Castel Matters, Issue 22 - Winter 2019 / Spring 2020

Castel Matters 

ISSUE 22 

WINTER ‘19 / SPRING ‘20

EDITORIAL 

Editor’s Note 

Justin Guilbert 

MD, Donkeylogic 

Welcome to our 7th edition of 

Castel Matters. Firstly we would like 

to wish everyone a Merry Christmas 

and a happy and healthy New Year. 

This year has seen Adrian Le 

Tissier join our team as Director 

and also Bev Allen, who has joined 

the Business Support team and is 

already heavily involved in Castel 

Matters. We are continuing to grow 

our client base and fine-tune our 

service offerings. 

We have also been busy curating 

an interesting range of articles, 

including a seasonal “Festive 

Matters” section. Our thanks to the 

many contributors and also to the 

Castel Constables for their help. 

If you would like to contribute to, or 

advertise in the next issue please 

contact us on 733300 or email 

castelmatters@donkeylogic.com. 

Front cover image courtesy of Sarah Finch who is a 

member of the Prism Photographic Club which you can 

read more about on pages 28 and 29. 

4 

5 

6 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

19 

22 

Contents 

Welcome from the Dean 

Overhanging Hedge Growth 

Remembering Nick Dorey 

Memories Of Sheila Middleton 

Canton Douzeniers 

Meet Your Douzeniers & Deputies 

Liberation Day 2020 Plans 

Forever Living: Aloe Vera Products 

Transitioning To a Low Carbon 

Future in Guernsey 

Cobo Community Centre Update 

34 

36 

38 

40 

41 

42 

45 

46 

48 

50 

51 

Ivy Finds her Voice 

Christmas Light Display: 

Queux Manor 

Christmas Recipe 

Les Beaucamps High School 

La Mare de Carteret High School 

Castel School 

Scouts & Guides 

Island Faith: Service Times 

God’s Christmas Message 

Wordsearch 

Sudoku & Riddle 

24 

26 

28 

30 

32 

Parish Walk: Countryfile Ramble 

Shrine of The Sacred Heart 

Bring Forth The North! 

Prism Photographic Club 

Portuguese Man of War 

52 

53 

54 

56 

58 

Your Douzaine 

Douzaine Room 

Parish Information 

Rubbish, Collections & Recycling 

Glossary & Puzzle Solutions 

3

CASTEL 

Welcome 

from the Dean 

Mike Fooks 

Dean of the Douzaine 

As we approach Christmas and the 

New Year we can reflect on another 

busy year in Castel and, at the same 

time, look ahead to May and June 

next year when two quite different 

events will be taking place. 

In early May we will be celebrating 

that momentous occasion 75 years 

ago when the Channel Islands were 

finally liberated from 5 long years of 

occupation. Plans are progressing 

well and included in this edition you 

will find a brief schedule of events 

in the run up to the main island 

celebrations which will be held in St 

Peter Port on Saturday 9 May. 

On Wednesday 17 June 2020 

as a consequence of our own 

referendum, Guernsey will hold 

its first island-wide elections 

which brings with it the demise 

of Parish/electoral district based 

representatives. We are assured 

that the States Assembly and 

Constitution Committee are working 

hard on the practicalities associated 

with island wide voting not least of 

all on how to navigate one’s way 

through a ballot paper containing 

multiple candidates in order to 

arrive safely and more importantly 

accurately at your preferred choice 

of up to 38 candidates. The success 

or otherwise of island wide elections 

remains to be seen. Castel Douzaine 

has always encouraged active 

engagement with our Deputies 

particularly in the run up to States 

meetings or when a local issue needs 

Government intervention to resolve 

and we hope this commitment is 

not lost. We value your opinion and 

are always keen to engage with our 

Parishioners. 

What will the future bring; is there 

perhaps scope for the Douzaine 

with its wide range of business 

acumen and the voluntary status 

of its elected members, to absorb 

more responsibility for day to day 

matters through what may well be a 

very changed States of Deliberation 

pledged no doubt to controlling 

costs on a whole range of fronts? 

4

CASTEL 

Overhanging 

Hedge Growth 

Mike Fooks 


and many islanders are supportive 

of the environment and the overall 

strategy and steps being taken to 

protect this. 

In our island, with its narrow roads, 

lanes and in many places, often 

with little or no pavement, could you 

imagine the island and what would 

happen if we did not have legislation 

and checks in place to ensure 

hedges are cut twice each year? 

A few owners may have experienced 

this already as the Castel, and other 

parishes, look to stem the spread 

of growth in some species of road/ 

pavement side hedges. This is most 

marked when conifers and other 

similar fast growing hedges start 

to encroach on to pavement and 

road space and pedestrians and 

motorists are affected. 

Both official and less formal steps are 

being taken to advise householders, 

some of who understand and 

accept advice, while others are 

arguably more in their response. 

Often a Douzenier will mention to 

a householder/landowner that they 

need to consider giving that hedge 

a further trim in order to prevent 

devastating the hedge in the near 

future. Constables, Douzeniers 

There is also a law to enable 

Constables to instruct landowners 

to cut where there are obstructions 

and dangerous corners or junctions 

where growth can affect visibility. 

Likewise, road signs and traffic 

lights have to be kept visible. 

One area all parishes highlight is 

instances where hedge trimmings 

are not collected. The law states 

this has to be done ‘immediately’. 

When arrangements are made and 

prices agreed with contractors 

it should be made clear that this 

should include the cost of collection. 

Likewise, contractors should be 

obliged to make provision within the 

agreement to carry out this function. 

For more information please visit 

castelparish.com. 

5

CASTEL 

Remembering 

Nick Dorey 

Mike Fooks 


With the death of Nick Dorey, the 

Castel Parish has lost one of its 

stalwarts and somebody who has 

given so much in over 30 years 

involvement with the Parish. Nick 

served the Castel Parish from 

1987 to 2016. He was Dean for 9 

years having started out in 1987 

as Procureur before moving on to 

become Constable and Douzenier. 

He followed in the footsteps of 

his father, Martyn Dorey, who was 

constable in 1965, and, as such, 

was one of a long line of Doreys 

who have given wonderful service 

to our Parish. 

One of Nick’s main achievements, 

and one which will be his legacy, 

was the setting up and success 

of the Castel allotments. It was his 

brainchild and he drove it forward to 

the success story it is today and he 

still enjoyed the camaderie with all 

those involved until very recently. 

He was always involved at the heart 

of the Parish and very much involved 

in the development of Fairfield, the 

purchasing of Les Cailles field for 

use in connection with Fairfield and 

the commissioning of the arched 

gateway which now connects the 

facilities. Le Grantez Mill site and 

the floral displays which are spread 

throughout the Parish are also 

areas with which he was very much 

involved. 

It was his drive and vision which led 

to the development of the Douzaine 

complex which was opened 

following extension and modification 

in 2017, a tremendous facility which 

is increasingly used by Parishioners 

and islanders 

Nick has also raised the Parish 

profile in his efforts to protect the 

environment, trying to create natural 

6

habitats and was always concerned 

with the spread of domestic 

curtilage areas - what he referred to 

as ‘green deserts’. 

Similarly he was president of the 

Cemeteries Committee which, after 

considerable perseverance, led to 

the acquisition and setting up of the 

new cemetery and you will see his 

influence in respect of the natural 

habitat and environment which has 

been created. 

He also sat on the steering group 

which is now the Cobo Community 

Centre and he took office, and 

became president of the North 

Show Committee. 

Nick was always the first to volunteer 

for many of the tasks which take 

place within the Parish and was a 

leading figure in the Castel Church 

Donkey Day which has become an 

annual event. 

He has been involved in creating 

and building several of the Parish 

floats which have been part of the 

Liberation Day Cavalcade. 

It is fair to say that all those 

Procureurs, Constables, Douzeniers 

and of course the various staff, all 

value the efforts Nick has made 

to help them and make them an 

integral part of this team which is 

the Castel Douzaine/Parish. His 

efforts and those who went before 

him, who, in my view, have made 

the Castel Douzaine what it is – 

respected by States members, civil 

servants, and also, I believe, other 

douzaines. 

Nick was never one to dabble too 

much in politics but he always made 

sure parishioners had opportunity to 

be involved, and where necessary, 

express views at Parish meetings/ 

forums. He was Returning Officer at 

the last two General Elections. 

In his efforts to enhance the role and 

involvement of the parishes he was 

part of the steering group which 

led to the formation of the Island 

Douzaine Council, which evolved in 

to the Douzaine Council. 

He represented the Castel Parish 

on the Council and the Douzaine 

Liaison Group during his time as 

Dean of the Parish. 

