The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 2


The sky at night

This is perhaps the best time of year to see the Milky Way stretching across the sky, if the sky is really dark with no moonlight.

The Milky Way's band of countless stars is our own galaxy and extends from the northeast to overhead and down towards the southwest. It passes through the constellation of Cygnus, also known as the Northern Cross, now about overhead, and close to the bright star Vega which is also almost overhead at present.

The Milky Way is like a huge wheel of stars rotating in space, with our solar system quite a long way out from the middle. We can look outwards where there are less stars, or inwards to the line of the Milky Way towards the core or hub of the galaxy, which is why we see so many stars in that direction.

The planet Jupiter has been very prominent in the southern part of the sky during the summer evenings, and can still be seen lower in the west before disappearing for the time being below the horizon.

Another planet to look out for is Mars, just starting to appear low above the eastern horizon in the late evenings. Mars will not be quite as close this time as it was about two years ago, but will be in better view as we move into the autumn.

The Perseid meteor shower, the most reliable of the annual meteors, should this year be very favourable with little moonlight to brighten the sky. The meteors will be at a peak around the night of August 12th. With up to 80 meteors an hour sometimes recorded, some will be just a streak of light while others can be more spectacular, leaving a bright trail in the sky.

Sayings

If everything is coming your way, then you are in the wrong lane!

Few people blame themselves until they have exhausted all other possibilities!

The evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening, and then proceed to tell you why it isn't!

A lot of opinions that are expressed should have gone by slow freight



On your bike!

Local man Steve Bichard opened the very successful Adventure Cycles at Grande Rue, St Martin, five and a half years ago and it has now become an integral part of village life.

Many photographs have been taken by tourist and locals of the decorated bike that sits on the wall outside.

The shop was a brand new building built on land owned by the Ruette Braye garage. Steve managed to secure a lease before the building was finished as he had been looking to move his cycle shop from the Venture Garage in St Peter to a more prominent location.

The new shop was blessed and officially open by one of St Martin's well know cyclists, the Rev Richard Bellinger, assistant Curate at St. Martin's Parish Church and another well known local character and cyclist, Richard Cohen is also a regular customer and can often be seen cycling past, ringing his bell and calling out to the staff with his own unique turn of phrase!

Steve Bichard is no stranger to St Martin as he lived in the parish between the ages of six and twelve. He well remembers going in to Taylor's bike shop, which was where the old Co-op was, and Tostevin's Cycle Shop that was on the St Martin's Garage site.

`Life was so much slower back in the 60s,' he recalls, 'and parents never used to worry about us cycling to school. There seemed to be more little shops dotted around St Martin's, like Drinkwaters which is now the Guernsey Lighthouse, Sampson's shop at the bottom of Rue Jehannet estate, Dodd's Store next to the Boxing Club in Saint's Road and another little store on the corner by the Barberie Hotel.'

He was taught to swim at Saint's Bay by Paul Birtwhistle.

`He used to run the 'whoopee' floats in the long summers that we used to have. Or maybe time just did go slower in those days!'

`We used to sit for hours making barrages where the stream used to run down from the top of the beach, while Mum and Dad had a pot of tea carried down from the kiosk in an old tomato chip basket, and sandwiches which Mum had made at home. There was no way we could afford shop-bought sandwiches in those days, but we usually got a blackcurrant Mivi ice-lolly as a treat if we were well behaved.'

St Martin's parish had so much to offer: the beach, the harbour, the fantastic cliffs, and woods where the children could make dens.

`Our parents had to round us up for tea at six as there is no way we would have been stuck in front of the TV, and of course computer games were not even invented.'

The highlight of the year was the South Show but Steve's sixpence pocket money didn't go far, so they used to search for coins under the crown and anchor tables, and it was amazing how much money they found, all to be spent on candy floss, toffee apples and Coke.

The Co-op van turned up weekly at the Rue Jehannet Estate where Steve used to live and his Mum used to get a lot of her groceries from the van - such a difference to shopping in the smart new store. But in common with many other families, the Bichards didn't own a car when they first moved to the area, so the van was a great benefit.

The estate was brand new and everyone took a pride in their new house, and it seemed even more spacious as there were hardly any cars about.

`Walking to school was a pleasure along Saint's Road, unlike now when the older I get, the narrower the roads seem to be!'

Steve likes to put something back into the community around his business and old stomping ground, and to do his bit for Floral Guernsey. Every year he donates a cycle - this year it was two children's bikes - for auction at the parish Floral Guernsey fund-raising event, Another Blooming Good Evening. He really enjoys this event and usually invites a few customers as guests.

Last month 30 St Martin's School children turned up with their teachers to ask questions about the shop for an advert designing competition. 'They were so well behaved,' said Steve, 'and asked some very intelligent questions for ones so young. I was tickled pink by one of the adverts that featured a cartoon character with no hair, glasses and moustache! I can only say that it bore a stunning resemblance to me!'

As a true Guernseyman Steve is not always happy with the changing face of Guernsey and he in fact led the march to save Belle Greve Bay in 1993, but he realises that Guernsey must evolve to keep its very good standard of life.

`I also feel that large companies should not dictate the way the island evolves, and that the needs and wellbeing of true islanders, young and old, should always be a priority.'

Pauline Torode

A bird in the hand

A few years ago I was asked by the parish to supply and erect a number of small nest boxes in part of the wood in Moulin Huet valley. I obtained 12 -15 boxes of three designs which can attract different species depending on how they are fitted. It was hoped Blue Tits, Great Tits, Short-toed Treecreepers, Robins and possibly spotted Flycatchers would use the various options.

On other properties where boxes have been installed, over half are normally used each season. This would seem to suggest that in many cases, the only factor limiting bird populations to current levels is the availability of nesting sites. This has been further proved by the massive efforts of Vic Froome who supplies larger boxes.

Barn Owls and Kestrels have taken up residence in these large, expensive boxes throughout the island. In some cases, it would even appear that less than ideal natural sites have been abandoned in favour of the artificial homes. In one garden, a box was erected on a Tuesday and when the owner went up on the Saturday to put in a lining of woodchips, a Barn Owl flew out. That's desperation!

You cannot put up too many boxes. The only effect of saturating an area is that a large proportion will be unused but no harm will come of it. Birds will often use boxes for roosting in the winter too, making artificial homes even more important. Up to three-quarters of the boxes on a property could be used in this way, providing a lifeline, particularly to small birds during the difficult months.

