Credit where credit’s due – this is where we punch above our weight

From Chip Scott.

YOUR letters pages sometimes seem full of complaints about people, places and things that make up life in Jersey, so I wish to underline the up-side.

Last weekend, like many other people, I attended some of the Skipton Open Studios art events and exhibitions in town and scattered around the island.

While doing so, I met a group of German visitors who had been up at the Rose Show in St Martin, and were down at the Weighbridge looking at the exhibits.

They were quick to comment that we are very fortunate to live in an Island that is incredibly well stocked with so many people of considerable talent and ability.

Taking it further, it needs to be said that we owe a big debt of gratitude and appreciation to all the people involved, both artists and organisers, and especially folk like Sasha Gibb, the event co-ordinator, who give up their time cheerfully and creatively to make such things happen.

Along similar lines, although separate from the above events, the Steve McCurry photographic exhibition at Liberty Wharf is breathtaking. He is arguably one of the most important documentary photographers on the planet and is most known for his National Geographic work and magazine cover of the Afghan Girl.

Thanks are due to Rebecca Poynton, who not only was instrumental in persuading this world-class professional to give his blessing to a showing of his work here – no mean feat in itself – but also for helping in persuading the great man to fly across the Atlantic to be here in person to open the exhibition.

We are blessed on this small rock to be able to have so many top class events in our calendar. I won’t list them here, but an internet search with the words ‘Jersey’ and ‘events’ will bring up a host of happenings in sport, the arts, music and culture of such quality and quantity that any other community of our size would seriously envy.

We are absolutely spoiled for choice, and have all the visionaries and the movers and the shakers to thank for their efforts.

Our politicians are keen to use the expression, but I believe that these are all real examples of where Jersey can be honestly shown ‘to punch above its weight’. We should indulge ourselves and pat ourselves on the back occasionally and give credit where credit is due.I say thank you, one and all.