A French connection

RELATIONS with France have taken another step forward with a visit by the president of Basse Normandie announced for 3 May.

It comes after the president of the La Manche county council waxed lyrical about the island's Bayeux Tapestry 'finale' and its dairy produce.

States President Stuart Trought, along with Chief Executive Roy Burke and deputies Chris Rowley and Neil Harvey, travelled to the International Convention on Marine Renewable Energy in Brest, France, earlier this month. Mr Trought was invited to address the conference on the subject of Alderney.

Jean-Francois Le Grand, president of the county council of La Manche, had already spoken warmly of the island. He had visited Alderney at the start of April to officially unveil the tapestry, which now hangs in the library where most of it was sewn.

Mr Trought said: 'Most of Monsieur Le Grand's speech was taken up in praise of how interesting Alderney was. He talked about the tapestry and even our rich butter.'

As a result, president of the Basse Normandie region Laurent Beauvais expressed a desire to get to know Alderney.

He will bring with him a phalanx of dignitaries from the region.

While on the island, Mr Beauvais has specifically requested to meet Alderney Renewable Energy directors and officers from the Alderney Commission for Renewable Energy. The island's eco and heritage tourism project will also be showcased.

'It is indicative of the desire from the French to work closely with Alderney to continue to improve the relationship between Le Manche and Alderney,' continued Mr Trought.

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Volunteers are being sought to help St Anne's youngsters improve their reading.

The school has begun a scheme that sees adults and older pupils helping children to read in 20-minute sessions.

St Anne's teachers are training adult and teenage readers to discuss the text with youngsters and develop strategies for dealing with words and sections they find difficult.

Those who want to get involved must be available for three fixed 20-minute sessions per week. Training will take about an hour. Students in Years 10 and 11 have already been trained and are currently working with young readers.

Inspired by Bradford's Better Reading Partnership programme, readers are trained to prompt their charges to solve difficulties and help them develop independent reading strategies. Each session follows a similar format of re-reading a known and familiar text, re-reading a book recently taken home and introducing a new story.

Head teacher Mike Gaunt said if they had enough volunteers the school would do training sessions for adults, too.

Anyone interested in volunteering would have to sign up for at least one term to give readers and listeners the chance to build a relationship. Listeners will need to accommodate three slots a week during school hours.

'The adults, like the older students, will work with pupils from ages five through to 12 or even 13,' Mr Gaunt added.

'It's a great activity for adults in the community who wish to get involved, but without too much commitment.'