Operation Frenchify a school initiative to encourage visitor shopping

ST ANNE'S pupils have surveyed businesses along Victoria Street to find out how French friendly they are.

Operation Frenchify was their bid to help make the island's shops more accessible, and attractive, to French visitors.

It was the brainchild of Years 7, 8 and 9 when asked by teacher Sally Pond on what sort of activity they would like to do to combine French and business studies.

'Lots of people were complaining that few French people came into their businesses – so we thought we would do something about it,' said student Chloe Moore.

The pupils went into shops and restaurants and tried to view the experience through French eyes. Although most shops did take Euros, the youngsters quickly came to the conclusion that French people might not feel very 'invited' if the shopkeeper did not speak French.

In response they produced a business back for owners to 'Frenchify' their business. They included laminated cards with friendly messages in French for visitors, such as 'Entrez pour me dire bonjour' (come in to say hello!) and useful information like J'accepte la carte bleue (I accept credit card/s). They also made a laminated card of useful phrases and a website where people could listen to see how they were correctly pronounced. Mrs Pond offered to translate Mai Thai's menu for them.

Julie Eggleston, Alderney Chamber of Commerce's school representative, said it was 'tremendously important' that businesses did everything they could to make themselves attractive to non-English speaking visitors.

She said: 'We get an awful lot of tourists these days particularly from France.

'They get a little bit blank coming up to town because we are not very good at speaking somebody else's language and I think the children have spotted that niche, so it's quite nice of them to have taken the time and see the shopkeepers and restaurants and say could they be a little more proactive in marketing.'

French classes could be on the timetable for Alderney residents as part of the Living Islands' scheme. Project manager Martin Batt said he wanted to set up a French-speaking group with AWT officer and French native Anne-Isabelle Boulon.