I have received a number of calls in 

recent days and without fail there 

has always been a remark on his 

service and the way he carried it 

out, inevitably with the expression 

“a lovely man”. 

A family man, our thoughts go out 

to Michelle and his three children 

and five grand-children at their loss. 

7

CASTEL 

Memories 

of Sheila 

Middleton 

Chris Bichard & 

Nick Guilmette 

Sheila Middleton was something of 

a pioneer in the Castel Parish in that 

she was the first woman Constable 

and was very proud to be so. Sheila 

was elected and became Procureur 

in 1983, going on, as was ‘custom’ 

then, to serve as Constable in 1985 

and 1986. 

Chris Bichard served as Procureur in 

the time Sheila became Constable 

and recalls: 

“I first met Sheila in the 80s when, as 

Junior Procureur of the Poor for the 

Castel Parish, I temporarily stepped 

up to the Senior position due to the 

illness of the Senior Procureur. 

At that time Parish Procureurs 

were very busy dealing with many 

claimants every week, one tended 

to have a routine of a quick basic 

interview followed by necessary 

form filling and then a payment 

made. 

When Sheila volunteered to help, 

this all changed. Although she was 

not allowed to make payments, 

she did become a crucial part 

of the interview process. No 

rushing through ‘minor details’. 

Every claimant was listened to 

sympathetically - especially where 

children were involved, ending 

up with us making house calls to 

assess the actual needs of the 

family. Then Sheila would rush off to 

badger various charities that she felt 

could help. 

In this aspect, she was probably 

well ahead of her time in offering 

a form of counselling service to 

the claimants. I feel that today 

she would be at the forefront of 

recognising the needs for help with 

mental health issues. One thing I 

am certain of, whilst Sheila was in 

public office, her ‘public’ always 

took the top priority and she would 

devote all effort possible to helping 

them to the best of her ability.” 

Nick Guilmette, who was constable 

8

just before Sheila took office, and 

who, like Chris, went on to become 

a Douzenier adds: 

“Sheila was a very responsible 

Procureur and Constable of the 

Castel Parish. She always portrayed 

great sensitivity with Parishioners’ 

problems, especially when dealing 

with applicants involving children 

and would visit their homes to 

determine the extent of their needs, 

even doing their washing if need 

be! Forthright, plain speaking, 

and ‘down to earth’, Sheila took 

her Parochial responsibilities very 

seriously.”

CANTON DOUZENIERS 

Canton 3 

Vingtaine des Queritez 

John Webster John Cook 

252952 253705 

Canton 4 

Vingtaine des Grands Moulins 

Mike Fooks Rhiannon Cook 

255191 253705 

4 

Canton 5 

Vingtaine des Grantez 

5 

Nigel Acton Bob Falla 

255999 256856 

10

Canton 2 

Vingtaine des Houmets 

Kelvin Hudson Jonathan Beausire 

252363 07781 422927 

2 

3 

Canton 1 

Vingtaine de L’Eglise 

1 

David Ozanne Bob Marquis 

252904 254473 

6 

Canton 6 

Vingtaine des Pelleys 

Richard Graham David Chester 

254784 255352 

11

CASTEL 

Meet Your 

Douzeniers & 

Deputies 

Castel Douzeniers 

2. 

carols is Jethro Tull’s 

Christmas Song or anything 

from that album. His music 

featured heavily in my youth 

and if you can’t be nostalgic 

at Christmas when can you? 

Do you have a family 

tradition that you carry out 

over Christmas? 

We asked three of Castel’s 

Douzeniers four questions. Here are 

the responses from David Chester, 

Rhiannon Cook and John Cook. 

1. 

12 

DC: 

RC: 

JC: 

What is your favourite 

Christmas song? 

A pleasant, evocative 

orchestral piece entitled 

‘Sleighride’. 

I love the traditional Christmas 

Carols sung by a choir. At 

school I sang in our Madrigal 

choir and my favourite carol 

is ‘In the Bleak Mid-Winter’. 

I find the beautiful poem by 

Christina Rossetti set to the 

music of Gustav Holst very 

emotional as I imagine Mary 

cuddling her new-born. Every 

mum will identify with that 

special moment. 

My favourite Christmas song 

in addition to the traditional 

DC: 

RC: 

JC: 

The Guernsey Cheshire Home 

Boxing Day Dip at Cobo 

is a firm family tradition. I 

personally instigated the first 

Dip in 2000 and organised it 

for some 17 years. 

We keep one small gift on 

a small Christmas tree to 

be opened at the end of 

Christmas Day. There can 

be an anticlimactic feeling 

at the end of the day as the 

festivities draw to a close but 

we keep one final surprise! 

It is quite a challenge for me 

to find something tiny for 

the tree - especially for the 

male members of my family. 

Jewellery is always a good bet 

for us females! Hint, hint! 

I share with Rhiannon the 

family tradition of the small 

personal tree presents kept 

until later on Christmas day to 

open after the other festivities 

have subsided.

3. 

If you could not spend 

Christmas in Guernsey, 

where would you? 

Gluhwein in front of a log fire 

to welcome you back from 

that perfect downhill run. 

DC: 

RC: 

JC: 

It has always been a desire 

for my wife and I to spend 

Christmas somewhere snowy 

and white in a mountain 

chalet. 

I would like to spend Christmas 

with my family in a chalet in the 

snowy mountains in France or 

Italy. The after lunch walk on 

the beach would be replaced 

by a walk or ski in the snow. 

High on the ski slopes of an 

expansive ski area in Europe. 

Preferably an ice cold but 

sunny day with a glass of 

4. 

DC: 

RC: 

JC: 

What is your favourite part 

of Christmas lunch? 

Surely when the table is 

cleared, the washing up 

finished and we sit down and 

watch the grandchildren open 

presents. 

The Christmas pudding with 

brandy butter, all homemade. 

For anyone with a sweet tooth 

- what’s not to like? 

The presence of family and 

the bottle (or two) of very good 

wine that accompanies it. 

Castel’s Deputies 

Castel has five elected deputies. 

Here you can find their names and 

contact details. 

Richard Graham 

 

 

254784 / 07781 101277 

richard.graham@deputies.gov.gg 

Chris Green 

 

 

252174 

christopher.green@deputies.gov.gg 

Barry Paint 

 

 

254502 / 07781 154502 

barry.paint@deputies.gov.gg 

Mark Dorey 

 

 

252743 / 07781 152743 

mark.dorey@deputies.gov.gg 

Jonathan Le Tocq 

 

 

07781 152810 

jonathan.letocq@deputies.gov.gg 

13

annually from the Grosse Rocque, 

will take place at the Cobo slipway. 

CASTEL 

Liberation Day 

Plans 2020 

Dave Wylie 

The Castel Parish is planning a 

series of celebrations in 2020 to 

commemorate the 75th anniversary 

of the Liberation. 

There was unanimous support, 

at a recent meeting convened by 

the Bailiff, for encouraging island 

householders to embrace the 

theme of Liberation through the 

decoration of their houses and/ 

or surroundings. It is not known 

whether this will result in some 

sort of competition, but the Castel 

Constables and Douzaine are keen, 

through the magazine, to encourage 

householders/businesses to help 

create a special atmosphere for the 

landmark celebrations in early May. 

The main island wide celebrations 

taking place on May 9th will include 

the cavalcade through St Peter Port 

and, as has happened for many 

years as well, the ceremony of the 

blessing of the flag, which is flown 

A working party formed to coordinate 

the celebrations has confirmed the 

following programme: 

Tuesday 5 May 

Guided Walk: Through King’s Mills and 

the Grantez Area - 7:00pm 

Wednesday 6 May 

Douzaine Hall Exhibition: Official 

opening 

Thursday 7 May 

Douzaine Hall Exhibition: 10:00am - 

4:00pm 

Guided Walk: From Vazon walking 

through the fortifications - 7:00pm 

Friday 8 May 

Family Fun Day: 11:00am - 3:00pm 

at Fairfield together with a display 

of military vehicles en-route to the 

Douzaine Hall 


4:00pm 

Saturday 9 May 

The Ceremony Of “Blessing The 

Flag”: Cobo slipway, 10:00am 

Cavalcade and celebrations: St Peter 

Port 

Sunday 10 May 


2:00pm 

14

COMMUNITY 

Forever Living: 

Aloe Vera 

Products 

Rianna Bailey 

Forever Living 

Like many of my friends my age, 

I find it a challenge to juggle my 

children, my house, my job and 

my health. We put unrealistic 

expectations on ourselves and it 

used to get me down. I didn’t think 

there was another way so I often 

found myself lonely and exhausted. 

