10.5km of bunting which has been removed in St Peter Port is being prepared for storage in a Castel vinery.
‘The bunting is taken down and then brought to the greenhouse to be straightened out and dried out so we can store it safely for next year,’ said Guernsey Retail Group member Andrew Pouteaux.
‘Places in the UK put their bunting in the tip after each season, but we keep ours and re-use it, which also makes cheaper in the long run.’
The iconic flags draped around St Peter Port during summer each year are long enough to stretch to Herm and back, and has to be replaced every three to four years, with small sections being replaced each due to weather damage.
‘Typically areas such as Fountain Street and near the Thomas De La Rue have to be replaced often due to the wind which causes shedding,’ said Odette Duerden, who was packing up the bunting in the greenhouse.
‘But the ones on the inner streets of Town can last several years, as they are much less exposed to the weather.’
The installation of the bunting costs £2,000 each year and £10,000 every few years to replace it.
Mr Pouteaux has appealed to St Peter Port douzaine to assist in covering the ground costs so he can concentrate on funding the replacement flags in the next few years.
He has plans for fundraising event in the near future. Once the bunting has been retired from St Peter Port over the summer, it is passed on to shorter term events such as the Rocquaine Regatta.
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