In these times when many gardeners like to have everything neat, tidy and weed-free, it is not just the huge number of cats in the island which is having a negative impact on birds and other wildlife. The loss of suitable habitats has taken its toll and continues in many subtle ways.

If there are no nettles in your garden, there will be no breeding Red Admiral butterflies. If you spray for aphids, don't expect to see many ladybirds. If you poison slugs, don't waste time trying to hear a Song Thrush singing at daybreak. If you poison rats and mice, don't be surprised if you don't see Barn Owls in the headlights of the car.

House Sparrows have declined over recent years but can they get under your gutter to make their nest? Probably not - how about trying a nest box for them?

Of course nest boxes are just one way of helping wildlife. There are many others, such as making a pond, leaving some grassy corners to grow long for a season, planting native trees and bushes and creating a compost heap. If you would like ideas, La Société Guernesiaise is always happy to help with any requests for advice.

Jamie Hooper



St. Martin's moorings

When it comes to spectacular views along cliff paths, lined with a variety of wild flowers and inlets, beaches and safe anchorages for visitors and locals to enjoy, St Martin's takes some beating. The parish coastline is truly magnificent.

The welfare of the major bays is the responsibility of elected representatives, answerable to the Constable's Office, whose job is to supervise the boat moorings. Their combined knowledge ensures that there are few problems.

Half of Fermain Bay is in St Martin - the other half comes under St Peter Port. Gary Thoume looks after Fermain and some l4 moorings in Bec de Nez. The moorings committee for Saints, Petit Port and Moulin Huet are Ian Browning, Geoff Le Gallais and Alan Bonnel.

Fermain has parking restrictions, and reaching Bec de Nez involves a long walk through the fields and down the cliff path. Saints, with its own parking area, is the most popular mooring, and fishermen or pleasure boaters have very little distance to carry equipment or a fine catch after a day's sport.

Rex Bonnel, who lives opposite Les Douvres Hotel and who is the 88-year-old father of Alan, recalls spending every summer holiday at Saints with his two brothers, Arnold and Noel, fishing off the breakwater or the pier. In those days the twisting path to the bay was little more than a rough cart track.

Rex's father Walter would work in greenhouses until 8pm, then the two of them would row to Jerbourg and Moulin Huet to pull their pots for spider crabs. In his later years, Rex and his friend Reg Pearce would take their own boats out to fish, each looking out for the safety of the other.

Alan Bonnel was about six when he started fishing with his father and grandfather and his detailed knowledge of the area has developed over the years.

'We keep an eye on all the bays in the parish. Saints is recognised as an anchorage for visiting boats, but we have to watch that they don't pull up the anchors of other boats or get stuck on the telephone cable that comes ashore from Jersey,' he explained.

`And there is a big rock, uncharted and not seen at high tide, and we've had a few unwary visiting boats bump on it, but nothing serious.'

There were up to 30 small boats with moorings there before the storm last July, when many of them were lost and haven't been replaced. There are currently only 15 small craft now, hauled to shore on an endless rope loop secured to a 'bulls eye' submerged wooden block.

There are around 11 larger boats of more than 16ft, and these need punts or dinghies for shore access. These more substantial craft are on span moorings with two permanent seabed anchors fore and aft and an upright rope to the boat.

These boats make a picturesque scene on a fine summer's day, but in the winter the larger boats make their way to safer berths in St Peter Port marinas, while the punts and the smaller boats are hauled out using the winch on the slipway

This is one of the few bays where the moorings are not tidal, so the punts and dinghies are always afloat during the summer season. The moorings are free, and newcomers need to apply to the Constables' Office. There is no waiting list at present, and existing permit holders have to make use of their mooring within two years or lose it.

Saints had its share of excitement in 1967 when the 9,700-ton President Garcia, mistaking her route around the island, ran aground there with a cargo of copra, as many parishioners will clearly recall. She was damaged but successfully refloated within a week, without a single small boat being lost in the drama.

The original harbour had been constructed quite close to the present facilities, but was destroyed in the first gale after it was completed.

With the generosity of Charles Le Feuvre, Seigneur of Blancheland between 1854 and 1867, the present harbour was constructed for the use of the fishermen of St Martin. There is a granite obelisk commemorating the deed, which was partly damaged after German occupying forces threw it into the sea, but was rebuilt with as much of the stone that could be found.

A less obvious memorial can be found pencilled on the beam in the 'vote' -Guernsey-French for a cave or a vault -where the winch is housed, written by the late Maurice Thoume, to 'our dear mate Walter Bonnel', who lived on the Jerbourg Road, and who died on the steps at Petit Port aged 79 in 1964.

Pauline Torode




Parish Matters

There are occasions when familiarity, quite innocently breeds, if not contempt, then a capacity to put things to the back of the mind.

The St Martin's War Memorial, to those who fell in the First World War, is a case in point. When it was unveiled on October 28th 1923, on an important crossroads in the parish, on land donated by the de Sausmarez Family, it was a focal point for people to visit, and to have as a reminder as they passed on their daily duties.

Naturally as the years have gone by these personal memories have been replaced by the historical perspective, but it would be wrong to assume that there are no longer families in the Parish who still remember a fallen relative and who would welcome a quiet moment of reflection on occasions.

And there lies the problem. This piece of land now commands the most dangerous roadway in the Parish, on a corner that conceals a constant stream of fast moving traffic. It is only if you attempt to get to the memorial that you realize just how dangerous it is to try

Well, if there is a problem, there must be an answer. Clearly there is. We can move it to an area appropriate to its purpose - to be seen and to invoke the positives of heroism and bravery, or just quiet reflection.

Until recently no obvious site presented itself, but now the development of the Community Centre has altered the perspective and possibilities of the site. It now presents a nucleated site which is built with the service of the community in subject to the agreement of the church, and possibly planning procedures, for a small contemplative garden of remembrance with the cross at its centre.

The Memorial is still visited today, by a church parade on Remembrance Sunday, by the school and by relatives, gardeners and the occasional historian. To do this these people are risking their own lives. Is this what these brave soldiers would have wished?

If, on reading this, you believe the plan has merit, or if indeed you believe the opposite, could you communicate your thoughts either by phone, letter or e-mail to the Constables' office so that we can judge the feelings of the people of the Parish.



