank Cudlipp, of Dunedin Farm, St Lawrence, and Neville Ahier, who both remember the traditional way of managing the land, and who have shared their knowledge and skill.

Fred explained: ‘The meadow is now grazed again for a few weeks by cattle after the spring growth and the smaller area by the pond by horses for a fortnight each year.’

They have both been working closely with the Eric Young Orchid Foundation, the owner of Ponterrin Mill, and with Ben Du Feu who owns a neighbouring meadow, to restore the land so that native plants to the Island can regenerate thus encouraging wildlife to visit.

management regime of grazing or cutting, the grasslands are quickly lost to fewer, more dominant plant species, reducing the diversity of the grassland.’

The Department of the Environment currently manages a number of meadows in the Island and gives grants, via the Countryside Enhancement Scheme, to encourage landowners to manage their own.

While the UK has lost 97 per cent of its wildflower meadows since the 1930s, hitting plant species and the wildlife that relies on them, no data exists currently to indicate how the Island’s meadows have fared following the introduction of intensive farming techniques in recent years.

For Fred and Alison, however, the delight of seeing their meadow changing on a day-to-day basis alongside the seasons is reward enough for the many hours they have both spent in wellies getting thoroughly wet and muddy as they have worked on the land.

‘We simply want to restore the beauty of the area and to encourage wildlife to prosper,’ said Alison.

‘Yes,’ said Fred, ‘and it will be interesting to see what will regenerate. We are looking forward to seeing what birds and animals will be attracted to the area.’

‘This year we are going to remove more willow - we will need a digger - although we will leave some trees because they are good for cover for birds, such as our visiting snipe,’ said Fred.

Alison’s and Fred’s hard work has been welcomed by John Pinel, the Department of Environment’s Principal Ecologist and Assistant Director Natural Environment, who is concerned about the loss of meadows in Jersey.

He said: ‘The loss of meadows is of concern in Jersey, due to the variety of plants and invertebrates, birds and animals which utilise these specific habitats.

‘Meadows are threatened, not only by improvements such as fertilisation and drainage, but also by neglect, as, without a

Frank Cudlipp showing Fred how to sow grass

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NATURAL JERSEY Chairman of ‘Natural Jersey’ MIKE STENTIFORD describes a new initiative promoting community pride through horticulture and conservation THE majority of Islanders are no doubt aware of the hugely popular and well supported local and national competitions known respectively as Parish in Bloom and Britain in Bloom.

Both events are held annually under the professional auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).

Although floral displays and horticulture sit high on the events criteria, far more emphasis is now being directed towards community participation and nature conservation.

Because of this expansion of remit, a new ‘not for profit’ charity was officially launched at the Trinity Showground in January 2017.

Known as Natural Jersey, its principal aims are to encourage and co-ordinate those Islanders already engaged in parish life and whose aspirations are to improve and preserve their local urban and natural environments.

Once achieved, the collective strands can be drawn together and, when presented at a parochial level, will create positive opportunities and excellent prospects for entering into national competitive events.

Nationally, this offers Jersey full recognition as a premier eco-destination while, locally, it will demonstrate community pride and achievement.

The route to the national competition is through regional ‘heats’ which, in Jersey, will continue to be known as Parish in Bloom.

Natural Jersey, therefore, has been primarily constituted to co-ordinate, organise, promote and provide advice and guidance to all those parishioners wishing to participate.

The winning parish in each main category will receive automatic nomination to represent the Island in the Britain in Bloom finals during the following year.

It comes as no surprise to hear that much of what is required for a successful entry already exists in each parish.

Parish Hall judging panel

This refers to all those diverse attributes collectively known as ‘parish assets’; projects, facilities and amenities of which a parish is a direct beneficiary.

These include our parks and gardens maintained by the Department of Infrastructure, natural landscapes managed by both the National Trust and the States Environment Department, heritage sites administered by Jersey Heritage and ecologically important areas and Sites of Special Interest that lie within the boundaries of the Jersey National Park.

Additionally, there are numerous commercial and tourist attractions where independent contributions from businesses form another major part of the RHS criteria.

There can be little doubt of the impressive potential for parochial success in competitive events such as these.

For so many obvious reasons, Jersey continues to excel in this respect.