When my kids were aged 1 and 

3, I was happy enough in my part 

time teaching job, but I wanted 

more flexiblity so I could be there for 

them. I knew I’d miss feeling part of 

a work force, I’d miss progressing 

my career and I’d definitely miss 

earning my own money. So it was 

around this time that a mummy 

friend from toddler group told me 

about Forever and it seemed to tick 

all the boxes. 

skeptical about it all. I was told 

however, that Forever is a global 

business, allowing ordinary people 

to achieve extraordinary results - 

and actually the global wellness 

economy is a staggering 4.2 trillion 

dollars and the wellness industry 

represent 5.3% of the global 

economic output. So I needn’t have 

worried. 

I started using the products and 

drinking the Aloe Vera drinks. My 

kids love the peach flavour but I 

prefer the berry. The original flavour 

is better for you but it’s too bitter 

tasting for me! I know we are getting 

a perfect cocktail of goodness 

which is important. The heat lotion 

is lovely on my feet and back after a 

long day and the propolis creme is 

so nourishing for my hands. 

I signed up and got started. I was 

excited, but clueless. I knew nothing 

about Forever, Aloe Vera or the 

health industry, plus I was still pretty 

16

All my training and support has 

been online and I have a fantastic 

support team here on Guernsey too. 

It’s given me the flexibility I wanted. I 

can pick it up and put it down when 

I choose. It’s a great extra income 

all from the comfort of my own 

home. I’ve had fun meeting new 

people and helping them, but most 

astoundingly, my confidence has 

grown tremendously. I didn’t realise 

I’d lost the old me since babies and 

a mortgage wore me down. 

It’s not always easy, and I still do 

freelance teaching, but I’m more 

excited now than ever. My future is 

in my hands. I’m working alongside 

a hugely successful company at 

a time when people are investing 

in their health and looking for an 

alternative way of making money. 

With Forever I get to be my own boss 

and build my business however I 

choose - isn’t that the dream? 

Christmas is a fun time too. I 

particularly love doing parties 

and events. I have 2 market stalls 

coming up, on 7th December and 

14th December and I’ll be holding 

an information evening in the new 

year. 

For a free trial or for more 

information, please contact Rianna 

Bailey on 07781 467345 or 

riannabh@gmail.com. 

17

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COMMUNITY 

Transitioning 

To A Low 

Carbon Future 

In Guernsey 

Guernsey Electricity 

As Guernsey Electricity has 

replaced the undersea cable, which 

connects Guernsey to France this 

year and returned the island to low 

cost, low carbon and renewable 

imported electricity, Alan Bates, 

the company’s CEO, explores how 

optimising new ideas for electricity 

generation could be ideal for small 

jurisdictions. 

When the inter-island electricity 

cable failed in October 2018, 

Guernsey lost access to the French 

electricity grid and its supply of low 

carbon energy. This immediately 

highlighted again the core energy 

needs of small, island communities 

– security of supply, reduction in 

carbon emissions to meet climate 

change aims, and for consumers, 

the affordability of energy. 

So what possible solutions are there 

for Guernsey as a small community 

going forward? To meet these 

needs, we believe having resilient 

connections to the European 

electricity market are key to securing 

low carbon and low cost energy. 

It also allows us to manage the 

transition to more locally sourced 

renewable energy, as technologies 

develop and present opportunities 

for Guernsey to become more selfsufficient. 

As a small, self-governing 

jurisdiction, Guernsey is well placed 

to manage the energy transition 

journey. We have the autonomy to 

set ambitious goals that could lead 

to radical change, and the ability to 

control and coordinate how we get 

there. As a small energy economy, 

we’ll feel the effects of change more 

acutely and must therefore ensure 

we maximise the opportunities of 

new technology whilst minimising 

the risks along the journey, all the 

while balancing energy affordability 

with security of supply and 

environmental impact. 

Reconnecting the link with France 

is an important starting point and 

has immediately returned the 

island to 85% to 95% low carbon, 

low cost energy. A key part of our 

future plan is a second cable link 

installed directly to France which 

would further reduce Guernsey’s 

dependence on fossil fuels and 

provide supply resilience for the 

imported electricity. 

19

To optimise our electricity provision 

today and in the future, we will 

need to ensure that we maximise 

the value of the local renewable 

generation to the island, which may 

also mean the ability to store it. We 

need to plan for, not only, when 

there is insufficient sun and wind, 

but also when there is too much. 

The potential for energy to flow 

and be stored between renewable 

generation sources, the islands 

power grid, our electric vehicles and 

our home storage provides great 

opportunity for us to reduce our 

reliance on fossil fuels. 

over the next generation, Guernsey 

needs to manage the changes step 

by step. We need to make sure 

our energy journey meets not only 

our environmental aspirations but 

also works for our island today, 

and tomorrow. To meet these 

aspirations, we need to set our own 

pathway, and not follow the path set 

by much larger jurisdictions. 

This all makes for an exciting future, 

with electricity and the Guernsey 

community at the heart of it. 

Whilst these changes will happen 

20

If you’re a local person, thinking of forming a 

local company for a local business, call us. 

We’re local too, and we can help. 

740300 

albecq.com

COMMUNITY 

Cobo 

Community 

Centre 

Update 

Carolyn Le Maitre 

Centre Manager 

The Centre has as usual this 

summer, into autumn and winter 

(with Christmas beckoning) been a 

hive of activity. 

“The Pirates of Cobo”, the new 

theme for this year’s St Matthew’s 

Bazaar was held at the Cobo 

Community Centre on a very wet 

Saturday in October. The weather 

did not deter the community from 

coming to the centre to support the 

event. Pirates welcomed visitors; 

there was a pirate boat and parrots. 

It started at 11am and went on until 

after 2pm. There was also a Golden 

Ballot that proved very popular and 

was drawn at the end of the event. 

There was a wide variety of 

entertainment – from GU10 singing 

their repertoire of “sea shanties”, 

a ukulele group, and many Cobo 

pirates and Guet Sea Dogs helping 

to keep everything in ship shape 

order! 

Amongst all the fundraising activities 

there was a human fruit machine, 

the now famous cake stall, spin the 

wheel, jewellery stalls, nearly new 

and bric a brac stalls. 

Over £5,000 was raised, after 

expenses, and all the volunteers, 

parish members and the community 

were very pleased with the event. 

During the summer, the Cobo 

Community Centre was used for an 

eclectic mix of classes, meetings, 

christening parties along with parties 

for both children and adults. With 

the lovely setting the centre stands 

in it was and is a perfect venue for 

any event at any time of the day or 

evening, whatever the season. 

On Friday 23rd August 2019, the 

Cobo Community Centre was hired 

out for a wedding party. Dennis and 

Stevie-Rose Outten who now live in 

Wallasey Wirral, chose to celebrate 

their wedding at the centre. Stevie 

was born in Guernsey and has lived 

in the UK for 16 years and Dennis is 

originally from Widnes. 

The weather was perfect for the 

happy day, with relatives from near 

and far joining in the celebrations. 

The couple had booked out the 

whole of the centre for their happy 

day, had a barbeque outside the 

centre and had a blessing under the 

trees in the Guet and danced and 

22

celebrated the night away until the 

small hours. 

The Cobo Wives Group and the 

Guet Together Group also meet at 

the Cobo Community Centre on a 

regular basis all year round. If you 

feel like popping in for a cup of tea, 

a piece of cake and a chat all the 

details of when events happen are 

on our website. 

The centre is also used at various 

times for get togethers after St 

Matthew’s Church services, its just 

a very short walk from the Church! 

and bookings we have on a weekly 

basis. 

If you are thinking of holding any 

activity, please feel free to email 

admin@cobocommunity.com, or 

call us on 25702 and speak to me, 

Carolyn, the centre manager. We 

can arrange for you to pop in and 

have a look at all the facilities and 

rooms and help you organise a 

successful event or activity. 

You can visit our website at: 

cobocommunitycentre.com where 

you can find all details of the centre, 

the rooms that we have for hire, 

and a timetable of what events 

23

OUTDOOR 

Parish Walk: 

Countryfile 

Ramble 

Mike Fooks 

Walk Organiser 

This year’s Castel Parish organised 

Countryfile Ramble took place on 

Sunday 6th October. Some 40+ 

walkers set out from the picturesque 

Grantez Mill site, overlooking Vazon 

and much of the Parish, in fine, 

breezy weather. 

This is the fourth year the Parish has 

taken part to coincide with rambles 

taking place up and down the 

country – raising funds to support 

Children In Need. This year’s walk 

raised £230 on the actual day. 