Natural Healing

Apart from the instinctive joy that Nature brings us, it can also be a powerful healer in times of sickness.

This I discovered for myself some years ago when I developed a long-term illness. I suffered with an ever-increasing number of chronic symptoms, which had built up over several years. It was only after many failed courses of antibiotics that I became so exasperated that I decided to try a more natural path of healing. After following a few simple steps in basic nutrition i.e. some adjustments to my diet together with additional intakes of certain missing nutrients, I began to feel my natural energy return.

I had truly forgotten how fantastic it was to feel this alive! Complementing the newly restored vigour, I noticed my health problems slowly slip away into the past. With limited knowledge but positive experience of the power of this healing, I began to study and eventually qualify as a Natural Nutritionist.

The good news is that healthy living does not have to be arduous or life-changing. Armed with a little awareness of how the body works (understanding what causes it stress and what can be supportive to its functioning) can allow us to make significant improvements to our well-being.

Simply by increasing our daily intake of water will immediately give us more energy, as well as improving memory and intellectual capacity. A documented experiment carried out at Loughborough University illustrates this perfectly: Two football teams trained for 120 minutes. Only one team was given water to drink during the entire session. Towards the end of the training period the players on the team that abstained from water became dehydrated, and therefore were making continuous errors. However, the players on the team that had been allowed to re-hydrate with water were still very much on the ball!

As well as additional nutrients, we have many wonderful herbs that have been created in order to support us. These can be used effectively in times of illness (health crises) or just for general maintenance. For example, Milk Thistle will aid and strengthen liver function, Agnus Castus helps with hormonal imbalances, Ginkgo Biloba improves circulation and memory, and of course Echinacea boosts the immune system in times of stress.

The body has been perfectly designed to keep us in good health throughout our lives. However, there is no doubt that the fast pace of modern life and high levels of man-made pollutants do eventually take their toll. So why not help yourself along the way with a little daily Natural Nutrition?

For more information, please contact Moira Le Huray



Here comes Postie

I must have been about five or six years old and in those days postmen never wore shorts but wore a uniform with a peaked cap and rode bikes with a sensible carrier in front, sufficient to carry all their delivery - not like those silly little tea-trays they have now! And - it was always the same postman. He had no need of post codes and the like. He knew everyone personally.

At such a tender age as I was, the arrival of the postman was an exciting event and if a letter was expected, one would look out of the front gate at about his usual time to see if he was in the vicinity.

Then it was a case of waiting impatiently while he popped in and out of gateways further up the lane until he came level with our house. Once that close, the question was - what is he going to bring

out of that big bag? Yes - is it? - yes - it must be - it is! - it's a rolled up package! Once again Mr Postman delivers the goods!!

It did not even occur to me to wonder who this kindly benefactor was. All I knew was that every so often kindly Mr Atkins in his smart uniform would produce a roll of comics from his bag. I did not even question the fact that they were rolled up in a used envelope. Only now do I wonder where did they come from? Was it Mr Postman himself? His own children?

We will never know. One thing I do know - it could not happen now. There's bound to be a law forbidding it but one small act of kindness made a lasting impression!



Seasons of mist

As I write these notes a mixed weather June has slipped into a damp and foggy July; the central heating is on and the strawberries are rotting in the garden. Not much of an advert for grow your own !

However, it is not always like this. Guernsey, in fact, has an excellent climate for the soft fruits in particular. We get very little late frost and provided a fruit patch is protected from cold spring easterly winds, an annual crop is virtually guaranteed.

As soft fruits are not very tall growing they also get some benefit from any convected ground warmth.

So far as soils are concerned, any deep, well drained and manured ground will do very nicely. None will tolerate bad drainage.

Success therefore, starts with thorough preparation and now is a good time of the year to finalise the site, finish the previous cropping and organise the preparations so that planting can take place during the autumn if possible. It is most important that any perennial weeds such as bindweed, couch, ground elder or mare's tail are eliminated before planting takes place; after planting this task is much more difficult.

One of the beauties of home grown fruit is the looking forward to the different crops in season. Also Guernsey (St Martin's) grown fruit will always be fresher, taste better and do you more good both physically and mentally than fruit that has Air Miles on the clock.

Do sit down and make a plan of the patch to scale if possible. This will help enormously as you will be able to determine fairly accurately the type of fruit plants and numbers before ordering. We have several good nurseries locally and provided you only want run of the mill varieties a quick early visit should procure your needs.

If, however, your choices are more specific, I recommend that you visit the garden centre as soon as possible, so that a specific order can be made up and sent for. (No local centre propagates its own stock for sale). Rare choices of varieties etc., may need to be ordered 12-15 months in advance of the proposed planting date.

So, what is worth a try, even for a small garden? Strawberries can be very successful, even in peat modules. Gooseberries and redcurrants can lie trained against walls or fences as can blackberries, loganberry and tayberry; blueberry (acid soil only) blackberry and raspberries need open garden to give of their best.

A word of warning. All this lovely fruit is very attractive to birds, so in the early years at least, some form of netting is essential. The bush fruits take a couple of years to come into worthwhile cropping but strawberries can be cropped in their first year.

Why not have a go? Then, in future years you too may be in a position to enter the South Show. This year the Horticultural classes are being held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th with entry night on Wed 3rd Aug, 7:30 pm at St Martin's Douzaine Room.

Whether you intend to show or not, just to grow, harvest and eat your own fruit will give you enormous satisfaction.

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak August/September 2005 - Part 1

St. Martin's boasts some of the finest scenery in the Channel Islands and our bays are unique and exceptionally beautiful.

In this edition, we briefly visit three of them and the waters that surround them. Hopefully, by the time you read this, Petit Port steps will once again be open, so that everyone can enjoy this most picturesque of bays - well, those fit enough to climb down 325 steps and then up again!

The Community Centre is really taking shape now. The walls are going up around the framework and it is possible to make out individual rooms. What an asset it will be to the community once it is completed and we look forward with anticipation to that next year.

We would like to hear your views on issues that affect you. Why not respond to some of the articles that appear in this edition, such as the South Show piece or the proposal in the article 'Parish Matters'.

We also look forward to one of the most traditional festivals of the church -Harvest. This year, it will be celebrated at Les Camps Methodist on 19th September and at the Parish Church on 25th, with a Harvest Supper and Barn Dance the day before in the Parish Hall.