In 2016, the parish of St Brelade not only took Gold in the Small Coastal Town category but were additionally declared Category Champions while St Saviour boasted Silver Gilt; high honours, indeed, knowing of the major UK competition both parishes faced.

Natural Jersey is now a registered charity and is fully supported by the States of Jersey Departments of Economic Development, Sport and Culture and is associated with Visit Jersey and the Royal Horticultural Society Full details of Natural Jersey have been forwarded to all 12 Parish Constables who would, most certainly, be pleased to hear of any ideas, proposals or of a willingness to participate.

Showing pride in our respective Island parish is, after all, something we do all the time - naturally!

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Book a test driv drive e

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THE POND PROJECT This is a project of the Jersey Mencap charity, which offers adults with a learning disability the chance to learn about the local environment and gain vital skills. Conservation and opportunity are at the heart of this community project, as its project leader, ALEX WILES, explains

WITH a heavy frost and almost eerie mist hugging the water, the Pond Project on a cold and crisp February morning is perhaps not the first choice for most of us.

But within an hour of arriving, this tranquil area becomes a buzzing hive of activity with a variety of winter tasks being completed, such as path maintenance, nurturing of tree saplings and topping up of bird feeders.

This tucked away site provides a positive environment in which people with a learning disability can benefit from working alongside nature surrounded by native trees, shrubs and plants.

The pond is gently fed by a trickling flow of water and a walkway provides access around the site.

The aim of the session is to provide daytime activity to adults with a learning disability, where a variety of physical and social skills can be maintained. The site is managed with hand tools and physical labour and full credit must go to the clients, staff and volunteers of Jersey Mencap who, over ten years, have transformed this stunning area.

With guidance and support, members can learn about using tools safely, land management and conservation.

Another success for the project was being awarded ‘Overall Winner’ at the Channel Island Conservation Awards in 2016.

Since 2015, corporate sessions have been offered to local organisations so that staff can come along as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) commitment. This ensures large tasks that need additional labour can be completed in the spring and summer - it proves the truth of the proverb 74 -

RURAL Spring 2017

Winter bird feeding programme

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Nurturing tree saplings on site

Time for a break and some fun at the Pond Project that many hands make light work. Another even more important dimension of this is that clients of Jersey Mencap interact and engage with each new group of volunteers.

Feedback has shown this new venture has helped raise understanding of some of the challenges faced by those living with a learning disability and many volunteers have responded positively from having the opportunity to work alongside clients. Working as a team to complete tasks, problem solving and most importantly, having fun are all vital to the success of the pond project. This engagement has proven to be a great leveller, helping to break down barriers and gain wider understanding of what a learning disability is, so as to raise awareness to improve opportunities, support and choice to clients.

In 2016, wheelbarrows full of brambles were removed to make way for other plants.

Research from ‘National Mencap’ shows that those living with a learning disability can be among the most disadvantaged and excluded people in today’s society. In Jersey it is estimated that 2,000 Islanders are living with such a learning disability.

With more tree planting planned, the installation of a pond viewing platform and the nurturing of a natural spring meadow, the ‘to do’ list goes on at the Pond Project.

Recent projects include tree planting and controlling the more invasive plants such as bracken, hemlock and brambles.

Not only local and visiting birds are seen regularly on site but also plenty of healthy bat activity has been recorded by Jersey’s Bat Group who kindly hosted an evening for Jersey Mencap clients.

Break time is equally important at the Pond Project and in line with the site’s ethos, hot drinks are made with wood burning storm kettles. Hot chocolate is a firm favourite among pond volunteers and after some hard graft cutting back bracken or clocking up the miles with the wheelbarrow, refreshments are a welcome reward, providing a great opportunity to relax, socialise and enjoy this beautiful site.

The magical formula of working outside and embracing each season’s challenges and changes has contributed to this discreet but successful project – and we are proud of all its achievements.

Our sincere thanks go to the pond founders, staff, volunteers and corporate groups who kindly continue to help support this vital project.

*For more information on Jersey Mencap please visit www.jerseymencap.org or contact Alex Wiles on alex.wiles@jerseymencap.org Photos by Nienke Marieke Bouic

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THE ESSENCE OF AN ISLAND Rural entrepreneurship in an island setting - during an exploration of the Italian island of Elba to research its agricultural revival, PHILIPPA EVANS BEVAN was captivated by a unique luxury brand JUST as it is impossible to forget the formidable red buses of London or the iconic Jersey Cow grazing the patchwork pastures of its Island home, you cannot fail to notice eye catching Acqua Dell’Elba shops in the little towns the length and breadth of Elba. There are no less than 19 stores as well as the laboratory and manufacturing HQ in the Elba seaside town of Marchiana Marina.