The walks were designed to adopt 

the theme of the countryside, as 

they are largely take place in green 

lanes and quieter lanes; Ruettes 

Tranquilles. Some Parish features 

will also be pointed out during the 

walk. 

Expanding walks of this nature, 

in order to provide a different 

route to the previous three walks, 

meant a natural progression into 

neighbouring St Saviour’s, which is 

the location of the scenic Reservoir 

walk, and which has a network of 

green lanes and Ruettes Tranquilles, 

24

with only very occasional small 

sections on/or crossing main roads. 

The route began at the Grantez 

Mill site, which is managed by the 

Castel Parish, then headed west to 

Les Choffins, through quiet lanes 

and a green lane to link up with a 

section of the Reservoir Walk. From 

here it emerged, moving straight 

into another lengthy green lane - 

heading to St Saviour’s Church, 

next to the area of Les Grons, before 

heading back to the Castel through 

Ruette Tranquille and small lanes 

and eventually back to the Grantez. 

Parish features and boundaries 

on the way. In all, the walk took in 

close on 4 miles and showed many 

walkers some new areas of Castel 

and St Saviour’s. 

We plan to hold a walk to coincide 

with next year’s Countryfile walks/ 

rambles. 

Image courtesy of A Miller, Guernsey 

Press 

The route barely touched main 

roads and passed a number of 

- Advanced eye care 

- Beautiful frames 

tel: 253755 

email: enquiries@ajwebster.com 

web: guernseyopticians.com

April 

Saturday 11th 

Saturday 25th 

OUTDOOR 

Shrine Of The 

Sacred Heart 

Ian Blanchard 

Shrine Committee 

May 

June 

July 

Friday 8th 

Saturday 23rd 

Saturday 30th 

Saturday 13th 

Saturday 27th 

Saturday 11th 

Saturday 25th 

Please find here the provisional 

dates that the Shrine of the Sacred 

Heart will be open in 2020. 

All opening times are from 2:00pm 

- 4:00pm. 

Please note that the first of the 

month’s opening dates from April 

until September coincide with the 

Coastal Walk Series at Vazon. 

August 

September 

October 

Saturday 8th 

Saturday 22nd 

Saturday 29th 

Saturday 12th 

Saturday 26th 

Saturday 10th 

Saturday 24th 

26

OUTDOOR 

Bring Forth 

The North! 

Josh Gabriel 

Show Manager 

2019 has undoubtedly been a 

good year for the North Show. The 

weather plays such a significant part 

in the outcome of the two day show 

and this year we were fortunate to 

have this on our side. 

However our real success, year on 

year, is the extent of the community 

which comes together to make this 

two day event possible. Works 

start in the week before with flowers 

arriving from Holland for floats and 

tents being erected in the park. We 

are fortunate to have a tent erection 

team which arrive on the Park 

in force and run like a well-oiled 

machine. 

Table tops, chairs, fencing and 

animal pens all need to be laid 

out across the park and if left to 

just our committee members, this 

would simply not be possible. We 

welcome help from friends, family, 

volunteering groups, students and 

employees of companies fulfilling 

their corporate social responsibility. 

28

The show offers lots of opportunity 

for the residents of the northern 

parishes of Vale, St Sampson and 

of course Castel to get involved by 

entering in the produce and craft 

tents. Whether it be baking cakes, 

growing vegetables, knitting dolls or 

taking photographs, there is a class 

to showcase everyone’s talent. 

Residents islandwide take the 

opportunity to become part of the 

uniquely wonderful Battle of Flowers 

parade by creating fabulous floats 

and costumes of every possible 

theme imaginable. 

This is really just scratching the 

surface of the range of people 

involved in putting on our well 

loved annual show. This is without 

a mention of our sponsors, stall 

holders, charity stands and catering 

stalls who provide a wide range of 

entertainment and choice for visitors 

to the Show. 

As a committee we are extremely 

grateful for all of the support and 

assistance that each and every 

person offers to the North Show. 

Community spirit is without doubt 

alive and kicking in the Castel and 

across our Island. We look forward 

to starting our preparations for 

next year and heading on to our 

centenary show in 2021. 

If anyone would like to join 

our committee or find out 

more information please email 

NorthShowGuernsey@Gmail.com 

29

Mill - Sarah Finch 

Busker - Peter Palmeri 

Firebird - Stuart Mauger 

Needs A Polish - Stuart Mauger 

Irish Loom - Jayne Priaulx 

A Galaxy Of Glass - Sarah Finch 

Enjoying Retirement - James Machon

Toy Story - Stuart Mauger 

Hardware Store - Jayne Priaulx 

To Polish Or Not To Polish - Jayne Priaulx 

Time Flies - Mark Tabel 

If you love taking photographs 

and would like to introduce a bit of 

competition, as well as learn more 

about photography techniques, join 

us at Prism Photographic Club. 

Our friendly club meet every 

three weeks, as well as holding 

social events where we share tips 

and explore other photographic 

opportunities. 

We also invite professional 

photographers to judge our 

external competitions who then 

give guidance and advice on how 

we can all improve. 

We have a mix of men and women 

of all ages and abilities, so whether 

you have a smart phone or a DSLR, 

you are most welcome. 

For more information, please visit 

our website https://prism.org.gg 

or follow us on Facebook “Prism 

Photographic Club”. 

In the meantime, we hope you enjoy 

this year’s league winning images.

OUTDOOR 

Portuguese 

Man of War 

Physalis Physalis, 

Siphonophore 

Elizabeth Sweet 

Manager, Guernsey 

Biological Records Centre 

We’ve recently had reports of 

blue-y purple gently deflating 

blobs washing up on our western 

beaches. These strange creatures 

are siphonophores, marine 

invertebrates with a hydrostatic 

skeleton that resemble jellyfish 

but are not, nor are they a single 

animal. Instead each one is a colony 

of connected, interdependent 

organisms working together, called 

zooids. Each has adapted for a 

specific function and unable to 

survive on their own. 

• Pneumatophore - floating and 

sailing. 

• Gastrozooid - feeding and 

digestion. 

• Tentacular palpon - prey capture 

and stinging. Each colony can 

be right or left handed, or rather, 

tentacled. 

• Gonodendron - reproductive 

structure released from colony 

when mature. 

When I say you absolutely do not 

want to be stung I’m not being 

hyperbolic. Years ago, on holiday my 

eagle-eyed Father spotted a balloon 

bobbing towards my younger 

brother. While the Portuguese manof-war 

sting isn’t typically fatal, 

elderly and young people are most 

at risk. My brother was grabbed 

and thrown out the way while my 

Father took the full brunt of the 

nematocysts, stinging cells in the 

tentacles, across his torso. The 

scars lasted 6 months and he’s 

described it “like having a red hot 

electrified piano wire touching me”. 

Do not wash a sting with freshwater 

as this triggers the stinging cells left 

on your skin to discharge and could 

make the sting worse. Please seek 

immediate medical attention as 

anaphylactic shock is possible. 

Portuguese man-of-war are open 

water predators usually living far 

out in the ocean, so why are they 

turning up on our beaches? Some 

jellyfish use jet propulsion to move 

around but Portuguese man-of-war 

drift on the wind with the gas filled 

zooid at the top acting as a sail, so 

the strong onshore winds in recent 

weeks have forced them onto our 

beaches. A few washing up doesn’t 

pose much of a threat but legions 

over more than 1,000 colonies have 

been seen. 

Does anything eat them? Yes! 

32

Sunfish and leatherback turtles who 

are sufficiently thick skinned to not 

be bothered by the stings. We’ve 

seen an increase in sunfish in the 

Channel Islands in recent years. 

Blue dragon sea slugs not only 

eat Portuguese man-of-war but 

also actively harvest and store the 

stinging cells in their own skins to 

protect them, rather like a coat of 

armour. 

This species is unique even among 

the siphonophores and if you’re 

interested in learning more about 

its development and colony I 

recommend having a look at this 

open access nature paper:- https:// 

doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019- 

51842-1 

A good rule of thumb is – look but 

don’t touch, they can still sting after 

death. 

Please let us know if you see any 

locally and if you are interested you 

can take part in a citizen scientist 

monitoring scheme at:- https:// 

www.jellywatch.org 

For more information about the 

Guernsey Biological Records Centre 

please visit their website at:- http:// 

www.biologicalrecordscentre.gov. 

gg 

* Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash 

33

shepherds were looking after their 

sheep. 