We are constantly on the lookout for information about groups and activities, interesting people and events in and around the parish, so why not drop us a line or e-mail our editor and tell us about what you are doing or what you would like to see happen.

Don't forget, 'St. Martin's Cloak' is a magazine by the community for the community!

Ed



School news

The PTA at St Martin's has been incredibly active organising events to raise funds to develop a new 'outdoor classroom' and play area.

The playground at the entrance to the school has, until now, been a stark area of tarmac lacking in shade, greenery and floral displays. Visitors to the school have had to 'run the gauntlet', avoiding flying footballs, skipping ropes and netballs, as they negotiated their way to the front door.

In late July a UK playground specialist company arrived and began to erect a pagoda in the centre of the playground. It is hexagonal in shape with seating and an amazing story teller's chair. We hope that this will provide a wonderful seating for outside story time, circle times, drama or even art lessons.

The outer sections of the pagoda are shaped to form a star and mature trees, shrubs and flowers will be planted in the autumn to provide shade as well as an attractive focal point to the playground.

Soft matting has been placed between the points of the star so that the children can sit comfortably to play games such as Jacks, Connect 4 or good old fashioned marbles. Playtime will now provide more alternatives for non football enthusiasts.

We are very grateful to all the parents and sponsors who have contributed to this project and to the PTA for its tireless fund raising efforts.




Kept at bay!

Moulin Huet is arguably the prettiest bay in Guernsey, so it is good news that it is open again. A notice remains at the top of the steps, warning the public to keep away from the foot of the cliffs, and a glance upwards reveals many a lighter coloured patch where rock has fallen away.

Most of the instability is on the left of the steps as you descend. It has been disintegrating there for years. In fact, it seems to be by the slow eroding of the rock that the beach has been formed. The standing pillars of granite that still dot the sand bear testimony to this. It is what gives Moulin Huet its special character.

The cliffs, in many shades of ochre, are nevertheless capped by swathes of tenacious plants; too many varieties for a lay person such as myself to count, but graced by white umbellifers, sea-pinks and yellow stone-crop. Perhaps the prize for colour, however, lies in the caves of Petit Port, where the rich mineral ingredient leaves the walls splashed with purple and vermillion, rather like an artist's palette. As clear and open as Moulin Huet is rock-furnished, its sands offer generous open space at low tide.

 

At the time of writing, access to its steps is still barred. I was able to descend only as far as the first railing before being hailed by distant voices warning me off. They came from some men who were clinging to the cliffs on the Eastern side, held by slim hawsers and protected by hard hats.

I made my way round there by the path and was able to speak to them as they regained the comparative safety of the cliff-top. I was told that the work was going very well. They had cleared away the loose stuff and stabilised the rest. They were now replacing the broken steps and, all being well, should be finished in `three to four weeks.'

That means that, thanks to their efforts, the beach might just be accessible to us by the time you read this bulletin.

Christine Le Poidevin

From the Rector

"Summer is upon us and once again the...”

Aagghh! It's so predictable! If I received a pound for every time a Priest began a letter in a those words, I'd be a millionaire. Mind you, it's not just Clergy who fall into the habit of predictability. Listen to any comment on TV from a politician or, come to think of it, a football manager and the well worn phrases and platitudes trip off the tongue: "I'm pleased for the lads..."

In fact, we all slip easily into patterns and phrases, rhythms and habits without thinking about them. Some of them are good and some of them are bad. The knack, of course, is to know the difference!

In many ways life is predictable. Routine provides us with a framework for living. Tradition gives us a sense of security and reliability. The great festival of Harvest, which we shall be celebrating towards the end of September, is a perfect example of this, reminding us of the predictability and pulse of nature. Yet, even this gentle rhythm is threatened by climate change.

Other forces play their part too to make our world and lives unpredictable. Those who travelled to work on the London Underground on the 7th July discovered at first hand, how unpredictable and indiscriminate life can be. 56 people were victims of it! It's not just the terrorist threat either: illness, bereavement, moving house, redundancy, childbirth, all add to that sense of never quite knowing what is going to happen next.

So what are we to do in the light of this unpredictability? When the London bombings occurred, there was a great sense of defiance from the public and one of the injured said: "Nothing will stop us from getting on with life or going about our business. You have failed to create terror from your terrorism".

That is one response and I admire the spirit of those whose lives have been affected by this tragedy. As a Christian, I believe God gives us security when all around is unpredictable.

King David proclaimed in Psalm 13: "My enemy will say, 'I have overcome him' and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love and my heart rejoices in your salvation".

He knew that no matter what life threw at him, he was in God's hands and that they were safe. Sometimes he clung on to that belief with his fingertips but in an unpredictable world, David trusted God for the future. Do you?

Enjoy your summer!

Mike Keirle




Community Centre update

The steel framework of the building was completed in June. The concrete surface for the ground floor and also for the floor above is in place apart from the area above the hall, which is open up to the roof. Block work has gone ahead and the rooms with their concrete block walls are clearly defined.

Early this month (August) the roof panels will be in position making working conditions unaffected by the weather apart from the tiling over the roof and outside groundwork.

The response to the raffle tickets is a great success and the donations which have, in some cases, accompanied the tickets are extremely welcome. We are dependent on donations and sponsorship for our Community part of the Centre (the Health & Social Services part is States funded) and it is the intention to maintain a good standard throughout, however difficult with limited resources.

It is a miracle that we have got so far through private generosity, but money is needed to cover the cost of fittings and furnishings and there can be no let up in fund raising. A chart of the monthly money or sponsorship received is in the Church porch on the right of the doors. Please keep supporting us, so that our new building can be a resource for the whole community!



South Show

Although the traditional South Show is no longer held under the spread of marquees in fields off La Grande Rue, the horticulture section is still flourishing, and for the second year will be held at St Martin's School on August 10th and 11th.

Entry night is very soon - on Friday August 3rd between 7.30pm and 9pm at the Parish Hall or the Constable's Office next door, and any parishioner who has a fine selection of fruit or vegetables, cut flowers or pot plants, is invited to take part at 40p per item.

The competition to win a trophy, certificate or a cash prize is open to people living in St Martin, Forest or St Peter Port, three parishes that come under the umbrella of the former South Show.

Apart from the outdoor produce, there are classes for jams and chutney, cakes and other cooked items, and homemade wine. The contest to produce the best sloe gin has always been highly competitive - much to the delight of the judges who enjoy a sip of each!