Acqua Dell‘Elba is an inspiration to Island entrepreneurs and deserves a special place of its own in the annals of remarkable rural Island endeavours. For Elba is not just the home of a successful business it is the genesis of a visionary dream that has become a magical commercial success story.

Three siblings set sail on their commercial venture one bright May morning, with a fresh Elba breeze carrying them on their way. It was the beginning of an amazing journey. Destiny took them to Paolinas’ Cove (named after Napoleon’s sister), where a polished ivory statuette had been recovered in the hold of a ship that had sunk in the 2nd Century BC. Its watertight lid had protected a precious perfume.

It was truly a message in a bottle – a gift from the sea. The idea came to them strong and clear: to create a fragrance, an essence like no other. It would be ‘the essence of an Island.’

At the close of the 1990s, in a sector controlled by a few multinationals, it seemed madness to consider creating perfumes on the small Island of Elba, but Fabio, Chiara and Marco Murzi hoisted the sails, raised the anchor and an Island business was born.

All the perfumes, creams and essences are handmade and every product has a secret beyond the quality of the raw materials and the precision of creation.

Acqua Dell’Elba ignores passing trends but hones the values of beauty, simplicity and quality.

The Murzi Family believed in their dream and live it still with focus and determination, Acqua Dell’Elba is now one of Italy’s top brands of exquisite skin creams and perfumes.

And so the dream goes on – a dream shared by a motivated and proud working team. I met lab technicians and courteous sales assistants who all clearly love their work and the products.

Acqua Dell’Elba takes pride in the Island and as responsible young entrepreneurs they give back to the community. The Elba project creates opportunities in art, culture, environmental and social activities.

Today the ‘family’ numbers approximately 100 people and in addition to ‘Operation Elba’ there are four shops in Rome, and four in Lucca as well as Florence, Sienna, Venice, Palermo, Como and Lugano. Sights are set next on the international market.

It is a striking thought that through the centuries so many Islands, through necessity, have inspired their inhabitants to be inventive and brave. Free from the superfluous, not daunted by isolation but building on the charm of the landscape and the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago, the Murzi family have created a successful business and livelihoods for many others through the richness of their imagination and natural resources.

There are four ranges of fragrances all produced in Elba. At the beautiful and modern laboratory in Marciana Marina, co-owner Fabio Murzi explained to me that in deciding on the colour and branding they worked on the concept of ‘ancient and modern’.

While the ancient statuette may have been the trigger, he is sharply focused on a modern market and attracting the 21st Century consumer. Simple beauty, quality and consistent presentation are vital components for the ongoing success of their unique products: candles, creams, diffusers and room sprays have been added to the merchandise available on line or through retail outlets.

Although the production method is slow, the technique and creative process is based on values of Tuscan traditions and methods from the Renaissance craftsmen’s studios. The natural ingredients are supplied in the main from Elba’s rich natural habitat using fig, jasmine, myrtle, marine cistus and Phoenician juniper to produce superb perfumes ranging from woody and flowery scents to elegant fruit and dramatic essences.

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The Acqua Dell’Elba Story is a real ‘Treasure Island’, a 21st Century legend full of good messages for Island entrepreneurs using tools of technological and media advances to convert isolation into brilliant strategic advantage.

As Fabio said on parting, with true Italian panache: ‘La Nave Va‘- the ship sails on.

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NATURE HAS ALL THE ANSWERS A series on natural health, by our columnist, Diana Mossop

SEASONAL CARE: SPRING Breathing: asthma and hay fever DISTRESSING statistics inform us that six out of every ten children in UK suffer with asthma and need prescription drugs. Pollen-related hay fever further blights people lives.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

They include difficulty with breathing and catching one’s breath - ranging from slight problems to frighteningly aggressive symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pains and tightness in the chest.

Not being able to get air into the lungs can be really terrifying for everyone concerned - especially the mother and the suffering child. It can be very alarming to watch your child having an asthma attack.

