AFTER years of dwindling participation, one parish’s Battle of Flowers association will no longer be a feature of the event.
St Martin’s Battle of Flowers Association had not entered a float since 2018 – and the committee has now voted for its dissolution, with a final send-off set for next year.
The organisation has existed on-and-off over the years – its most recent iteration was formed by Percy Gicquel and Tom Marrett in the early 2000s.
But in recent years, the parish has struggled to put forward an exhibit.
For float-building, they used a marquee in the car park opposite the public hall – but this was vulnerable to the elements and was badly damaged in a storm one year.
Beth Gicquel, who is organising the association’s final send-off, blamed the slowdown in recent years on a combination of Covid and young members leaving the Island to go to university.
Battle of Flowers “is going through a difficult patch at the moment”, she acknowledged, adding: “That’s perfectly understandable, given what we’ve all been through in the last couple of years.”
Still, she hoped that “there will be a generation that grew up in the Battle when they were younger, who will think ‘I want this for my children’”.
She added that the association had been “a wonderful community”, with many St Martin families involved. “We had so much fun,” she said.
Battle of Flowers Association chair Russell Labey said it was “sad to see St Martin go”.
But, he added: “The good news is that St Martin are in talks of participating with Trinity, so their excellent tradition will live on and continue to be passed down. The parish had been kind enough to offer its Battle equipment to other exhibitors, he said, “so in a way, it will live on too”.
Black-tie event
St Martin’s Battle of Flowers Association are holding a black-tie ‘Final Hurrah’ event at the Royal Yacht Hotel on Saturday 27 April.
Anyone who has been involved over the years is invited to buy a ticket for £10 per person – either by emailing Eryn Filipponi at finalhurrah@outlook.com, or in person at the committee’s final meetings.