There is a section for children too, whose entries are just 15p for each item. Their classes include presenting vases of wild or garden flowers, painted eggs and pebbles, edible necklaces and the popular model garden made up in a box. For the older children there is a cookery section.

Competitors can start their set-ups from Tuesday afternoon and from 7am on Wednesday morning, August 9th and 10th, before judging begins at 10am. The shows are open to the public from 1pm to 9pm on the Wednesday, and from 10am to 8pm on the Thursday.

It looks unlikely, however, that the contests to find 'Miss Guernsey' and 'Miss Holiday Queen' will be held this year, but if sufficient organisers can be found, the popular event will be arranged later in the year and announcements will be made in the local media.

Richard Breban is in his second year as president of the South Show Association, and hopes that sufficient new people will be interested in joining to keep the show going in one form or another. He would be happy to hear from anyone wanting more information.



Yes, Minister!

The two ministers in St Martin's have a great deal in common. The Rector of the Parish Church, Mike Keirle, and the minister in charge of three Methodist churches, Paul Chesworth, are in their early 40s with young families and both have been in Guernsey for less than five years.

Paul Chesworth brought his wife, Liz, and two children Josh (14) and Abigail (12) to The Manse three years ago, having never been to Guernsey before. He had felt a strong calling to take up the vacant post here and accepted the five-year initial invitation that can be extended by mutual agreement.

Both his grandfathers were and his father is a Methodist minister, travelling widely within the British Methodist Connexion. Consequently Paul was used to the rather itinerant lifestyle of moving homes every few years, leaving Lytham St Anne's where he was born to live in Birmingham and Hertfordshire.

He married at 23, and after two years as a buyer and five in sales in the building trade, felt the call to follow in his father's footsteps. He trained at Wesley Bristol Theological College and moved to Derbyshire for his first appointment.

Before coming to Guernsey he has been in ministry for seven years in Bedford, and when the time came for him to move on, Guernsey was one of the choices he was given.

`I felt that God intended for us to come here - we just knew that it was the right move for us, and it has certainly proved to be my best-ever appointment,' said Paul.

He became one of a team of five ministers caring for 13 Methodist churches in the island. Paul divides his time between Les Camps, Rohais and the Mission at Carmel, heading a team of stewards at each church.

`I have spent my time on pastoral and leadership matters and, along with the lay leadership, have been working on a vision for the church's future. In my grandfather's ministry, there was barely time in those three years to learn everyone's names before it was time to move on.'

He is grateful for the dedication that went into the funding of a recent refurbishment of the church hall at Les Camps – some £250,000 to bring the well-used but dated area into a modern, bright and welcoming facility that is soon to be finished and will be rented out for all kinds of activities in addition to the church use.

`We run toddlers' group there every Tuesday morning, and that is extremely popular. I call in at some stage and gradually get to know the mums and the children.'

Weddings, baptisms and funerals of people who are not regular churchgoers tend to be held at the Parish Church, so Paul does very few except for his own congregation. He was with Molly Thompson of Torteval church, an island representative at the June Methodist Conference in Torquay, and part of the intense discussions during that week concerned the move towards closer ties between the Anglican and Methodist churches.

`I'm in favour of closer links if it makes the church more approachable to others, those people who are nervous to take the first step,' he reflected.

`St Martin's has a compact community, and our churches need to be community churches with growing congregations.'

His home in La Grande Rue, opposite the new M&S store, is also Paul's office, which means that he is on call most of the time, although he keeps Fridays as his day of relaxation.

`I love walking, and some lunchtimes I get down to Fermain and back to keep trim, but so often more important matters take up my time,' he said.

He used to belong to a light operatic society and also played the cornet in a brass band, but his musical activities these days are restricted to playing guitar in church or perhaps during school assemblies.

Guernsey has fulfilled his expectations of being a delightful and happy place for him and for his family, and he looks forward to a few more years of service here.

Look out in future editions of The Cloak for news about Lightbulb (Les Camps work with children and young people), and YAC (Youth After Church group).

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak - Covering the Whole Parish - April/May 2006 - Part 2

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak - Covering the Whole Parish - April/May 2006 - Part 2

Have a good laugh - it keeps you young!

Percy Chalker is 103 on April 23, and can't understand what all the fuss and attention is about.

`It's no big deal being this old, and I don't feel my age,' says Percy with a twinkle in his eyes.

In the warm and friendly surroundings of Longue Rue House, the residential home that has been Percy's home for the past 16 years, there will be a party and a birthday cake, and no doubt a good many cards.

He is a small man with a ready laugh, a great-grandfather with an extended family in the island and in Alderney and Jersey, who relishes his job of delivering the daily post to the 52 residents every morning.

Even operating the heavy double metal doors of the lift do not deter the oldest postman on the island!

Apart from arthritis that causes him some pain and discomfort, and consequently limiting his ability to walk distances, Percy hears and sees well, still able to read his newspaper without glasses in a good light. On a good day he will attend the Sunday services at Carmel Mission, and he likes the varied trips in the home's minibus or to go out with his daughter.

He wakes at 5am and spends some of his day in his comfortable room, but otherwise he enjoys the company of the other residents, particularly Joyce Hubert, who he affectionately calls his ladyfriend.

He was born, educated and worked in the Vale before moving to the home in St Martin, and remembers earning money after school with his brother Clifford by cracking stone in the Beaucette Quarry, when he was just 12.

`We left school at 13 in those days, and I worked in the tomato greenhouses for the Bichards,' he recalled. 'We didn't have time or cash for holidays in those days."

Percy was the fourth of seven children, and the only one still alive. His brothers and sisters were John, Elise, Clifford, Henry, Wilson and Rita.

Percy married twice and had two sons, John and Harold, and a daughter, Melva Stacey, by his first wife. Both the sons have since died.

He outlived both his wives and it was only after living for two years on his own, in his mid-eighties and with only a cat for company, that he felt the need for regular company.

`I was looking after myself just fine, but I didn't like the long winter evenings on my own. My brother Clifford was in here for many years and I used to visit him, so I thought it would be a good place for me too, and I was accepted soon after I applied,' he said. 'I remember that it was April 2 when I moved in.'

