Big plans for the Harbour, no plans for the Fort, a burning meteoroid and some goose-surfing in St Ouen’s Bay. Richard Heath looks back on February
NOT only is Jersey officially the best Channel Island… but in February this year it was once again crowned the sunniest.
Data provided by weather boffins from the UK Met Office showed that this little golden isle had been blessed with 2,420 hours of sunshine the previous year. And what made this story so much better is that despite being just 20 miles or so from our sun-kissed shores, Guernsey couldn’t even make it into second place. That spot was taken by Preston (no, not the city up north, but the little village near Weymouth in Dorset). Guernsey limped home in third, after savouring all of the 2,117 hours of sun which it had been rationed the previous year.
And even when the sun went to sleep, the sky still gave us something to marvel at. On the night of 13 February, a meteoroid burnt up as it crashed through the Earth’s atmosphere over northern France.
A wildlife photographer, meanwhile, snapped something equally as amazing as the sight of a flaming piece of space rock… a peregrine falcon hitching a lift on the back of a goose. John Ovenden watched in amazement as the falcon landed on the bird and rode it for a few seconds – before jumping off, “eye-balling” it and flying away. But while Mr Ovenden and fellow photographers at the Scrape wetlands in St Ouen’s Bay were shocked by the impromptu goose-surfing, the load-bearing bird apparently remained cool, seemingly unperturbed by its unexpected passenger. “I don’t know why it did it – perhaps it had seen the new skate park and thought ‘I’ll have a go at that’,” said Mr Ovenden, whose picture went viral.
Indeed, earlier in the month, hundreds of Islanders, and perhaps an inquisitive peregrine falcon, had attended the official opening of the new skate park at Les Quennevais Sports Centre. During the ceremony, Deputy Lucy Stephenson said she hoped that the new park was “just the start of investment in our urban sports facilities”.
But while there was good news for skateboarders, there was bad news for the thousands of people who use Fort Regent, after Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet announced that the previous government’s plans for the leisure centre were being shelved. Only a year earlier it looked as though the crumbling facility was set for an exciting future, with plans for a casino, hotel, conference suite and bowling alley. Ministers even donned hard hats and went for a walkabout at the site to show they really meant it and that the sudden interest in the long-neglected facility was definitely not connected to the impending election. But having assessed the proposals, Deputy Binet said they were simply “unfeasible”, which is politician-speak for “there’s no money left for this”.
At least Ports of Jersey were getting on with things, though. At the end of the month, major plans to transform the Harbour were revealed. If given the go-ahead, the Elizabeth Terminal would be demolished and replaced by a snazzy new curved building, freight-handling capacity would be increased and the whole area would get a bit of a makeover.
And plans to build almost 250 Andium homes on the Ann Street Brewery site were finally approved. The decision was welcomed by the Housing Minister, as well as the many Islanders finding it increasingly difficult to buy or rent amid the escalating cost of living.
Although many young people moan about not being able to afford anything, some were finding they could still shell out £15 on a can of pop. Prime – the new must-have energy drink – arrived in Jersey after being launched by a couple of YouTube celebrities you’ve probably never heard of. Anyone who fancies sampling it will be pleased to know it has now reduced in price (but don’t drink it before bedtime, as it contains as much caffeine as about five espressos).
Two Islanders who would probably have relished cracking open a can or two of Prime were Steve Hayes and Peter Wright, who successfully rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. The pair spent almost eight weeks at sea as they took part in the gruelling Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, described as “the world’s toughest row”. When asked what their next challenge was shortly after arriving in Antigua, Mr Wright joked: “I’m taking up lawn bowls.”
As two weary Islanders wound up on a Caribbean coast, Jersey’s beaches were awash with nurdles. Thousands of the tiny pellets – which are melted down to make a range of products – were discovered along our coast. They are regarded as one of the worst – and most common – types of marine pollution, with billions of the pellets believed to be contaminating oceans after being dispersed from containers which have fallen off ships.
A paralysing disease was confirmed as the most likely cause of the deaths of more than 100 cows from a Jersey dairy herd. The Island’s chief vet said test results from samples of feed eaten by cattle at Woodlands Farm in St Helier in December 2022 showed evidence of botulism – which is caused by a toxin-producing bacteria – killing the vast majority of the ‘group A’ herd within a few days.
Three people were taken to hospital after a car mounted the pavement and struck several pedestrians in Colomberie. The driver – who was over the legal alcohol limit – was later jailed for 2½ years.
Following Storm Ciarán last month, we have perhaps all come to value the importance of trees. And back in February, an artist went to the trouble of making them look really pretty at night. The magnificent specimens at Howard Davis Park (some of which are sadly no longer with us) were illuminated in a range of colours for the Dreaming Trees event. “The aim of Dreaming Trees is to get people to look at trees in a new light, literally,” said Bruce Labey, senior operations manager of parks, gardens and cleaning services. And it did indeed, successfully drawing thousands of people to the park for the Island’s very own winter illuminations.
