ISSUENINE St Peter Port Christmas Lights Town Church News Inside My Time on the Bin Lorry! and much more... the place to go since 1956 01481 245596 [email protected] FOREWORD Hello and welcome to This issue includes an article about two issue 9 of The Townie. Douzeniers who joined the bin and recycling teams and were returned safely! We hope you will find this new issue a The Profile Team intends to inject new balance of interesting articles reflecting the ideas into Issue 10 and would welcome history and culture of St Peter Port and ideas that are of interest to you or articles some of the challenges that all of us have that you would like to submit. Please to face to make our Town vibrant and submit your articles to us to consider and relevant to the changing world around us. we will be happy to work with you. Tell us about your special events that we could This is an exciting year for the Parish floral put in the next diary or print an article, team. Building on the great work of the with pictures, about it. Britain in Bloom Gold medal success last year, it will be aiming for the coveted We are interested in your feedback and have introduced a Parish Matters page so Champion of champion status in the your views on the Town can be discussed summer. This should encourage all of us and published in issue 10 in the Autumn. to water our hanging baskets and clear any weeds from our gardens and paths! The Profile Committee members Issue 9 - April 2017 Cover photograph: Chris George Townie Sub-Committee: Keith Pike, Richard Harding, Jacquie Robin, Mary THANKS McDermott, Pauline Fath, Lisa Vahey, Tim Bush We would like to thank all those who kindly contributed articles also the Island Archives and Design/Production: Stuart Duquemin - HS Design Museums services and the Priaulx Library for Printers: Melody Press Printers their support. DISCLAIMER The Constables and Douzaine have no knowledge of the source or credibility of any information given in the articles by guest authors and printed in this issue of the Townie magazine, the information supplied by them is researched of their own accord. The Constables and Douzaine accept the written articles in good faith and do not accept responsibility for any errors, misquotes or misinformation contained within. The Townie 1 INTRODUCTION BY THE CONSTABLES Dennis Le Moignan (Constable) Jenny Tasker (Constable) Flat 4, Le Mont de Val, Vauvert, 12 Belmont Rise, Les Croutes, St Peter St. Peter Port, GY1 1NJ. Port, GY1 1PZ Tel: 725030 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 701528 In office until 31-12-19 as Constable E-mail: [email protected] and 31-12-18 as Douzenier. Chairman In office until 31-12-17 as Constable of Advisory, Moorings and Streams Committees. Member of Island and 31-12-19 as Douzenier. Member Emergency Planning and Street Lighting of Baubigny Schools’ Commitee, Island Committees. La Mare de Carteret High Emergency Planning, Advisory, Moorings School Representative. Nominal member and Streams Committees. Nominal of all other committees. member of all other committees. his year is proving to be an expensive one for the aving written about the walls at the Candie Parish. The cost of waste collection and disposal Cemetery in Upland Road for the last edition is rising considerably, and the future with the of the Townie, no doubt you will have been Tproposed States Waste Strategy is far from convincing. Haware that much work has been done since then and Costs will rise even further as recycling improves, as this with far greater excavation and rebuilding than had will further increase the cost of waste disposal. The cost been expected. It was most disturbing to be informed of recycling at the moment is over £1,000,000 and this that the wall was not solid granite, but merely a granite will also increase. skin! That has meant more time to carry out the necessary repairs as well as more expense. In due course, We have discovered serious faults in the Candie further panels (sections) in Monument Road will also Cemetery walls which revealed what a dangerous need to be addressed. condition they are in. This means some serious rebuilding work and serious money to ensure the safety Several complements have been received by the Constables about the work our ground staff have carried of the public who walk past them. out at the Brock Road ‘garden’. More is planned to Sadly it was necessary to take down the Monterey Pine be done to ensure that all is safe and its appearance trees in Upland road. They had become extremely enhances the area. dangerous having dropped very large limbs every year The Constables and Douzaine have to consider a since 2012. Luckily, this has not resulted in injury to number of issues regarding waste, as a result of the persons, but damage has occurred to the conservatory States’ acceptance of the Waste Strategy. Trying to of an adjacent house, with two cars damaged and a discover what the real costs will be has been impossible, crushed van. as yet, and that makes life very difficult for us in planning for the future rates which we will need to levy. We intend to replant with trees more suited to the area, It is most unfortunate for all our parishioners that the and to this end I have decided we should create a zone information is not forthcoming. of low allergy, insect and bird pollinated trees. The zone will include Candie Cemetery, Cambridge Park and There is an article later on in the magazine about the the three areas in Upland Road. This will create a far U3A. I have been a Convenor for that organisation for healthier zone, particularly for people suffering from Local History and one of the first visits my group made asthma, other breathing problems and pollen related was to see the refurbished Constables’ Office. Other allergies. The intention is that all future planting should groups who have visited are members of the WI, locals be done in this way and I have requested our Floral and visitors enjoying walks with Guernsey Accredited Group to take this into consideration when planting Guides, as well as various individuals. It is important anything new in the Parish. that parishioners, or other interested Islanders, are able to come and see how the property now looks and we We will be putting some of the lesser work (although are happy to arrange that - please contact the Office to important in its own right) on the back burner, as we make an appointment. are very conscious of the cost to our rate payers. We continue to do our best to serve the Parish and are happy to hear of any specific ideas you may have to The Constables are also members of the Douzaine. enhance our beautiful Town. The Townie 2 CONTENTS Foreword ............................................................................................ 1 Introduction by the Constables .......................................................... 2 Contents ............................................................................................ 3 Your parish Douzeniers ...................................................................... 4 Your parish Deputies .......................................................................... 5 What is happening in the office .......................................................... 7 Guernsey French phrases you need ..................................................... 8 Parish Matters .................................................................................... 9 What’s on 2017 ................................................................................ 10 Town Church News ......................................................................... 13 St Peter Port Christmas Lights .......................................................... 14 Channel Islands Air Search ............................................................... 18 Waste Strategy .................................................................................. 20 Floral Committee update ................................................................. 22 Schools Matters ................................................................................ 24 The changing face of St Peter Port .................................................... 26 Encouraging in children a love of language ....................................... 28 A message from our Latvian representative ....................................... 30 Dogs and democracy - Standing for the Douzaine ............................ 32 My time on the bin lorry! ................................................................. 34 My time on the recycling bin truck! .................................................. 36 U3A Guernsey ................................................................................. 38 Deutsche in Guernsey ...................................................................... 39 Guernsey Civil Protection ................................................................ 42 The law regarding hedges and streams .............................................. 45 Archaeological excavations in St Peter Port II ................................... 46 Le Cercle Français De Guernesey ..................................................... 50 Did you know? ................................................................................. 52 The Townie 3 Mary Mc Dermott DOUZENIERS Tel: 713441 Email: [email protected] In Office until 31-12-18. Member of Waste Investigative and Profile Christine Goodlass (Dean) Committees. Tel: 728847 Email: [email protected] In Office until 31-12-17. Mike Garrett Member