I’ve been doing Battle since I was 11 when my family entered their first float. I think the first float was Through the Eyes of a Child, which had a Christmas theme, and we cut the roof off a Renault car and had a reindeer and a sleigh and used a lot of hydrangeas. My dad was a mechanic and engineer and I remember getting to use my dad’s tools to work on the float.
How have you been involved since?
I’ve been involved with the Battle more or less every year since. My Mum led our family exhibit, Mary Bidan Family and Friends, for many years, but I took over the running of the float in 2010. In 1997 we entered No Place Like Gnome and we had Only Fools and Horses star Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) on our float dressed as a gnome. A lady who used to help with our float was very friendly with him so we got her to ask him if he’d like to be on our float. During the day parade he forgot to put sun cream on and he got so sunburned that he couldn’t take part in the Moonlight Parade.
What are you doing this year?
I am leading the Bidan Family and Friends team. We have a senior float called Pirates of Jersey, as well as a junior one, Robinson Crusoe Jersey. Our senior exhibit features a 30 ft pirate ship called Jolly Jersey Bean and there is a head of a whale at the front of the float with a blowhole that will be firing CO2. I think it’s the best float we’ve ever done. I will be on it dressed as Jack Sparrow. Every year our team raise money for a different charity. Last year we raised £350 for the Special Care Baby Unit and this year we have chosen Phillip’s Footprints.
What’s the best float you’ve ever seen in the Battle?
The Optimists Club’s 1995 float Spooky Express, featuring a Casper ghost train, was a great float – I loved the way it moved with the train going over the top, and it was quite a friendly float. I also loved our own float in 2012, Cinderella With A Twist, because that was when I proposed to my girlfriend Lesley Paton on the Battle arena. I was dressed as Prince Charming and she was dressed as Cinderella and nobody knew that the twist was the proposal. That was a fantastic day, my heart was palpitating.
Why do you love being involved with the Battle?
The Battle of Flowers bring people together from all walks of life. It is so colourful and brings the community together. As far as I’m concerned it is Jersey’s day, as it is a special event that brings the Island together.
