Agent Cliémentinne is a talented crapaud and member of the Special Toad Service, who has been recruited by Badlabecques frontman Kit Ashton to teach youngsters the song.
The pair, who want the Island’s children to help them preserve the native language, have joined forces for two videos on YouTube, and Mr Ashton will also be visiting schools.
The first video begins with a toad describing the history and development of Jèrriais. Agent Cliémentinne explains that the hundreds of stories, poems and songs in Jèrriais will inevitably be lost if there are no native Jèrriais speakers left. Mr Ashton joins the mission to help explain why Beautiful Jersey is such an important and meaningful song to Islanders and the language.
The second video features Mr Ashton and Clémentinne singing Beautiful Jersey together.
Mr Ashton said: ‘It is truly an honour to work with Agent Cliémentinne and to have been asked to help the Special Toad Service with this mission. It’s about time our local kids got the chance to learn this important song, and it’s really incredible timing too, as the project also happens to fit in perfectly with my PhD research looking at how music can help safeguard and revitalise endangered languages.’
Together with the Jersey Music Service and L’Office du Jèrriais, Mr Ashton has developed a project that will progress in two stages. The initial stage aims to teach the song to as many children as possible, which involves attending various schools with Gina McLinton and Katy Parker from the Jersey Music Service. The second stage involves a choir at the end of the spring term that will perform the song on Liberation Day at the street party in the Weighbridge.
The videos can be seen on YouTube either by searching Mission Save Jèrriais or by visiting the Badlabecques channel.