The lifestyle at Longue Rue House is relaxed and residents are encouraged to go out whenever they please. The rooms are comfortable - Percy has a television for his own use - and regular meals and snacks are served in a bright and airy dining room. There is obvious affection between the residents and the staff, and it would be difficult to imagine anyone being bored or unhappy.

`I watch the planes go in or out 4.om my room, depending on the wind direction,' said Percy, who is usually in his bed by 10pm, having put out his tablets for the following morning, and probably poured himself a bath and cleaned it out afterwards. He is a fiercely independent man.

`I can do everything for myself, although I do get a bit out of breath walking upstairs to my room, so I use the lifts instead.

`I'm never fed up with my life, and I like to have a good laugh - it keeps you young!'

He already has his message from the Queen to mark his centenary. Now he is looking forward to reaching 105, when he hopes there might be another message from her to frame on his bedroom wall.

Pauline Torode


For whom the bell tolls

My footsteps sounded hollow on the slim metal treads of the spiral staircase which wound its way tightly towards the upper reaches of St Martin's Church interior. I clung to the metal rail and did not look down. When the spiral could proceed no further, because of the slope of the roof, a wooden ladder completed the access way to the small door behind which our destination lay.

We are led to believe that people used to be smaller in past centuries. The dimensions of the room we found ourselves in bore this out. The present church was built in the 13th century and, though sections have been added or renovated, the tower is thought to be part of the original.

There are three sections. We entered the lower one and found it largely taken up by a wooden cupboard or cabinet, which housed the weights and the pendulum. This level bears the rather grand title of `the ringing chamber' because to the left of the door can be seen an unusual device for ringing the bells.

No easy rope-end to grasp and tug here; instead a six-foot diameter wooden wheel with metal teeth and a large handle takes up the whole of one wall.

Sidling round the cupboard, I was shown the stone arch of an old doorway, now filled in with random stone. According to the St Martin's Church Guide (price £1, to be found next to the font,) this used to be the old entrance to the tower, reached by a ladder from outside.

More rungs led upwards through a hatchway to the clock, a giant-sized version of a pocket-watch of impressive complexity, solemnly ticking away the unforgiving minutes. Since the quarter chime was due, we paused to watch a lever being slowly raised towards a 'bite' in a brass disc.

I felt slightly nervous, thinking of The Nine Taylors by Dorothy Sayers, where a man is driven to his death by proximity to the chiming of a huge bell. However, as the lever fell into place, there was merely a whirring of wires and a gentle ting-tong of the two smaller bells.

There are three bells in all, recast in 1735 by Frenchman J B Brocard and weighing 4481bs, 6771bs and 9471bs. They are housed in the third chamber, above the clock, and seem huge at close quarters. The tenor bell has a chunk out of its rim, but still functions perfectly. They are struck by hammers, thereby sparing the tower of any strain which the swinging would impose.

The church has five or six bell-ringers who are paid once a year. More are needed, though, especially for Evensong.

C Le Poidevin


Parish Matters

About a year ago, the idea of moving the War Memorial was floated, and it attracted a good deal of interest. The response was sufficient for those in parish office to prepare a plan of action.

'If the feeling of the parishioners were demonstrably in favour of the idea, progress could be made towards this aim.' Very cautious words these, because at no time, do I wish to suggest that decisions have already been taken. To develop this idea further I am using this widely read magazine to reach as many of the parish as possible.

I will try, as fairly as I can, to outline the arguments for and against this proposal, that have been received by letter, or by word of mouth and reported to the Constables or the Douzeniers.

The Memorial is on the site chosep by the Parish, and dedicated in 1923. It is clearly visible and well maintained, indeed a very attractive feature, as you exit Rue des Blanches. So why move it?

A number of people have argued that we should not interfere with the wishes of the people, who let's face it, lived through this horrendous war, which affected so many families in the Parish. The inference here is that we might be seen as meddling.

The strongest of these views have associated the argument to a superstitious feeling, of disturbing the rest of the dead.

Although understandable, this argument is less easy to sustain because this is not a grave, it is a Memorial, a celebration of bravery and sacrifice.

The perceived problem with the site is a modern one. If I was to ask you, the parishioners, how many of you have visited the Memorial in recent times, I suspect it would be very few. The fact is that despite its apparent well being, its site has become difficult and dangerous to access because of the proximity of traffic lights which keep up an almost continuous flow of traffic, on a blind, right angled corner. Believe me, it is a dangerous place to get to!

How many of you, the Parishioners would, be able to relate the names of the brave men who died in this war? Surely, if this is a celebration of their sacrifice, we should know who they are!

The question of moving the Memorial has been mooted in the past, but a problem was always that there was not an obvious site to move it to, which was appropriate to its importance to the Parish.

This has changed recently. The development of the Community centre on glebe land has freed up a possible prime site, which did not exist previously. This site would be easily accessible and remain in the heart of the community. It could be laid out to include benches for reflection, or simply as a quiet corner.

A small investigative committee was formed to bring these ideas together and to take them forward. This committee, which includes the Rev Mike Keirle, has identified a possible site. There are opportunities for discussion at future open parish meetings, but before this stage the committee needs a demonstration of support, or possibly rebuke from the Parish. This is a difficult concept because it must be shown that everybody, or as near to, has had an opportunity to say yes, or no.

To this end we have provided a poll slip for you, and your family, to indicate your support, or not, to the proposition on the slip. We feel this will give us a fair indication of the underlying feeling. This is a poll, not a vote but we think that the voting age of eighteen should be the eligible age for the poll.

It would be valuable and interesting for the schools to conduct their own polls. Please regard this as an invitation to return the poll slips. If the poll indicates a positive feeling, further plans can be discussed at the Parish Meeting to be held on Wednesday, April 26. If the poll indicates a negative feeling then perhaps well is left alone.




Tales of smuggling....

In 2005 a guided walk was started from Sausmarez Manor Garden down to Fermain Tea Rooms and it has proved to be popular and I learned more each time of the history of the valley and its buildings and the people who lived and worked there - not to mention the changing flowers and plants over the season.

I was helped initially by local historians Richard Strappini, Ann Woodington and Roger Berry and natural history expert Nigel Gee. When I took Nigel and Jenny Gee down to the bay in the early spring ,Jenny told me that she and her sister had

picked daffodils and violets for pocket money. These were then growing on the south side of the valley - now there are bluebells and primroses. Jenny also told me of the hidden house by the bay which I had been puzzled to see on old photographs.

