Travelling to Guernsey was a challenge of its own for adjudicator Rebecca Thompson, who missed the first few classes of the section due to the fog.
‘I arrived at Bristol airport [on Sunday] and as soon as I was about to check in, it came up that my flight was cancelled. I had an email saying I’d been put on another flight, which was going to be first thing Monday morning, but from Southampton,’ she said.
‘I went back home to regroup, sorted out a hotel and my travel. I had to get a taxi to the station, then a train, then a change, then a bus replacement and finally made it to Southampton, but then it was dark and I couldn’t find my hotel and I couldn’t find a taxi.’
Eventually Ms Thompson made it to her hotel, and went to Southampton airport yesterday morning, only to find that the fog had migrated from Guernsey to Southampton and her new flight was delayed.
‘We set off an hour late, but then when I landed in Guernsey I went straight to the venue and was adjudicating at about 10.30am,’ she said.
‘I was an hour late, but all things considered, it wasn’t too bad.’
External adjudicators are brought in for the Guernsey Eisteddfod to independently assess entrants and give constructive feedback as to how they can improve their performances.
Ms Thompson has adjudicated for more than 20 years, but it is her first trip to the Guernsey Eisteddfod.
‘This is obviously a successful and well-supported Eisteddfod, so I feel that the organisers, teachers and participants would really appreciate and benefit from someone coming in who’s totally neutral,’ she said.
‘I don’t know anything about these kids, I haven’t taught them, I don’t actually know anything about the theatre schools or wherever they’re trained.
‘I think, as a teacher myself, someone coming in from the outside can be really valuable.’
Speech and Drama section coordinator Ethan Hitchon said that visiting adjudicators have experience with many festivals and can mark local talent against the agreed standard.
‘We have an agreed-upon marking scheme, but it’s not just that this is great for Guernsey, this is the standard across all the various festivals that they adjudicate,’ he said.
‘It’s evidence that Guernsey is holding its own with the quality of art that we have in the island.’
The classes Ms Thompson missed yesterday morning were recorded. She will review them in her downtime and provide feedback so entrants still benefit from her experience and education.
The Speech and Drama section runs until Sunday.