“THERE is so much more which could be happening here,”according to the newly appointed chair of Jersey’s literary festival, as she urges the importance of prioritising arts and culture to stem “brain drain”.
Lucy Cotter was announced as the new chair of the Jersey Festival of Words this week.
She takes over from Jennifer Bridge, who has nurtured the festival through nine successful years since it was launched in 2015.
Miss Cotter, who is the subject of the Saturday Interview on pages 10 and 11 of this weekend’s JEP, has spoken out about her plans to continue growing the festival into something that “everyone on the Island can benefit” from.
She said: “That is whether they come to the event, whether they have trade going up in restaurants and bars, more people going to the shops. It would be fantastic for it to be an Islandwide festival, even more than it is now.”
Miss Cotter spent a decade as arts and culture correspondent for Sky News before moving to Jersey 2½ years ago.
She said: “In my role as arts correspondent, I spent years talking about how important arts and culture is, covering cultural projects, amazing exhibitions and artistic initiatives. It was very rewarding to highlight the huge joy they brought to people as well as the benefits in terms of health, wellbeing, education and business.
“It’s such a privilege now to be involved in something like this, because culture is so important. It inspires us all; it’s one of the great things for mind and body.
“I’m originally from Manchester, a city whose visionary leader for many years was Sir Richard Lees, and he put culture pretty near the top of his agenda. During his tenure, he transformed Manchester from a struggling post-industrial city into a thriving metropolis.
“He believed to stop the brain drain, to keep young people in the north and encourage more young people and professionals to move to Manchester, he had to put culture at the heart of the city.”
Recent population reports show that Jersey saw a net loss of around 2,000 Jersey-born or qualified people of working age in 2021 and 2022, leading some to dub the outward flow a “bean drain”.
“There is so much more that could be happening here,” she continued. “I’ve met some absolutely amazing, creative people, and there is a desire to change things.”
