The sun finally came out, we marvelled at planet Earth and there was shock as Jersey Reds folded. Richard Heath looks back on September.
ON 1 September, the period which meteorologists define as autumn officially began. And just as it did so, summer returned from its extended holiday and treated us to a month of warmth and sun. Following a thoroughly wet and chilly July and August, we all dusted off the barbecues and dug out that bottle of suncream we bought back in May, as we basked in the hottest September since records began.
And when we weren’t soaking up the rays and heralding the return of the long-awaited beach and barbecue weather during the unseasonably hot month, we were marvelling at a piece of art designed to highlight the perils of… climate change. The magnificent Floating Earth – a ten-metre diameter replica of our planet created by artist Luke Jerram – drew thousands of us to Queen’s Valley Reservoir for what was one of the most memorable art installations for years.
Durrell’s chief executive, Dr Lesley Dickie, resigned in the wake of criticism in the national press over the Zoo’s treatment of animals and staff. The wildlife park made the headlines after a former employee said there was a culture of fear preventing staff from speaking out, and claimed that the sloths were being kept in inappropriate conditions. The JEP attempted to contact the Sloth Conservation Foundation, but they are notoriously slow to respond…
There was better news for the organisation, though, when bidders at a charity auction shelled out a lot of money for their Tortoise Takeover sculptures. Not Fast Food, designed by Donna Newman, topped the lots, fetching £26,000. And the Love to Run hare which accompanied the reptiles on the Islandwide trail went for a whopping £100,000.
The rest of us, though, were still working out how to pay our mortgage, bills and food shopping, as the cost-of-living crisis showed no signs of reducing to a mere challenge or even a minor inconvenience. There was, however, a glimmer of hope that the unrelenting misery may have peaked, as the Bank of England froze interest rates for the first time in two years.
A month wasn’t a month if there wasn’t at least a story or two in the JEP about the teachers’ pay dispute. And so, on 13 September this newspaper reported that chants, heckles and boos rang out in the Royal Square as striking members of the NEU and NAHT – and a fair few students – protested in the Royal Square as States Members arrived for that week’s sitting. The double-page spread showed the ill-feeling among those present, with one student brandishing a poster which either demonstrated his anger, or that he should have concentrated harder during his maths lessons.
In a year which saw its fair share of crime stories, the JEP reported in September that a man had been charged with grave and criminal assault following an alleged stabbing in a property on the Wellington Park estate.
And a teenager was charged with manslaughter after a 62-year-old man died following an alleged assault in Albert Street earlier in the year.
A 15-year-old boy received the shock of his life after being sent a tax demand for almost £40,000 – and was threatened with the prospect of legal action if he didn’t pay up. Revenue Jersey confirmed that the claim – which related to tax assessments dating back to when the boy was 11 – had been issued in error, and apologised.
The sun was shining, the days were still long and there was plenty of fun to be had at the many events and festivals held during the month. The Jersey International Air Display went ahead despite concerns that it would have to be pulled due to a lack of funding – and they even had some planes. Perhaps not as many as they used to have, but spectators still got to see the Red Arrows, the Carrefour own-brand equivalent, the Patrouille de France, and the magnificent Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, among others. St Helier was awash with colour as the Island hosted the Channel Islands Pride festival for the first time since the pandemic. And a host of writers, including acclaimed War House author Michael Morpurgo, descended on the Island for the annual Jersey Festival of Words.
In traditional fashion, a major government project was sent back to the drawing board after falling over some hurdle or other. This time it was the turn of the States-owned Jersey Development Company, which had its grand plan for transforming the Waterfront rejected by an independent planning inspector who said it needed a fair bit more work. And to make matters worse, the Determination Panel – comprising a handful of politicians – went even further, saying that a whole new application should be submitted.
The following day the whole Island was in shock when it was announced that Jersey Reds had gone into administration and was set to fold – just months after winning the Championship. It transpired that the club had received emergency government funding to keep it afloat – but it wasn’t enough and the club is no more.
And in a debate that showed that proper inter-island collaboration is still as unlikely as ever, Guernsey politicians took several swipes at Jersey, saying that the Island “will eat your breakfast and probably your lunch” if given the chance. The Sarnian States Members made the accusations – referencing Jersey’s apparent poor record on pan-island working – during a debate on whether both governments should get together over energy provision. Vividly summing up Guernsey’s position, one Deputy, Andy Taylor, said that Jersey had previously left his island “in something very smelly”.