FESTIVE 

Ivy Finds Her 

Voice 

Linda Le Vasseur 

As the sun went to bed and the 

lights began to be switched on in 

heaven, Ivy made her way to join the 

other junior angels just inside the 

Pearly Gates. They were going to 

sing tonight at a very special gig on 

earth. Ivy was feeling sad, because 

she couldn’t sing at all, no matter 

how hard she tried. Still, she’d been 

told she’d got to go along and junior 

angels have to do as they are told. 

Vicky, who was in charge of the 

heavenly choir, was very excited; “I 

have a wonderful surprise for you all. 

The senior choir are coming too.” 

Ivy’s heart sank. At least the other 

small angels knew that she didn’t 

have a voice, but the bigger angels 

might tell her off or laugh at her. 

But Ivy didn’t have much time to 

think about any of this. Angels 

move fast and before she knew it, 

the whole heavenly choir were in 

the middle of a dark field, where 

“After three,” cried Vicky and 

suddenly the air was full of the most 

beautiful music Ivy had ever heard. 

“Glory to God”, they sang, “and 

peace to everyone on the earth.” 

Ivy tried to join in, but although 

her lips moved, still no sound at all 

came out of her mouth. 

When the song was over. A very 

tall and splendid angel went and 

talked to the shepherds for a bit. 

They listened carefully. One of 

them picked up a lamb and they 

ran full speed down the road in the 

direction of a tiny town whose lights 

were twinkling in the distance. 

“They’re going back to heaven 

now,” Vicky announced, “But Ivy 

you’re coming with me. You have 

another job to do.” 

Within a blink of an eye Ivy and 

Vicky were in a stable. It was lovely 

and warm and it smelt of fresh hay. 

There was a man standing in the 

shadows, a woman who looked 

very tired and a baby lying in the 

manger. 

“He’s called Jesus and his mum 

can’t get him to go to sleep, so I’ve 

chosen you to sing him a lullaby.” 

34

whispered Vicky. 

Ivy opened her mouth to reply that 

there must be some mistake, when 

to her amazement she began to 

sing a beautiful song: 

Sleep now, baby Jesus, cradled 

in the hay, 

We are here beside you, on this 

special day. 

Angels watch beside you, stars 

shine from above, 

Sleep now, little Jesus, cradled 

in our love. 

“That was the best singing I’ve ever 

heard,” smiled Vicky. 

“I think I’ve found my voice,” 

whispered Ivy, her face shining with 

joy. 

“Your voice was always there,” 

Vicky answered softly, “but love has 

helped you to know it. Now let’s get 

back to heaven, there’s a bit of a 

party going on there and we don’t 

want to miss it.” 

35

he died from a brain tumour. 

FESTIVE 

Christmas 

Light Display: 

Queux Manor 

Nigel Clarke 

Queux Manor 

Light displays at Queux Manor each 

Christmas give plenty of reasons 

to be cheerful. Of course, faced 

with thousands of lights, a Father 

Christmas with reindeers seven 

metres above you, a nativity scene 

with shepherds, flocks of sheep and 

camels thrown in, how could you 

not smile, even if it’s only because 

others around you are happy. 

For most, it’s a Christmas lights 

display, that is what you can see, 

but at a personal level, behind the 

display, there was a certain amount 

of personal grief and not just the 

task of putting the lights up. 

At the same time as tomato growers 

we suffered, with others, the death 

throes of the Guernsey Horticultural 

industry. Good people lost 

everything along with their dreams 

and it is not fun in anyone’s book. 

Sorry, this is not very Christmassy, 

but I promise from now on it will be. 

Soon after, around the end of 

November I caught the end of the 

film Home Alone. The scenes were 

lovely Christmas light displays in 

New York. I thought, ‘I can do that’, 

but procrastinated and did nothing. 

A year later the same film and the 

same thought, I could do that. Once 

again, I immediately started to make 

excuses to myself why I couldn’t, but 

this time was different. I reflected on 

the sudden death of my father, my 

friend and just after returning from 

my friends funeral I had heard of 

another friend who had lost his son 

in an accident. With all this going 

through my head, I asked myself 

a question. ‘What makes you think 

you will be around next Christmas?’ 

It all started with a Monday night 

phone call, my father had suddenly 

taken ill, a second call about one 

hour later, he had died from an 

aortal aneurism. Just one year later 

I attended a funeral of a good friend 

who had joined me at my father’s 

grave. He was in good health, but 

“In all adversity grows a seed of 

equal or greater benefit” - Napoleon 

Hill. 

When your life is already upside 

down and you have not got up from 

the last challenge, the Universe 

thinks it’s funny to chuck another 

36

curve ball at you. When that 

happens there is only one of two 

choices. You give up, or you get 

up. In my case, it was the lights that 

went up. 

Sometimes it’s difficult to find that 

tiny seed of benefit, it’s impossible 

when life really seems to have it in 

for you, but it is still there. The good 

news is when the environment is 

right, it will show itself. The bad 

news is, only if you are looking for it. 

I had a new dream, an educational 

Plant Centre. Create a Floral Island. 

A lady stopped me in a supermarket 

car park and she started to tell me 

her mother was terminally ill and 

had not left her house for months. I 

didn’t recognise the lady and I was 

wondering why she was telling me 

about her mum. She continued to 

tell me that she had passed our 

Christmas lights on her way home 

and had managed to persuade her 

mother, with the family to come out 

and see the display. Her mother 

had died soon after. The lady had 

stopped me because she wanted to 

thank me for putting up the lights. 

She said they all had been left with 

wonderful memories after the visit. 

This was only a few weeks after the 

first lights went up. If I think this will 

be the last time, I think of that lady. 

What I have learnt, is that good can 

come from bad but you just have to 

hang on in there. 

Christmas for me represents new 

life and new opportunities no matter 

how bad this year has been. New 

opportunities are here in Guernsey, 

you don’t have to travel the world. 

If I was to recommend one book 

that helped as a perfect inexpensive 

present, it is the short book written 

by Russell Conwell, Acres of 

Diamonds. This Christmas, get out 

and look around this beautiful Island 

and yes, you too will realise, we 

really are living in acres of diamonds. 

The design and putting up of the 

displays over the last few years are 

thanks to our two sons Steve and 

Rick, along with Joe who works 

with us at Queux, ably assisted by 

Dan Billien. 

Merry Christmas and best wishes 

for a healthy and wealthy new year 

from all at Queux Manor. 

37

FESTIVE 

Christmas 

Recipe 

Panettone Bread & 

Butter Pudding 

Find below a different recipe for 

panettone. It makes a great, 

warming and filling dessert. If you 

don’t have panettone, brioche 

works well too! 

Serves 6 

Approximately 1/2 panettone 

50g melted butter, plus extra for 

greasing 

100g sultanas 

3 tbsp demerara sugar 

For the custard: 

3 large eggs 

75g caster sugar 

400ml milk (full fat ideally) 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 

melted butter. 

2. Cut the panettone loaf into 

1.5cm slices and brush each slice 

with melted butter on both sides. 

Arrange the slices in layers to cover 

the buttered dish and scatter over 

the sultanas. 

3. To make the custard, place all of 

the ingredients in a large bowl and 

whisk together by hand until well 

mixed. 

4. Pour the custard over the 

panettone in the dish and gently 

press the exposed bread down 

into the liquid. Sprinkle with the 

demerara sugar and leave to stand 

for about 30 minutes. While the 

pudding is standing, preheat the 

oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. 

5. Place the ovenproof dish into 

the oven for about 40 minutes until 

the top is golden and puffed up, 

and the centre is hot. The layers will 

shrink a little on cooling. 

6. Serve warm and enjoy with ice 

cream or double cream. Leftovers 

will keep for a day in the fridge. 

1. You will need a 28cm widebased 

round ovenproof dish, and 

a roasting tin large enough to place 

it in. Grease the dish with a little 

38

YOUTH 

Les 

Beaucamps 

High School 

Martin Haimes 

Headteacher 

What a busy but successful start 

to the autumn term! Our new Year 

7s have settled in extremely well 

to the new routines and systems 

of secondary school and it’s been 

wonderful to see them work so hard 

across their subjects. They enjoyed 

a fun morning at the Guille-Allès 

Library in September where they 

were entertained by the fabulous 

and funny poet Adisa or ‘Uncle’ as 

he is also known. They also had the 

chance to tour around the library and 

stop at different stands to sample 

games, comics, a photo booth, 

learn about Guernsey Museums 

and also try out the library online 

resources. 

It’s also been an incredibly busy 

two months for our PE dept. and 

sports teams who have achieved 

so much in various fixtures. We 

hosted a Swimarathon charity event 

in September where students and 

staff raised over £800; a fantastic 

achievement. We were delighted 

to be awarded with ‘The Meerveld 

Cup’ for the most lengths swum by 

a large school. 

