MOVE over Paris Hilton and Brooklyn Beckham, it’s time to meet Jersey Byles, an 11-month-old who has just had her first visit to the Island she’s named after.
Jersey is the newest addition to a family who have been coming to the Island for more than 60 years, so her parents only had one name in mind when she was born.
The Taylor family, from Oxford, first discovered the Island in the early 1960s and have always stayed at the Westhill Country Hotel.
The enduring association began with baby Jersey’s great-grandparents, who were guests not long after the hotel had been bought by Bobby Smale, who served as a Deputy in the States Assembly for more than 20 years.
The relationship between the Taylor and Smale families continues to this day, with the late Mr Smale’s son Jonathan now managing director of the Westhill, and Jonathan’s son Max joining the team too.
Jersey’s grandfather, Mark Taylor, told the JEP that the family had been a little surprised when daughter Libby and son-in-law Jordan announced the name of their daughter, but they immediately agreed that it was the obvious choice.
“All the kids having been coming to the Island since they were Jersey’s age and they absolutely love the place,” he said. “It is an unusual name, but it is a very special one in our family.”
He added: “My dad, who has now passed away, first came to Jersey when he was 18 with friends and I first came when I was 18 months old. We came for the same two weeks every August, and when I had children, they came too. We find ourselves gravitating back each time.”
A group of 19 of the Taylor clan have just stayed at the Westhill for ten days, including Mr Taylor’s six grandchildren: Jersey, Albie (3), Orla (9), Delilah (9), George (13) and Nia (21).
He said: “We tend to return to our favourite places: the Westhill has a lovely garden and pool so we spend a lot of time there; we love St Brelade’s Bay too. It’s always a relaxing holiday, especially if our prayers for good weather are answered. We don’t tend to go to too many attractions as we’ve visited them all before.”
Mr Taylor said he had seen a lot of changes over the years, and he was sad that today’s offering for tourists wasn’t how he fondly remembers it.
“Tourism has definitely dropped, unfortunately,” he said. “There used to be free shows on a Sunday at places like the New Mediterranean and the Sunshine Hotel. I used to love going to Fort Regent; I remember seeing Jim Davidson and Lenny Henry performing there.
“As I kid, the highlight of my trip was taking the cable cars to the Fort. It had a great amusement arcade, and you had Funland on the Esplanade too.”
He continued: “We used to enjoy going to TGI Fridays as a family but that has now gone, which is a shame. And we used to enjoy hiring the electric bikes, but they are no more as well.
“That all said, there’s no other place in the world that offers a traditional British holiday on such a beautiful island.
“A lot of guests at the Westhill have been visiting for many years, some of them longer than us. We have made friends with people who we met 25-30 years ago who we’re still in contact now. Jersey will always be a special place for us.”
Jonanthan Smale said: “It’s always a pleasure to welcome the Taylor, and now Byles, family back year after year. Watching the generations grow and return is incredibly special. This year feels especially moving with the arrival of little Jersey. It’s a wonderful full-circle moment.”
“For the family, Jersey is much more than a holiday destination. It is woven into their story: days of sunshine on the beach, afternoons by the pool, evenings spent enjoying the Island’s hospitality. So, when the newest member of the family arrived, it felt only right to give her the name of the place that has given them so much joy.”
