Lights going up on the Tree of Joy

The strings are hung from the Weighbridge Roundabout mast and illuminated for Christmas to raise awareness of the Rotary Club of Guernsey’s Tree of Joy campaign.

Rotary member Nigel Dorey said the lights needed to be hung quite far in advance, as they could not go up in strong winds, so a back-up date was required.

‘The wind can be a problem, but it is looking ok so far,’ he said.

‘We use the crane from Marine & General, so we can’t do it in anything above a force four, as it would be too risky for the guys up there.’

A back-up weekend has been pencilled in for 17 November, in case wind causes this weekend’s plans to be postponed. If the plan does go ahead, Policy & Resources president Lyndon Trott has been approached to put the star on the top of the mast.

Rotary member Jerry Girard said a real mixture of people had put the star on the tree before, including Father Christmas, and Roary the Lion, as well as Deputy Trott’s political colleagues John Gollop and Jonathan Le Tocq.

‘As Deputy Trott comes to the end of his political career, it seems appropriate to recognise his long service, including being chief minister twice,’ he said.

This year sees the 30th Rotary Club of Guernsey Tree of Joy campaign, which provides Christmas presents for children who might not otherwise receive a gift. More details of the campaign will be released in the coming weeks.

Mr Dorey said the mast was sponsored by long-time sponsors Butterfield and PwC, which are being joined this year by new sponsor Savills, whose office is based next to the roundabout.

The inner lane of the roundabout will be closed from about 6am on Sunday to allow the crane to operate. The work is expected to be completed and roundabout fully reopened by about 10.30am.

The lights will be switched on at 6pm on Thursday 29 November. More details about the switch on will be published closer to the time.