IN Jersey Heritage’s Education Team, schools have a resource to help pupils discover – quite literally – the fabric that weaves the Island together.
Tahnee Blakemore leads this small four-person group of passionate people, who are keen to make sure that as many Islanders as possible – children and adults alike – have an understanding of our fascinating stories, culture, language, myths and legends, as well as its historic sites, including La Hougue Bie and Hamptonne.
Tahnee, who has a background is anthropology, has been part of the team for four years but recently became its head. Her vision is to expand Jersey Heritage’s varied offering into more schools but also to share the Island’s treasures with an older audience.
She said: “We worked with more than 13,000 students last year over 340 sessions but there are so many more opportunities to expand that further.
“We are definitely getting our feet more into secondary schools, which has been something that we’ve worked hard at trying to do because they are often more restricted with their timetables, and they can’t always come out to see us.
“The Jersey Identity project was the foot in the door that we needed, because we have a lot of the expertise and evidence in that area, including our Jèrriais officers. It is all about raising awareness of why Jersey is unique and we’ll be doing a lot more work on that in the next year with the anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror in 2027.”
Tahnee also wants to see her team move further into adult education and continue to showcase heritage-related careers, working in partnership with organisations like Skills Jersey.
The Archive has already hosted an ‘Insight Day’ – which offers a ‘day-in-the-life’ look at vocational careers – and Tahnee is keen to roll this out to other Heritage sites.
“I would like to develop more heritage skills, such as basket weaving and Jersey bonnet to keep them alive. Tangible heritage is a passion of mine, but so is the intangible: the stories, crafts and cultural aspects that we risk losing.
“I’m actually not a crafty person myself but I like to learn, and I’ve set myself that challenge.”
Although not a qualified teacher, Tahnee comes from a family of educators and has always been passionate about sharing knowledge and inspiring learning. She has also always wanted to work in a museum / heritage environment.
She said: “My background is in anthropology and evolutionary anthropology, which I studied at Durham, and I was also awarded a bursary to study Island biodiversity and conservation with Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies.”
Tahnee moved to the Island with her parents when she was ten. She went to Hautlieu before Durham and then worked in Malaysia for a year as a teaching assistant, returning to the UK to work in the education and visitor services teams of several museums.
Both of Tahnee’s parents are teachers, and although she didn’t want to follow them into the classroom, she still wanted to educate.
She said: “I grew up in Doncaster and we used to visit its museum a lot, and I just really just felt at home in that setting. I studied anthropology because I like understanding people. We did both cultural, biological and evolutionary anthropology, and my dissertation was about how we learn.
“Here, we get the best bits of teaching. I moved back to the Island to work at the Zoo as an education officer there, and then I became an ecologist because I was always passionate about conservation.
“It might appear a mixed background but, to me, it is about appreciating Jersey as a whole. Our natural history is woven in with our social history, and I think that breadth of interest gives me a stronger background.”
So, what exactly does Tahnee and her Education Team do?
She said: “We design and deliver sessions, such as class visits to our heritage sites, or school assemblies, talks and walks. Part of our programme includes a reenactment of the Battle of Jersey in the Royal Square, which is always good fun.
“I still get to do the really enjoyable parts of the job but I have more of a say behind the scenes now, which is trying to get that vision for the future.
“We deal with everyone from nursery to adults, which is fantastic and means that you often have to change how you talk to people. Our team loves that variety; it’s one of the best parts of the job.
“One morning, you can be playing with an early years’ session at La Hougue Bie, and then the next, you’re delivering a lunchtime learning talk on a topic of your choosing; it is very varied and rewarding.
Unsurprisingly, Tahnee’s team has a close relationship with schools.
“In Jersey, word of mouth is really important, so a teacher will like what we do, and then hopefully we can do it again and again for them, or they’ll recommend us to other teachers.
“We now cover more than 35 topics and we’re always looking for more. Teachers sometimes come to us with ideas, and we will work with them on that. Nurseries will sometimes take themselves around our sites, and we will share what we offer, such as taking dinosaur items into their classrooms.
“We trialled a new early years’ programme this year, sponsored by HSBC, and we’re hoping to roll out again. We hadn’t worked with that age group particularly before.
“We are also developing our adult education programme: we recently ran an informal drop-in session at Statistics Jersey, where we took a few cool, random objects, just to get people talking and asking questions.”
She added: “We just want people to appreciate where they live. I grew up here but I am discovering so much about this Island every day. Our aim is to be that friendly face that helps to share Jersey’s unique past.
“We want to extend our offering to corporate businesses, who perhaps want to do some teambuilding or other activities to bring their staff together. We can come in and do that for them.”
The topics that Tahnee and her team cover span time and space, from the neolithic to the wildlife of St Ouen. With her background, the paleolithic site at La Cotte in St Brelade is a favourite place but all Heritage sites have their rewards.
Recently, her team worked with JCG and the Archive to find stories casting a light on what it was like to be a female Islander in the Victorian age.
“There were lots of cool Jerseywomen like Lillie Langtry and Elinor Glynn, and we’re keen to make sure their stories are heard more,” she said.
“There are lots of Jersey examples in the primary curriculum which we can support. With secondary, we’re trying to inch our way in, and we did a really good job of that this year. Over the past three years, we have seen every school in the Island.
“We work closely with the Archive, so use some of the videos and photos they hold. We’ve got everything from the Battle of Flowers to Breton dancing. Food is another big thing that comes up.
“We’re all about the intangible as well as tangible heritage: we’ve got the physical buildings but it’s the stories, the culture, the language, the myths and legends that are equally important.
“Recently, my colleague Alice went into the Prison to teach about myths and legends in Jersey, and they’ve asked us to come back and do some more sessions. It’s been really rewarding to reach people who have an interest but might not have the accessibility to learn.”
The school trip – that activity which can generate memories that last a lifetime – is as important today as it ever was.
Tahnee said: “One of most popular outings is La Hougue Bie to find out about the Neolithic and Stone ages. We have pupils handling beautifully made replica stone and bone tools.
“We give them an overview, from Jersey-based evidence at La Cotte to the Neolithic; we give them a timeline through the different periods, and they can dress up, which is great fun. La Hougue Bie is an amazing base for that, as we have so much history crammed into one site.”
Pirates and privateers, knights, the Battle of Jersey, farming traditions, the metal ages … they are all topics that can be shared by Tahnee’s team.
She said: “We’re always trying to improve on what we do and make the sessions as hands on as we can.
“It’s about thinking of new ways to share our history, not just in the primary curriculum but also under the Island Identity banner or English secondary curriculum or PSHE. We want to support learning throughout someone’s whole career, from early years to adulthood.”
Tahnee has also founded a Young Archaeologist Club which is going from strength to strength.
“It is for eight- to 16-year-olds, which is quite a big age range, but they’re all just super passionate.,” she said. “They all have an interest in archaeology, and we help to not only develop skills but also experiences and opportunities in the Island.
“As an example, we spent a few days at the Iron Age Farm in St Lawrence, where we dug our own trench. We have a close working relationship with the Société Jersiaise and they have been especially helpful with the club.
“We now have more than 100 members, and I know several children who have said that they want to be archaeologists, and I firmly believe that they can be.
“We have many committed and enthusiastic students who ask really great questions. We also have some keen parents or guardians who are super-involved, including some with an archaeology background too.
“I am really proud that we can offer a free club like this that engages the next generation of archaeologists.”
In developing the YAC, Tahnee has successfully blended her passion with her career – and like the rest of her remit – that passion clearly shows.
