‘Island should have plenty of hope for better future’

LAST CHRISTMAS, I encouraged everyone to share my optimism for 2021 that things would get better. While our situation has improved, there is clearly scope for renewed optimism that in 2022 it will continue to get better again. Hope for a better future is part of the core Christmas message of peace on earth and goodwill to all people.

Reflecting on the last year, there is much for which to be thankful, although inevitably tinged with disappointment that some events we usually relish are not taking place. Considerable weight was rightly placed on the vaccination programme. Everyone should congratulate each other that there has been a jolly good response from Bailiwick residents to get vaccinated. In doing so, we protect others as well as ourselves. This gives us renewed confidence to go about our daily lives as part of the ‘new normal’, even with the current uncertainties surrounding the impact of the Omicron variant.

I continue to applaud all those workers and volunteers who are doing their utmost to keep our community safe. Travel restrictions have eased, enabling families and friends from elsewhere to visit the Bailiwick or us to visit them. Such reconnecting has been a welcome positive step for many.

That joy of personal interaction comes into sharper focus at Christmas. It really is a time to rest, to enjoy spending time with loved ones, relaxing away from the usual hurly-burly of everyday life. I sincerely hope that will still be the approach this Christmas, while exercising appropriate caution not to put those, particularly the most vulnerable among us, at unnecessary risk. Our strong community spirit of looking out for one another, following applicable guidance, creates the best opportunity of overcoming this current storm as well as we can. In this manner, we can look ahead to a successful 2022.

Having recently said a fond farewell to Sir Ian and Lady Corder, we look forward to welcoming our new Lt-Governor early next year. His arrival will offer many opportunities to showcase why our Bailiwick Crown Dependency is such a special place in which to live.

On the sporting field, competition has been returning to normal, about which many are pleased. The successful summer Olympics demonstrated that large sporting events are now feasible. All being well, we can give huge support to our Bailiwick athletes at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham next summer, a springboard towards our deferred 2023 Island Games celebrating inter-insular rivalries, yet coupled with friendliness.

On the arts front, I think there is something magical about traditional carols and other seasonal music. As you celebrate during this festive period, please embrace the spirit of bringing joy to the world, reflecting what took place that holy night. Although not a Christmas song, in 2022, I do encourage you to ‘accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative’.

I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.