We have also been visited by 

the Royal Marines who gave a 

presentation to our GCSE and 

VCERT students about career 

opportunities within the service, 

followed by a very intense training 

session! 

This half term has been equally as 

busy as Year 11 had mock exams. 

We also hosted around 100 guests 

from various local care homes for 

our annual Christmas Party - all 

organised by our Year 11 Health 

and Social Care students. Our 

annual PTA Christmas Fayre on 

Sunday 1st December was bigger 

and better than ever with stalls, 

food and drink, raffles, games and 

a host of entertainment on offer to 

entertain all ages. 

40

YOUTH 

La Mare De 

Carteret High 

School 

Mrs V A Godley 

Headteacher 

A warm welcome to our Year 7 

parents, as we enter the half term 

holidays I do hope your children 

have felt settled joining our La Mare 

community. 

The autumn term is always one of 

our busiest with new activities, new 

teachers and students, we have had 

a fantastic opening to the academic 

year and have great hopes for the 

rest of the academic year. 

Congratulations to those students 

and staff who participated in the 

Swimarathon. We again had great 

representation from the school and 

have fundraised over £700. 

We had a fabulous evening 

welcoming Year 6 parents - my 

thanks to all students, staff and 

our PTA. It was a terrific evening in 

the hall and around the school. It 

is always a delight to welcome new 

families and we look forward to 

working with them over the course 

of the year. 

A massive thank you to our 

amazing Prefects Ben Martel and 

Kyion Sharp and to our dedicated 

ambassadors Cadance Hunnisett 

and Jake Whitwam. You have 

turned up when you were needed, 

you have helped out beyond what is 

expected and you have supported 

the Maths team throughout this 

half term. I look forward to another 

industrious half term working with 

you all. 

Well done to the Year 7’s for their 

enthusiasm and participation in 

their first Maths House Competition 

this half term. The event included 

all Year 7, in teams of 5, battling 

against the other Houses, in 3 

rounds of gruelling Maths tasks. The 

Hall was a buzz of activity and it was 

wonderful to see so many students 

enjoying the competition. 

41

an open afternoon for our parents, 

carers and families to view firsthand 

the work that had been done. 

YOUTH 

Castel School 

Pete Curtis 

Deputy Headteacher 

Year 1 have visited the Accidental 

Zoo and interacted with a widerange 

of animals, large and small. 

This formed part of their work on 

the book ‘Dear Zoo’ as part of a 

topic on animals. This led on to 

them writing their own book based 

on animals they’d seen on the trip. 

Life here at Castel Primary continues 

in our usual busy, action-packed 

way with a whole variety of activities 

getting our school year up and 

running. 

We were delighted to welcome our 

new intake of Reception pupils in 

September. It has been wonderful 

to get to know them and watch 

them settle in and adapt to school 

life. They have thrown themselves 

into Muddy Mondays, where they 

spend the majority of the day 

roaming around our outdoor area 

and interacting with and learning 

through nature. 

The whole school has also 

completed a project based on a 

book called ‘The Lost Words’. This 

involved much work on poetry, art, 

creativity and vocabulary with a key 

focus on words that are gradually 

disappearing from children’s 

language. This project culminated in 

Year 2 have spent time on their Mini- 

Beasts topic. They have created and 

developed a wormery to facilitate 

study of that animal. They studied, 

drew and labelled mini-beasts to 

learn about different body parts and 

how these little creatures live. 

St John’s Residential Home had 

a visit from our Year 3s who were 

armed with Harvest Bags to 

distribute to the residents there. 

The bags had been filled with food, 

snacks and treats donated from 

our school community. The pupils 

thoroughly enjoyed chatting to the 

residents. Year 3s link with St Johns 

is extremely valuable and continues 

to grow over time. 

Year 4 had a virtual reality trip to 

India through the use of some VR 

headsets. This ties in with their 

current Geography project on the 

country. They viewed India from 

space, focussed in on major cities 

42

and also had the opportunity to 

look round significant buildings and 

landmarks. This use of technology 

really brought the subject to life and 

offered a different insight to what 

they might otherwise be able to 

experience. 

Year 5 have incorporated a trip up 

Victoria Tower into their Victorians 

project in History. They also visited 

the Priaulx Library to look at books 

and artefacts that complemented 

their research and knowledgebuilding. 

Year 6 had a successful visit to the 

De Putron Challenge quiz where 

they reached the final. The four team 

members conducted themselves 

very well and showcased a superb 

level of general knowledge. Pupils 

from this year group also continue 

their Bikeability training to ensure 

a good level of safety and road 

awareness when out on their bikes. 

This opportunity is offered to all 

pupils in Year 6 throughout the 

course of the year. 

GAMECHANGERS 

WE PLAY BY 

DIFFERENT 

RULES 

SCHOOL WEAR & ACCESSORIES 

SCHOOL SHOES 

CORPORATE WEAR 

WORK WEAR | TEAM WEAR 

GARMENT PRINTING | EMBROIDERY 

OATLANDS VILLAGE LES GIGANDS ST. SAMPSONS 

W www.gamechangers.shop T 01481 241246

WorldTravelGuernsey

YOUTH 

Scouts & 

Guides 

Please note that these are 

only during term time 

The Scout movement is ideal for 

energetic youngsters who want to 

try their hand at canoeing, camping 

and helping the community. 

8th Guernsey (Reliant Sea Scout) 

Group: 

Le Douit Baudin 

Beavers: Monday 5:15 - 6:30pm 

Cubs: Wednesday 6:30 - 8:00pm 

Scouts: Friday 7:00 - 9:00pm 

Call Robert on 07781 101811 

12th Guernsey Group: 

Les Beaucamps High School 

(Maurice Lihou Building) 

Beavers: Monday 5:30 - 6:45pm 

Scouts: Wednesday 7:00 - 9:00pm 

Cubs: Friday 6:30 - 8:00pm 

Call Eric Grimsley on 255229 

or email e.grimsley@cwgsy.net 

Guiding is for girls to make friends, 

learn skills and have fun. 

For more information, go to: 

girlguiding.org.gg or contact 

girlguidingguernsey@suremail.gg 

Guides: 

Monday 6:30 - 8:00pm, 

Cobo Community Centre 

Wednesday 6:15 - 8:00pm, 

Desliles Church Hall 

Brownies: 

Monday 5:45 - 7:00pm, 


Friday 6:00 - 7:30pm, 


Rainbows: 

Friday 4:30 - 5:30pm, 


45

SPIRITUAL 

Island Faith: 

Service Times 

Vazon Church (Elim Pentecostal) 

Sunday: 

10:45 Morning Service 

18:00 Evening Meeting 

Tuesday: 

13:00 Parent and Toddler 

Friday: 

18:00 Acorn Club (3-7yrs) 

18:00 Transformers (8-11yrs) 

19:15 Vibe (11yrs+) 

St. Matthew’s, Cobo 

Sunday: 

08:00 Book of Common Prayer 

11:00 Eucharist 

(Family Service on 1st Sunday) 

Ste. Marie du Castel 

Sunday: 

09:30 Eucharist 

(Family Service on 1st Sunday) 

Wednesday: 

10:00 Holy Communion 

For more information contact Reverend 

Scott Lamb on 256793. 

Cobo Mission 

Sunday: 

10:00 Sunday School 

11:00 The Lord’s Table 

18:00 Gospel Service 

Tuesday: 

14:00 Women’s Meeting 

Thursday: 

19:30 Prayer & Bible Study 

Watch our Sunday Morning Service online 

at vazonelim.org.gg. For more information 

contact Pastor Matt Gregor on 259822. 

Delisles Methodist 

Sunday: 

10:30 Sunday Worship 

St Joseph & St Mary 

Sunday: 

08:00 Sunday Mass 



Monday / Wednesday / Friday: 

07:30 Mass 

Tuesday / Thursday: 

09:30 Mass 

Saturday: 

10:00 Mass 

Our Lady Star of the Sea 

Sunday: 


Monday: 

12:00 Mass 

46

Saturday: 

18:00 Mass 

Notre Dame du Rosaire 

Wednesday: 

12:05 Wednesday Mass 

Saturday: 

17:30 Saturday Mass 

For further information on Roman Catholic 

services please call the office on 720196. 

Salvation Army 

Sunday: 

10:30 Morning Worship 

Church & Chips 

(for school children) 

17:20 Prayer Meeting 

18:00 Evening Worship 

1st Thursday of Month: 

19:30 Corps Fellowship 

For more information please contact Majors 

Jamie and Claire Hill on 244631. 