Peter de Sausmarez has a deep knowledge of his family history and the Manor and tells many interesting stories, such as his family lending Victor Hugo part of the money with which to buy Hauteville House in October 1855. He paid it back within 3 years! Then of course, there are the stories of Le Grand Matthieu and his nefarious doings....

Both local people and those from elsewhere have come on the walk and what they have to say and their views on what they see has proved to be very interesting. A certain Deputy chose to come on the Walk and regaled us with stories about the doings of certain of the people with whom he worked and his views on John Wesley. Every week there has been something surprising and new.

Some who have come on the walk have enjoyed reading Elizabeth Henry's book, "No Place of Hiding" which is an exciting adventure story and a different view of the Manor and the Valley.

The walk called "Tales of Smuggling and the Iron Hand" starts on Easter Monday, April 17th at 2pm and most Monday afternoons after that until September. It is not steep but is sometimes a bit muddy.

 

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak - Covering the Whole Parish - April/May 2006 - Part 1

The Sunday Archive: St Martin's Cloak - Covering the Whole Parish - April/May 2006 - Part 1

I am writing this editorial in late March and it is absolutely freezing outside. The weather people tell us it is the coldest March in 20 years - well, you don't get an argument from me!

For all I know you are now reading this in early April, basking in warm sunshine. It just goes to show that you cannot possibly predict the future.

That was true of the first Easter too. None of the disciples of Jesus, who nearly all ran away in fear for their own lives as he was being executed, could have possibly realised what was going to happen next (despite Jesus telling them often enough!). They simply could not have envisaged a resurrection, let alone a faith that would span the world in the next 2000 years!

Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the fact that our future is secure with him.

Talking of futures, who would have predicted ten years ago that a magnificent Community Centre would be nearing completion on the corner of Rue Maze and Grande Rue? We wait with bated breath to see it in use. Having had a tour of the building, I can predict that it will be a great asset to the community. It really has so much to offer.

If you are an organisation that is part of St. Martin's Community, why not get in touch with us and tell us about yourselves. If you have an article or event you would like published, please contact the Editor. After all, St. Martin's Cloak is a magazine by the community for the community.

Ed

Going Green!

Sometimes it’s good to have a break from routine and do something a bit different. We decided to go green and swop the blue and gold school uniform for various shades of green for a day. This all came about through a real wish to make St Martin's School a more environmentally friendly place.

Every month the school creates enough rubbish to fill a large skip and this adds significantly to the Island's waste disposal problems.

When a 'Green day' was suggested to launch a recycling drive, the children were full of ideas for what we could do to reduce our waste and become a greener school.

Year 4 visited the land fill site at Mont Cuet and the recycling depot at Bulwer Avenue. They came back full of horror stories about the mountains of smelly rubbish we produce and a real understanding of Guernsey's waste disposal problem.

Miss Bougourd's class put on a wonderful assembly to educate the whole school about recycling (with a guest appearance from the Wombles). The children's School Council organised recycling bins for each class and a cake sale to raise funds for a school composter. We are now looking for other things we can collect to recycle to add to our current list:

• Stamps and postcards for the Leprosy mission's fund raising
• Computer ink cartridges - sold to a company to be refilled
• Waste paper for Mayside recycling Milk cartons as paint pots in the Infants Recycled materials for 3D art work
• Old 'Wave' telephone books collected to raise funds for the school
• Old/ broken mobile phones for funds for school and charities.

Any other ideas would be gratefully received!

We are also on an energy saving drive as the children and staff try to reduce our burden on the environment by remembering- to turn off unwanted lights, close doors, and turn off taps, to name but a few of the many ideas.

Learning about environmental issues and recycling has been part of the curriculum for many years, but not an integral part of school practice. Direct experience will hopefully turn our future decision makers into environmentally aware parishioners.

Community Centre Update

The internal roadway and parking area is now complete with tarmac all over, giving a clean and reliable surface for walking or driving. Between the pedestrian entrance from the Rue Maze and the road are 4 curved recesses for flower planting and just below each window will be a flower container with automatic irrigation to enhance the appearance and add to the display of floral St Martin's.

Inside the building decoration is proceeding, acoustic tiles are now overhead in the Hall ceiling, the moveable partition dividing the Hall when required is in place. This partition can be tucked away into a recess when not needed. Stainless steel is covering the wall in the cooking area of the kitchen which serves through to the Hall and also to one of the Meeting rooms.

A centre manager will be appointed in due course, whose job will include taking bookings, preparing the premises for hiring, liaising with clients and so on. The manager will also work closely with the hall management committee - a small group of people from the community, appointed by the Trustees to oversee the management of the premises.

The Promise Auction which took place at the Villette Hotel was a great success raising £3,812, thanks to lively bidding for a remarkable range of goods and services

As we get nearer to the completion date of the Centre the need to order furnishings gets more critical.

To prepare the Hall for events, wedding receptions, concerts, or lectures requires 25 light folding leg tables @ £150 each and 150 upholstered chairs, 20 of which have already been sponsored @ £40 each.

If lots of people would sponsor just a single chair it would be marvellous and the sponsor's name would be recorded on the chair unless not wished. Not only does this help with the finances but it gives a feeling of involvement with a project that is for the benefit of all. Please contact Henry Goodeve Kudoya, Jerbourg Road, St Martin's (38506) who will be delighted to hear from you.

Henry Goodeve

From the Rector

Technology is a wonderful things until it goes wrong. My computer printer malfunctioned the other day -the paper kept getting stuck; tearing, creasing and jamming inside the machine.

After dozens of bits of wasted paper and several quiet (and not so quiet) curses, I gave up and was about to call the repair man, when I thought: "I'll just read the maker's instructions" (I really was desperate!). There I found I was loading thicker card into the machine incorrectly. It was all my own fault!

For best results, follow the maker's instructions. That is true for so much in life and even life itself. When God made humanity he wanted us to live our lives with reference to him; to follow the maker's instructions, so that we would reach our potential as human beings and produce the best possible results.

But our response was "No, I'll do it my way". That is really the point of the Genesis Garden of Eden story - to show that we chose what God did not intend for us and that, every day, we often make that same choice!

And the result? Lives jammed with rubbish, relationships torn, the picture spoilt, creation gone wrong, sin blocking everything up and cursing all round.

God had to send in the repair man to point us back to him because we couldn't fix the mess themselves.