What are the symptoms of hay fever?

Sneezing, runny nose, sinus related headaches. Generally feeling stuffed up and very uncomfortable.

However, rather than just controlling these conditions with drugs and hoping

that they will go away (they won’t), isn’t it much better to actually set about to heal the condition?

There are many emotional causes of asthma and hay fever, but generally speaking they are overlooked.

First, there are triggers that set off asthma and hay fever, and one is stress.

I advise careful stress management by removing obvious pressures and trying to create calm and tranquillity for example, reading your child bed-time stories instead of putting them in front of the television. I am appalled at how frenetic and aggressive so many children’s programmes are.

Emotional support is essential and I recommend Phytobiophysics Ultra violet Tree formula, SF2 Karm Eucalyptus, as well as the Green Tree formula, SF5 Breathe Deodar cedar.

A light supper with organic or fresh food containing green vegetables or, alternatively, scrambled egg on rye bread and unsalted butter may be good for asthmatic children. Avoid foods that contain salt, colours and preservatives, e-additives, aspartame etc, as these chemicals can all trigger asthma and hay fever.

Avoid acid foods such as citrus and pork and wheat, as these are classic allergens.

Essential oils of cedar wood, pine lavender are renowned for supporting the respiratory channels and enable relaxed breathing. Phyto Breathe cream made from pure Jojoba is gentle enough to be used on the face to help clear the sinuses and, with the addition of the beautiful essential oils of lavender and eucalyptus, it can be rubbed into the chest of even tiny babies to enable a relaxed breathing throughout the night.

The advantage of essential oils and essences is that they naturally support healing and are safe to be used alongside medication. So, although the medicines give you peace of mind as they control the condition, the natural formulas support healing and encourage and help recovery.

Vit D is very important: a daily supplement of 1000iu is suitable even for babies and small children.

St John Ambulance trains its volunteers in how to manage asthma attacks as well as comprehensive training in all First Aid. For more information, e-mail diana@phytob.com www.dianamossop.com Or phone Diana Mossop Clinic 01534 738737

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JERRAIS SPRING 2017:Layout 1 25/03/2017 08:18 Page 1

Jèrriais, with TONY SCOTT-WARREN

RÊLAÎSONS L’S ÎLES DÉ LA MANCHE! J’SAVONS bein qué l’s Îles dé la Manche sont parmi les pus belles pliaiches dans l’monde entchi, même qu’i’ n’sont pon bein grandes. Chein qué j’avons ichîn fait tout l’monde ailleurs envieux. Quand nou pense, ichîn en Jèrri j’avons d’si belles grèves dé blianc sablion et l’ieau d’la mé est si cliaithe qué nou peut înmaginner êt’ sus eune île ès Tropiques. Lé temps est mangnifique étout, pas trop fraid en hivé ni trop caud en êté, mais tréjous un p’tit mio mus qu’en Dgèrnésy et l’s aut’s îles. Même par un temps embliâsé, comme j’avons ieu tant à ches drein, ou même dans l’s ôrages, j’avons la consolâtion d’aver l’temps l’pus întérêssant.

Châque île est difféthente; Jèrri, la pus grande, est sans doute la miyeuthe. Ichîn, j’avons tant d’sou dans nos banques, tant d’frits et d’lédgeunmes sus nos fèrmes, tant d’touristes dans nos hôtels et restaurants, tant d’gens dans not’ belle Ville. Dgèrnésy n’est pon si embarrassé, et ch’est bein pliaîthant d’y’aller d’temps en temps.

Auregny est eune întérêssante île étout, pus sauvage auve des falaises lé long d’la côte du sud, et l’Rotchi des Mauves à Maqu’sé est bé quand l’s ouaîsieaux y sont à faithe lus nids. Sèr étout est eune pliaiche spéciale; j’aime bein y’aller en êté quand il’ ont lus Fête dé Folk quand y’a tant d’gens là, mais hors saîson ch’est mangnifique. Ch’est la seule île ténèbreuse viyant qu’i’ n’y a pon d’veues la niet, tchi veurt dithe qué nou peut vaie la leune et l’s êtailes bein cliaithement – et les veues d’Jèrri au liain étout! Hèrme auve sa Grève d’Êcales n’a qu’eune hôtel et eune aubèrge.