Guernsey Buddhist Society 

Tuesday: 

19:30 Meditation Sessions 

Open to people of all schools of Buddhism 

and indeed to people of any or no religion. 

For further details please email Richard 

Moormon on guernseyzen@yahoo.com 

Zen Buddhist Group 

Last Thursday of Month: 

19:00 Sangha Meeting 

For more info visit zenbuddhistgroup.gg 

47

SPIRITUAL 

God’s 

Christmas 

Message 

Rev’d Scott Lamb 

It wasn’t easy to get out of bed 

this morning! Waking up to the 

Today programme meant listening 

to John Simpson, the veteran 

BBC World Affairs Editor, list the 

various conflicts around the globe: 

Iraq, Iran, Syria Bolivia, Lebanon, 

Hong Kong and many more. There 

were no surprising countries in his 

list. The stories had all been in the 

news elsewhere but hearing them 

brought together in one speech 

was hard going. He made his point 

powerfully: the world is a very febrile 

and uncertain place at the moment. 

Yes, it was tempting to go back to 

sleep and pull the duvet over my 

head even though I know really that 

shutting our eyes and ears to the 

world’s problems won’t make things 

better. 

I wonder if there is something 

that can help us to engage more 

positively with these issues? Well, 

it may seem strange but I suspect 

that the Christmas story may be 

a source of strength and wisdom 

in this area. Perhaps we should 

start where the story starts and 

listen to the message of the Angel. 

When the Angel Gabriel visited 

Mary with the news that she would 

become pregnant he said “Do not 

be afraid!” And Mary, as a young, 

unmarried woman in a strict culture 

certainly needed that reassurance. 

The same message is repeated to 

the Shepherds when they hear the 

news of Jesus’ birth, “Do not be 

afraid.” 

It would seem that one of the effects 

of Jesus is to help us to be brave, to 

give us a healthy dose of courage. 

48

How does that work? The clue is in 

one of the names we use for Jesus 

at Christmas “Emmanuel” which 

means “God is with us.” 

When Jesus was born, God 

appeared on Earth in a new way, 

as one of us, to demonstrate that 

he is involved in our life, shares our 

lot, our turf. Jesus is “God with us” 

literally “in it with us” and if God is 

with us in the muddle of our world 

then we do not face our difficulties 

alone or only in our own strength. 

We do face immense challenges 

at the moment and at times we 

can all feel like shutting our eyes 

or losing ourselves in distractions 

or escapes but we do not engage 

in our struggles alone but with 

Jesus beside us, involved in our 

endeavours. So we can go forward 

bravely and try to play our part 

because we have heard God’s 

Christmas message, ”Do not be 

afraid.* 

* Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash 

SPIRITUAL 

Castel & 

Cobo Church 

Christmas 

Services 

22 December 

Ste Marie du Castel 

18:00 Service of Nine Lessons & 

Carols 

24 December 

01 December 

St Matthew’s, Cobo 

11:00 Christingle Family Service 


15:00 Christingle making in church 

for all ages 

17:00 Christingle Service 

15 December 


18:00 Service of Lessons & Carols 


15:00 Family Crib Service 

23:30 Midnight Mass 


17:00 Birthday Party for Jesus, 

worship for all ages 

23:30 Midnight Mass 

25 December 


10:00 Eucharist of Christmas 

morning 

49

PUZZLING 

Wordsearch 

Christmas Themed 

Christmas 

Crackers 

Tree 

Decorations 

Family 

Friends 

Gifts 

Manger 

Nativity 

Merry 

Santa Claus 

Jolly 

Scrooge 

Gingerbread 

Grinch 

Angel 

Snowflake 

50

PUZZLING 

Sudoku & 

Riddle 

Fill in the puzzle so that 

every row across, every 

column down and every 

3 by 3 box contains the 

numbers 1 to 9. 

Easy and medium 

difficulty 

Who is never hungry during Christmas? 

51

PARISH 

Your Douzaine 

Castel Constables 

The Douzeniers work for you by offering their services free of charge to 

administer the Parish. This system has worked well for over a hundred 

years and we hope it continues. 

The Douzaine undertakes a number of Parochial duties which include: 

• Election organisation 

• Cemetery management 

• School committees 

• Moorings 

• Refuse and recycling 

• Parish rates 

• Noxious weed reports 

• Quarry inspection 

• Salle publique licences 

• Dangerous roads 

• Dangerous buildings 

• Flag days 

• Cistern inspection 

• Civil defence 

• Parish meetings 

• Road name signs 

• Dog tax collection 

• Stream inspection 

• Liquor licensing 

• Seat placing and upkeep 

• Auctioneers’ licences 

• Barbed wire 

• Crown & Anchor licences 

• Fuel storage 

• Hedge and tree inspection 

• Illegal dumping 

• Abreveurs and troughs 

• Bookmakers’ licences 

• Bornements and permits 

• Hawkers licences 

• Emergency planning 

• Hiring of Douzaine Room 

52

PARISH 

Douzaine 

Room 


After refurbishment of the Douzaine 

Room in June 2017, Parishioners 

and islanders can benefit from the 

facilities provided. 

The Douzaine Hall is available to 

hire (for birthday parties, exercise 

classes or meetings) at £45 per 

session to private/standard hires. 

An additional fee is chargeable if 

setting up/packing away of chairs 

and tables is required. 

Castel Douzaine Boardroom is also 

available to hire as it is suitable for 

formal corporate meetings and 

presentations. It can seat up to 16 

people. 

The rates per 4 hour session for 

corporate hire are £50. 

Call us: 

255644 

(9am – 12noon weekdays) 

Email us: 

constables@castelparish.com 

The sessions available are: 

• 8am-12noon 

• 1pm-5pm 

• 6pm-10pm 

Visit us: 

The Douzaine Room, Castel 

(9am – 12noon weekdays) 

53

in such a manner as to prevent any 

person from falling in accidentally. 

PARISH 

Parish 

Information 


Barbed wire 

This must be of a height of at least 

6ft from the road surface when it 

borders a public place, road or way. 

Bornements or permits 

A Bornement is required from the 

Douzaine in respect of any building 

work within 1.5 metres of the public 

road or footpath. Applications must 

be made in writing to the Constables, 

with a copy of plans and payment of 

£25 (cheques to be made payable 

to Constables of the Castel). Please 

be aware a Bornement may take up 

to 28 days to process. 

Beach restrictions for dogs 

From the 1st May to 30th September 

inclusive, dogs are not allowed on 

7 of Guernsey beaches; Fermain, 

Petit Bot, L’Erée, Vazon, Cobo, Port 

Soif, L’Ancresse/Pembroke. 

Cisterns, wells + pits 

These must be covered or fenced 

Dog tax 

Due in January of each year, 

in respect of all dogs, with the 

exemption of assistance dogs. 

Payments of £10 can be made 

in person during office hours by 

cash, cheque (made payable to 

Constables of the Castel) or card; 

by post, enclosing a stamped 

self-addressed envelope, or by 

phone using a debit or credit card 

(with a small charge to cover 

postage). Every dog owner must 

have their animal licensed from 

6 months old and failure to do so 

means the owner can be reported 

to Guernsey Police and fined. 

Douzaine Room 

The Hall and Douzaine Boardroom 

are available for hire on application 

to the Secretary. 

Fairfield 

Fairfield is a delightful area and is 

available for use by the public. It 

is available to be hired for events, 

please contact the Parish Secretary. 

Hedges 

Hedges bordering a public road 

must be cut back between 1st 

to 15th June and 15th to 30th 

September every year. All dates 

inclusive. 

54

Noxious weeds 

Reports relating to noxious 

weeds can either be made to the 

Douzaine Office or to the States 

Horticultural Services on 234567. 

Owners’ and refuse rates 

The owners’ and refuse rates are 

levied on householders based on 

the TRP values of their dwellings. 

Only those properties that are 

charged a refuse rate are entitled to 

collection. Parochial rates are levied 

annually and cover the period from 

1st January to 31st December in 

any given year. 

Parish meetings 

Two meetings are held every year 

in April/May to approve expenditure 

(known as the Remede) and in 

November to elect Parish officials. 

Parish office 

The office is located at: 

La Chambre de la Douzaine, 

Les Beaucamps Road. 

Quarries 

These must be adequately protected 

by private land or fenced to ensure 

they are not a danger to the public. 

The quarries are inspected in the 

autumn by the Parish Constables. 

Recycling 

Recycling of glass, paper, 

cans, cardboard and clothing 

can be undertaken at the 

amenity site at Vazon. 

Waste and recycling collection 

details can be seen overleaf. 