Easter is all about that repair man Jesus, sorting out the mess of humanity, dealing with the rubbish and torn lives that stop us from living as God means us to.

Through his suffering and his death, he put us right with God, gave us a new start, (a life guarantee you might say!) and pointed us back to the maker's instructions.

Easter is THE Christian festival. Our Lord's death and resurrection offers new life and hope to us all. So if life has somehow jammed up, or it feels torn and twisted; if you feel you need to take advice from the maker's instructions on how to get the best out of it' why not come and discover the great repair man, Jesus ,with us in Holy Week.

Why not join us on Good Friday from 2pm - 3pm as we reflect on the last hour of Jesus' life. It is always a moving service. Or, why not come on Easter Day at 10am as we celebrate the greatest event in human history -the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

We hope you will join us and may I wish you all a very happy Easter

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, Hallelujah.

Mike Keirle

The Untouchables!


Pam plays a hand with son, Paul, looking on


Hit the net to find out more about Guernsey's most popular card game of euchre, and be amazed, as I was, by some 1,500,000 sites!

It seems that euchre is enjoyed worldwide, but only in selected places like the American Midwest, the regions of Nova Scotia and Ontario in Canada, in parts of Australia and New Zealand, and in coastal regions of the UK, like Devon and Cornwall.

In some areas, and it would be fair to count Jersey among them, euchre is rarely played at all or totally unknown. According to the Internet, euchre could derive from `fucker', a card game played in Alsace in the early 19th century. It eventually reached the USA, and was spread to other countries by the American Navy, but it wasn't until the 1850s that the Joker (called the Benny in Guernsey) was introduced.

Different places play different rules, and Guernsey players usually play in two opposing pairs with five cards each, using only the cards from seven up to ace, with the Benny as top trump. Some local players also play by English rules and drop the seven and eight cards from play.

For many people euchre is their only social activity, and the Tuesday and Thursday winter leagues and euchre drives continue to thrive.

Pam Queripel is typical of many who learned the rudiments of the game as young children from their parents, and who have introduced their own families into the skills of play.

Her parents, Frances and Ted Ozanne, taught nine-year-old Pam soon after they returned from St Helens after the Occupation.

When she moved into their home after they died, a bungalow in Les Cornus she now shares with one of her two sons, Paul, his wife, Kietta, and their three children, she encouraged 13-year-old Emma in the rules of the game, although Emma is too young yet to join her parents and grandmother in league matches.

`My grandmother's brother's family played in Ontario, so it goes back a long way said Pam.

`When I was a child my cousins Jim and Eric Murray and either my mum or dad would sit and play with me, and when I was married my husband Eric, Jim and his wife Edith and my parents would have a game every Tuesday evening, playing six-handed which I prefer as it is more complicated with more of the cards in play.'

There are people in their 90s playing in league games, and they would agree with Pam that there is always an opportunity to learn new tricks.

She first played in the Thursday league in 1969, the year after it started, and still plays with the Untouchables, a mixed team. On Tuesdays her all-women team is High Spirits, helping to swell the numbers of what was until four or five years ago a men-only league.

`It's my social life; league in the winter and euchre drives in the summer. It would be nice if someone started a euchre drive at the new community centre when it is finished - just down the road for me and for a lot of other players in St Martin.'

Pauline Torode



It was a letter in the Guernsey Press that led Joan Derbyshire to respond to the invitation from the Bedfordshire borough of Luton for anyone with town connections to make contact for a historical research programme.

Joan was born in Wigan and has never been to Luton, but has the name of the former car-making town as her own middle name!

`It was my mother's maiden name,' said Joan, who lives with husband Dudley in Route de Saint, 'and I've never come across anyone else with that surname since. It has died out on my mother's side of the family.

`No-one could ever guess what the L in my name stood for, and are always surprised when I say Luton.'

She wrote to the researchers just before Christmas and didn't think any more of it, but in March she had a letter saying that the town which has a history of hat-making going back to the 17th century intends to present her with her own Luton bonnet.

Although the industry, famous for its straw boaters and top hats, has had to change with the times, and many of the once-famous firms no longer exist, several hat firms are still operating, particularly Snoxell and Sons, famous for the 'civic boater'.

Each of their hats is shaped on the traditional hat block, and they are often made of Sinamay material from the Philippines, a light substance that is easy to wear.

They cost from £90 to £200, and reflect current fashion for feathers and net, so Joan Derbyshire is looking forward to the arrival of her own model, which might even arrive in time to become her Easter bonnet!

Kindermusik classes for young children have been running for almost a year now in Guernsey, and the class for 3-5 year olds at St Martin's Primary School on Saturday mornings has proved to be one of the most popular.

Kindermusik is a music and movement program for children from newborn to 7 years. But it is more than just music. It is about the development of the whole child, not only in music appreciation but movement, expressive language, peer interaction and pretend play. Research has shown that children learn best when the activities are integrated.

The 3-5 year old class has lots of singing and vocal exploration. Exploring musical instruments, and instrument "play alongs" are an enjoyable part of the classes. A variety of percussion instruments and props are used.

There is also a listening component to the classes, where the children are trained actively to listen (as opposed to just hearing.) This could be an individual instrument sound or a complete musical composition.

Story telling is also a feature of the classes, and it is combined with music and movement. Children of this age are wonderfully active and have an important need to move. The activities are designed to help their balance and coordination, which will help them with their football and other sporting activities later.

Dance teachers also say Kindermusik is the best preparation for formal dance training and that they can pick out a Kindermusik child!

The 3 - 5 year old child is growing in independence and forming friendships, and this creates the

possibility of a class environment without the parent or caregiver present. However, the philosophy of Kindermusik is that the parent is the child's best teacher, and the home is where most learning takes place. With this in mind, a "sharing time" is incorporated into the class.

The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters join in for the last few minutes, so that they can see what the children have been doing, why they have been doing it, and how they can continue and develop the activities at home.

Parents are also given a home activity book, which gives them ideas for art projects and other activities which they may like to do during the week. In fact there is a set of home materials for each family to take home.

This allows the family to continue the activities at home, getting the full advantage of the curriculum, and provides an important bridge between the music classes and the home environment.

Each unit consists of 18 lessons of 45 minutes each. Parents attend for the last 15 minutes. Terms run from September to February and from February to July, but children can join at any time during a unit.