Y’a eune aut’ île tchi n’est pon bein connue parmi l’s îles, ofûche viyant qué ch’n’est pon eune Île Anglo-Nouormande mais seulement Nouormande.

Ch’est l’île dé Chausé, tchi n’est pon bein grande – au mains à haute mathée. Dé siez mé, nou vait la veue la niet et l’pointu ou l’mèrtcheux par jour – ch’est d’même qu’les pêtcheurs supèrstitieurs pâl’laient du cliochi dé l’églyise l’temps jadis. Nou n’pouvait pon mentionner un cliochi en mé viyant qué chenna mèrtchit lé chînm’tchiéthe tchi ‘tait lié au mort. N’y a qu’les naviguants et les pêtcheurs tch’y vont souvent dé Jèrri.

Y’a eune chose tch’est un mio troubliante; si nou m’ttait Jèrri, Dgèrnésy, Auregny, Sèr, Hèrme et Chausé ensembl’ye, et si nou-s’ y ajouôtit les pus p’tites îles comme Brecqho, Liho, Jétho, Burho et Êcrého, jé n’sommes pon un grand pays. Chein qu’i’ nos faut, ch’est pus d’tèrrain, mais éyou en trouver?

Eune idée s’sait d’trouver eune île tchi n’est pon vraîment voulue par les cheins tchi sont en chèrge, qué l’monde né s’en vont pon mantchi – l’Île dé Witte! Même la compangnie d’téléphone BT n’sait pon qué ch’n’est pon dêjà eune Île dé la Manche. Dreinement il’ ont chèrgi un client tch’y phônit lé prix pouor l’s Îles. George Mortimore (84) lus explyitchit siêx fais qué l’Île dé Witte est eune partie du Rouoyaume Euni, mais nou li dit qu’i’ n’étha pon d’rêcompense sinon qu’ la compangnie trouvit la preuve qué ch’ n’était pon eune Île dé la Manche. I’ pathaît qué ch’est libre à nous d’en prendre et comme chenna, rêlaîsi nos Territouaithes!

Summary in English:

LET’S ENLARGE THE CHANNEL ISLANDS! As we all know, the Channel Islands are among the loveliest places in the world, each with its own special attraction.

Jersey has the best weather, of course, or at least the most interesting! Guernsey isn’t so busy, Alderney with its wild cliffs and the Gannet Rock, Sark – the very first Dark Sky Island, and Herm with its Shell Beach, but even if we add the only French Channel Island, Chausey, we’re still not a very big territory. However we could grow bigger by taking over a place that even BT doesn’t know is not already ours – the Isle of Wight!

They recently charged one customer who phoned friends there a Channel Island rate, and wouldn’t refund him unless they had proof that it wasn’t one of the Channel Islands! It looks as if it’s ripe for the taking!!

LANGUAGE, LAGER AND LATTE THEY say that drink loosens the tongue, and although the classroom has its place, it is much more fun acquiring or practising a language in a relaxed social setting. So if you haven't tried Jèrriais in the pub or in the café, there are two weekly organised, but informal, sessions anyone can join in with for free - although you do have to pay for your own drinks!

Every Tuesday evening between 5.30 - 6.30pm at the Adelphi in the Parade (on the corner of Gloucester Street), there is a session of pub Jèrriais. Join the table with the toad to have someone to speak to or listen to, and there is usually a vocabulary sheet or game to get even absolute beginners at Jèrriais off to a start.

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Every Thursday morning between 10.30 11.30am at Costa Coffee in Bath Street, there is a café and Jèrriais chat session. Native Jèrriais speakers and learners get together: some drop in from doing the shopping, some make it a regular date to meet with friends, and some come along to listen and learn.

CLASSIFIED SPRING 2017:Layout 1 26/03/2017 16:04 Page 1

RURAL CLASSIFIED COLLECTION Danny’s Property Care

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Picture Framer

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For Free advice on how to transform your pictures contact Michael at the gallery

Maison du Soleil Rue de la Corbiere St Brelade, JE3 8HU Tel: 01534 747473 Mobile: 07797 719744

Art

Materials Great selection of art materials for amateur and professional artists.