If any Parishioner is genuinely unable 

to access the recycling banks within 

the Parish and has no one able to 

do it for him/her, please contact the 

Douzaine Room. Arrangements can 

be made to collect recyclables on a 

regular basis. 

Refuse waste 

Black bags (general waste) will be 

collected fortnightly. Bins should 

be in place by 10pm. Wheelie bins 

can be used but the refuse waste 

must be in sacks. No garden waste 

should be included; this can be 

taken to the tip at Chouet or Friquet 

Garden Centre. 

There is also the ‘pay as you throw’ 

element. Those who produce 

the most, will pay the most. For 

more information, go to: gov.gg/ 

mybinnight. 

Streams 

Controlled streams are inspected 

twice a year between 1st to 30th 

June and 15th to 30th September. 

Owners must cut vegetation and 

clean streams so an unrestricted 

flow of water is ensured. 

You can contact the Parish 

Secretary on 255644 or email 

constables@castelparish.com. 

55

PARISH 

Rubbish & 

Recycling 

Collection 

Nights 

Collection around 

10pm weekly 

Monday Evening 

Belle Vue, Clos de la Lilyvale Crescent 

Cache, Rue de la Mare De Carteret, Route 

Carlton Estate de la 

Charruee, Rue de la Mielles, Clos des 

Chemin Robin Ollivier, Courtil 

Chou, Rue 

Planque, la 

Croix, Rue de la Port Soif Road 

Emrais, Clos des Presbytere, Rue du 

Emrais, Ruette Des Pretre, Rue au 

Forfaitures, Ruette des Ronce, Rue au 

Francais, Rue des Ronde Cheminee, Rue 

Galaad, Rue de de la 

Grandes Mielles, Clos Saline, La 

des 

Saumarez, Route de 

Grandes Rocques Road Saumarez, Ruette 

Haye du Puits, La Touillets, Rue des 

Hougue du Pommier Varendes, Clos des 

Houmets, Rue des 

Tuesday Evening 

Albecq, Clos D’ Giffardiere, La 

Banquette, La Hougue, Rue de la 

Bouverie, Rue de L’Aumone Estate 

Camp, Clos le Lande, Rue de la 

Carteret, Route de Marottes, Ruette des 

Cherfs Estates, Les Masse, Rue de la 

Cobo Coast Road Neuve Rue, La 

Cobo, Route de Percee, La 

Corneilles, Ruette des Pre de la Cotte, Le 

Courtil Cobo 

Queritez, Rue des 

Carteret, Clos de Renouards, Rue des 

Deane, Clos 

Retôt 

Douit Boudin, Le Salle, Clos de la 

Feugre, Le 

St Germain, Rue 

Fries, Ruette des Terramar Court 

Genats Estate Tour, Ruette de la 

Generotte, Ruette de la 

Wednesday Evening 

Albecq, Rue D’ 

Baissieres, Les 

Bar Mere, Clos de 

Beaumont, Clos de 

Beaucamps, Les 

Cache, Clos de la 

Cauvains, Clos des 

Cauvains, Les 

Chemin Des Monts 

Cordage, Clos du 

Croix, La 

Delisles, Rue des 

Effards Lane 

Eglise, Route de l’ 

Eturs, Rue des 

Foire, Rue de la 

Friquet, Le 

Goddards, Clos des 

Goddards Rise 

Goddards, Rue des 

Houguette Road, La 

Landelles Les, 

Maree’s Litres 

Mare Estate, La 

Mare Road, La 

Mont D’Aval, Le 

Perruque, Rue de la 

Petite Mare de lis Clos 

La Petits Puits, Clos des 

Preel, Rue du 

Queux Lane, Les 

Rocquette, Clos de la 

St Briocq, Ruette 

Sous La Mer 

Sous Les Courtils 

Tamaris, Rue des 

Tertre Estate, Le 

Tertre, Route du 

Village Rachelle 

Thursday Evening 

Beauvoir, Clos de 

Belles, Rue des 

Bergers, Rue des 

Boulains, Rue des 

Candie Road 

Chemin des Monts 

Clos au Compte Road 

Cohu, Rue estates 

Courtil Simon Lane 

Dos D’Ane, Rue du 

Douit, Rue du 

Eau, Rue a l’ 

Enfer, Rue d’ 

Fauxquets, Rue des 

Fresnes, Rue a 

Frie Plaidy, Rue du 

Gele, Rue du 

Grands Moulins, Les 

Grantez, Rue des 

Guildown, Clos 

Hamel, Rue du 

Haut Séjour, Ruette du 

Haye, Rue de la 

Hechet, Rue du 

Highland Estate 

Hougues, Rue des 

Hurette, Rue de la 

Julienne, Ruette 

Marais, Rue du 

Meadow Drive 

Morts, Rue des 

Pelleys, Les 

Piette, Rue 

Ponchez, Ruette 

Porte, Rue de la 

Puits, Les 

Saumarez, Clos de 

Talbot Valley 

Torval, Rue du 

Vallees, Rue des 

Vazon Coast Road 

Villocq, Clos du 

Villocq Estate, Le 

Villocq Lane, Le 

More information on 

gov.gg/mybinnight 

56

PARISH 

Recycling 

When Is It Collected? 

On your waste collection night, 

glass, food waste and blue bags 

are collected one week. Refuse 

waste, food waste and clear bags 

are collected the following week. 

The local recycling bank at Vazon 

will take: 

• Glass 

• Steel cans 

• Aluminium 

• Paper 

• Plastic 

• Textiles 

• Cardboard 

• Cartons 

What Is Collected? 

More information on 

gov.gg/mybinnight 

Blue Bag 

Tins, cans, plastic bottles, pots, 

tubs, trays, foil and cartons. 

Clear Bag 

Cardboard and paper. 

Food Waste 

Within the kerbside caddy 

provided. 

Glass Bag 

Bottles and jars (any colour). No 

Pyrex dishes or drinking glasses. 

About Waste Collection 

There is a ‘pay as you throw’ 

element for refuse waste. 

1. There will be an annual bill from 

the Parish to cover the cost of your 

waste and recycling collections. 

2. There will also be an annual bill 

from the States, to cover some of 

the costs of treating and processing 

your waste and recycling, and the 

facilities provided. This is £85 per 

household. 

3. All other treatment and 

processing costs will be covered 

by ‘pay as you throw’. This will only 

apply to general rubbish, and will 

cost £2.50 for each standard sized 

bag you put out for collection. It will 

be in the form of a label that you 

buy in shops, and then stick on your 

bag. 

 

57

service of 3 years. 

PARISH 

Glossary & 

Puzzle 

Solutions 

Castel Constables & 

Donkeylogic 

Bornement 

A permit required from the Parish 

Douzaine in Guernsey to make 

alterations to property within 1.5m 

of the public highway. 

Constable 

There are two Constables per 

Parish. They carry out the decisions 

of the Douzaine and manage the 

day to day affairs of the Parish. Each 

Constable has a maximum length of 

Canton 

An area within the Parish which is 

managed by two Douzeniers. Castel 

has 6 Cantons. 

Deputy 

A member of the States of Guernsey. 

They represent the Parish as 

politicians. 

Douzaine 

The main body in each Parish. 

The Douzaine is made up of 12 

Douzeniers. 

Douzenier 

A member of the Douzaine. They 

have a number of responsibilities 

which they partake in voluntarily. All 

12 Douzeniers meet monthly. 

Parishioner 

Someone who lives in the Parish. 

Riddle Answer: A turkey because it is always stuffed. 

58

EVERY DETAIL, 

INSIDE & OUT 

Working in the building industry for over 20 years, 

Chris Workman has the knowledge and experience to 

undertake architectural projects on a variety of properties, 

including listed buildings, leaving no detail spared. 

E: mail@chrisworkman.co.uk 

T: +44 (0)1481 266505 

W: www.chrisworkman.co.uk 

CHARTERED ARCHITECTURAL TECHNOLOGIST 

CHARTERED SURVEYOR 

Richmond Court, Rue de la Maladerie, 

St Saviours, Guernsey, GY7 9QT

Saumarez Park Cafe 

Cafe & Brasserie 

EST. 1998 

 

 

Open 7 days a week from 9:30am - late. 

Evening meals with local produce are served on 

Fridays and Saturdays during the winter. 

We also offer Daily Specials. 

Christmas party menu available - only by pre-order. 

We would like to wish all of our customers a very 

Merry Christmas and prosperous 2020. 

Thank you for supporting us over all of these years. 

Bus Routes: No. 41 & 42 Tel: 254434

Castel Matters, Issue 22 - Winter 2019 / Spring 2020

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