Lt-Governor sees Alderney emergency services training

It is the first time he has undertaken a visit of such length to the island.

‘Usually I only visit for a day or two at a time for the States meetings each month, so it’s been good to have a longer time here and to have had the chance to visit so many places and meet some fantastic people,’ he said.

Lt General Cripwell joined a team from Dig Alderney, which is currently excavating a stretch of land on Longis Common.

‘I’m fascinated by archaeology, but I’m not much of an expert, so to hear from the team about what they have discovered was really interesting.

‘Alderney was part of an important trading route many years ago so they have managed to find a lot of pottery and china, and I even managed to uncover a large bone.’

He also paid a visit to each of the emergency services, which included watching a training run of a car crash by the St John Ambulance and Fire Service, and seeing Les Etacs, 'Gannet Rock' up close as part of a round-the-island training exercise on the Alderney lifeboat with the RNLI.

‘As a former army officer I am fully aware of the constant state of readiness that you have to be in when working in potential emergency situations.

‘The dedication the volunteers have to their learning and training is admirable,’ he said.

The next two days will see Lt General Cripwell visit the hospital, Alderney Electricity and the Commonwealth war graves, as well as going to the only bird observatory in the Channel Islands.

He will also be back at Longis Common to assist Dig Alderney with lifting soil on its excavation site.

‘As governor of the Bailiwick it’s a pleasure to have the chance to see everything that goes on around our islands.

‘The people of Alderney have been incredibly kind and generous, and I’ve been so impressed with the community spirit since I’ve been here.

‘I’m looking forward to the rest of the week before returning to Guernsey this weekend,’ he said