50% off canvases

Framing | Art Materials | Gallery 3, Victoria Street, St helier. Tel: 730279 www.victoriaartgallery.co.uk

PROFESSIONAL, QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED • Pruning • Lawn Care

• Plant Sourcing

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• Border Design

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Telephone: 07700831500 or 745965

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NEW SHOWROOM: La Rue d’Olive, St. Mary, JE3 3BJ T: 01534 483921 • E: info@vljfireplaces.co.uk www.vljfireplaces.co.uk

CELEBRATION OF 21 YEARS OF JANE FAULKNER ARCHITECT RIBA (JFA) 1996 - 2017

Website (new): www.jfa-architect.com 2017 Charities: Littlefeet Environmental & Anxiety.org

Should you wish to place an advert in RURAL please call Siobhan East on: 07797 726811

MIKE END PIECE SPRING:Layout 1 24/03/2017 21:06 Page 1

WHERE ONCE THERE WAS VISION Mike Stentiford has the last word NOT so long ago, in the early 1980’s, one of the most successful environmental achievements ever to occur in Jersey resulted in La Mielle de Morville receiving a Civic Trust Award.

This was an astonishing national accolade that rewarded the combined efforts of the States of Jersey and scores of supporting agencies, local conservation groups and individual volunteers.

The award clearly recognised that this particular northern section of St Ouen’s Bay, once so dreadfully degraded by human exploitation, had not only been sensitively restored to recreational excellence but, in doing so, had received overwhelming acceptance from Islanders as being ‘a special place.’

Further visionary restoration and conservation management in other parts of the bay proved equally demanding of time, effort and determination.

While the landscape in the north of the bay was disfigured by landfill and sand extraction, Le Quennevais dunes to the south proved an ideal ‘peoples playground’ - for vehicle access, sport, recreation, camping and for sand-boarding.

Realigning all of these activities with the new buzz-word at the time - conservation - proved a monumental task and a visionary challenge for the States Assembly.

And yet, following full and customary debate, members finally took the bold and courageous decision to finance the creation of a landscape that, as well as being fit for people-purpose, created habitats for the long term benefit of wildlife.

Once achieved, further recognition for other specific areas of the bay followed in quick succession with the sand dunes at Les Blanches Banques and La Mare au Seigneur (St Ouen’s Pond) both receiving official designation as Sites of Special Interest (SSI’s).

This was clearly a golden age of environmental enlightenment that now seems positively light years away from how we treat certain parts of St Ouen’s Bay today.

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Notwithstanding the continuing environmental improvements, care and detailed attention afforded the dunes and St Ouen’s Pond - by the States of Jersey and the National Trust respectively - some of the coastal strips and grasslands along much of the bay seem now in an embarrassing state of sad disrepair.

Without doubt, the prime reason for this most detrimental of modernday visual impacts is the haphazard informality of parking, a nonsensical amount of litter and dog mess and, in certain quarters, an almost general attitude of, who cares anyway?

It’s an evident reality that, being the hugely popular maritime ‘leisure-zone’ St Ouen’s Bay has truly become, an increase in unsocial behaviour and, in particular, dense and unsightly parking is likely to prove an ongoing issue.

And yet, only a half century ago, when environmental protection of the bay gained such high priority, a sense of pride and purpose dictated the creation of several discreet car parks that sensitively offered minimal impact on the surrounding landscape.

Bearing in mind all of the past prestigious environmental achievements in St Ouen’s Bay - its two heavily protected Sites of Special Interest, a national Civic Trust Award and, more recently, its major inclusion as a protected and ecologically important part of the Jersey National Park - one wonders why so many of the bay’s coastal areas are falling outside the remit of any protection or respect?

Perhaps we should remind ourselves more often of the glorious accolades and astonishingly strong vision once shown to this universally accepted ‘special place’.

If we did, then upholding and sustaining such visionary standards might sit more easily alongside all other present-day environmental achievements.

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If your budget doesn't run to a completely new kitchen or bedroom, a thing to remember is that La Haute Cuisine can offer a replacement door service which can give you a completely new look to a tired or out of date room.

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Project1:Layout 1 24/03/2017 12:53 Page 1

RJA&HS THE HEART OF RURAL JERSEY

Next Event

Summer Fair - 10th & 11th June 2017

Become a member and join us for a full programme of events

For everyone with a passion for Rural Jersey Royal Jersey Showground

www.royaljersey.co.uk

Follow us on: facebook.com/RJAandHS

Tel: 866555