'A special day that makes islanders who they are'
LIBERATION DAY celebrations went island-wide yesterday – and it is a model that might well stay.
Four years since the focus of 9 May was in the centre of Town, activities returned to St Peter Port for the first time and there appeared to be a weight of support for them to remain.
Meanwhile, six of the remaining nine parishes hosted events which were well-attended despite grey and brooding skies for the first couple of hours.
St Peter Port hosted events in Market Square and a stronger focus on the Crown Pier, while cavalcade vehicles were parked along the Quay as the cavalcade stopped in Town, rather than continued its tour across the parishes.
St Peter Port douzenier Chris Nicolle said that although Town was not back to its busiest on a Liberation Day, it was proper that it should be a focus of entertainment on the national day.
‘I think there’s still a reason to have things going on in the rest of the island because we’ve got an ageing population and some of the more elderly residents, for whom Liberation Day is particularly pertinent, can’t necessarily get into St Peter Port.
‘But St Peter Port was the focus and location of what was going on in 1945 on Liberation Day, so I think the weight of what takes place really needs to be here. I’m not opposed to things going on in other parishes at all as there is a need for that.’
The cavalcade snaked along the west, north and east coast from Torteval to Town, and was well-received as ever.
‘The longer route was enjoyable, but it’s also nice having a shorter route and then parking up in Town for a few hours so people can have a good look at the vehicles,’ said Guernsey Military Vehicle Group events secretary Laura Dyer.
‘It’s great to see so many people down here and interested.’
Fenella Maddison was in Torteval, watching the cavalcade pass near the parish church.
‘We always feel imposters slightly because we have been here only for five years, but we love the spirit of Liberation Day and the memories people have of that time,’ she said.
‘I don’t want to go into Town and so I like the cavalcade coming through the parishes and giving everyone a chance to see it.
‘This is a very special day – it’s what makes Channel Islanders who they are.’
Education, Sport & Culture offers a grant to the parishes to run Liberation Day and it intends to run larger celebrations, focused on the centre of town, for the more significant quinquennial anniversaries, including the next in 2025.
Liberation coverage, pages 2-6
