Sites for more eyes

SARK Tourism has a new website but unfortunately the old one remains online, causing some confusion for users.

My understanding is that neither the Tourism Committee nor Chief Pleas actually owned the domain name for the old site – a sad state of affairs but one it is pointless to dwell upon.

With the apparent unwillingness of the domain owner – not a Sark resident, I stress – to remove the old site, all Sark Tourism can do is hope that as much publicity as possible can be generated about the new site.

The old site – sark.info – is now defunct, the new website address is sark.co.uk and emails should be sent to office@sark.co.uk, where I know that they will be responded to with the Visitor Centre staff's customary efficiency.

I'm also told that the list of subscribers to the news column which the 'old' website used to publish is also held by the domain holder and Tourism chairman Sandra Williams has asked me to relay a request to all those subscribers to get in touch with the Visitor Centre direct on office@sark.co.uk rather than try to contact them through the old website.

It appears that the committee has been told this list cannot be handed over because of data protection legislation restrictions – something I'd have thought should be referred to a data-protection commissioner in the appropriate jurisdiction without further delay.

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I referred last week to a fund-raising initiative relating to the restoration of the First World War memorial window at St Peter's Church. The information I received from Sharon Boerenbeker of the Island Hall again confirmed that when it comes to raising money, there is little Sark can learn from anywhere else about how to do it.

Sharon explained that thanks to some electronic wizardry at Sark Estate Management, two quite large (A2) photographs of the window have been produced – one of which has been framed and the other cut into 53 panes, each of which are being sold for £10. Then, after tomorrow evening's poker tournament, one of the sold panes will be drawn and its purchaser gets a wine hamper.

However, that's not where it ends, for there are also plans to auction the framed photograph and the cash raised there will be added to the kitty in aid of yet another worthwhile cause.

Last week's Chief Pleas brought a welcome rebellion against the seemingly endless quest for bigger and bigger tractors, with members firmly rejecting a move to raise the height limit by just a few inches.

Most people here – and the majority of tourists also – will be delighted with the decision, although I remain puzzled as to why no named vote (more correctly, an appel nominal) was taken for this, yet recorded votes were demanded where legislation perceived as anti-Barclay was being decided upon, invariably to record unanimous decisions.

Three years ago I was severely criticised – albeit by only two people – for having the temerity to repeat a forecast that the election for committee seats would result in certain conseillers being marginalised.

Seneschal Reg Guille last week expressed concern, which many people echo, that Conseiller Simon Higgins sits on no committees. The electorate expect all those they elect to play a part in government.

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My reference two weeks ago to the crass insensitivity of the Sark Newsletter's comments about Diana Beaumont brought the expected heavy-handed overreaction that has become that publication's trademark.

The half-dozen sentences I wrote drew a full-page response directed, not surprisingly, at me rather than the issue I raised. Still, I have the comfort of knowing that if I feel harassed, intimidated or bullied then I can always turn to the, er, Sark Newsletter for succour.

* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.