Jimmy Ozanne has been a carer at the home for 22 years, over which time he has thrown himself into many madcap fundraising ideas – each more unusual than the last – in a bid to keep the home operating and being spoken about.
‘It means a lot to me, and there’s many other people who feel the same,’ he said. ‘We all help and support each other through whatever silly things we do to try and raise funds.’
Having last year buried himself up to his neck in the ground for 24 hours, he has also parachuted out of a plane, dressed up as a gorilla and chained himself to the lighthouse by Castle Cornet, and marched around the island on one of several charity walks. His latest act saw him pose on Saturday as a live statue in Market Square for four hours, in the middle of the street festival’s launch party.
‘It was a challenge from Nic Legg [who sits on the board for Cheshire Home] and I said yes right away,’ said Mr Ozanne.
‘It was only afterwards that I then thought, “hang on a minute – how do I do this?” I’ve been practising standing still at Waitrose, just staring at the shelves for a minute. But I love to chat, and I’ve got a bit of a twitch, so it’s not going to be easy. I’m definitely out of my comfort zone.’
It took two months of practice, planning, a whole make-up team and half a dozen volunteers to turn Mr Ozanne into the bronze fisherman who stood – almost as still as the adjacent donkey – in Market Square on Saturday.
‘It’s all about keeping the doors to the Cheshire Home open,’ he said.
‘I’m fully aware there’s so many charities in the island now – possibly a thousand, maybe even more – and every one of them deserves money. I get that. But it’s like everyone’s competing for funds.
‘It’s trying to come up with unique ideas, not only to raise funds but to really stand out as a charity, and raise awareness – that’s what we really need.’
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