Jersey: Band record Jerriais version of national anthem
A pop-folk band has re-recorded the island's national anthem Beautiful Jersey in Jersey's traditional language Jerriais.Badlabecques is a 10-piece band which performs in Jerriais to promote the island's cultural identity.The band has re-recorded a Jerriais version of Beautiful Jersey which was released ahead of Liberation Day.Leader singer Kit Ashton told BBC Radio Jersey the national anthem was a popular "patriotic song" but it "took on a new life" when it was translated into Jerriais and helped raise morale during the German occupation.
Mr Ashton said it was believed to have been performed at a musical event to raise morale at this "really tough time" during World War Two."Translating it into Jerriais also gave it a really magical touch of not being immediately understandable by the occupying German forces so it was almost like a secret code really and Jerriais was a code that was used during that time," he added.Mr Ashton said music was a great way to connect younger people with "that part of our identity" and in helping to keep Jerriais alive.He said that the Badlabecques's version of the national anthem was one of a number which Deputy Carolyn Labey, who is international development minister, had requested be made available on the government's website.The band has had its first two studio albums permanently catalogued in the British Library in London.
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Daily Mail
12 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I cheated death when I fell into a gorilla enclosure aged five. It shaped my life forever... and what happened next was heartbreaking
It was a moment of heart-stopping drama - a five-year-old boy falls into a gorilla enclosure at a zoo and lies unconscious on the ground as a huge silverback approaches. With his horrified parents watching on helplessly and onlookers shouting for assistance, the silverback stretches out his gigantic arm and everyone holds their breath. And then to the astonishment of everyone, Jambo the 18 stone gorilla, gently strokes the back of the motionless child then sits to act as a protective guard against the other gorillas. It is almost four decades since that moment was captured on a tourist video camera and went round the world, gripping viewers across the globe. It is a moment which changed our understanding of the huge primates and how they interact with humans. It is also an incident that will forever colour the life of Levan Merritt, now 44. He is hoping to return to Jersey Zoo next year to mark the 40th anniversary. 'It will be with me forever,' said Levan. 'Although I could remember nothing of the actual incident I can remember the aftermath and everything that followed in the months and years afterwards. In heart-stopping footage, as Levan lay sprawled out on the ground, Jambo the gorilla and other gorillas in the pit were filmed coming to inspect the little boy as he lay on the ground 'People are always fascinated to hear about the story and to watch the video clip. It has always given me a bit of celebrity. Often my friends tell people and they are stunned.' Now a father-of-three, Levan, who works in garden maintenance, says that although the momentous event happened when he was just five years old, it has defined his life in many ways. 'I loved animals back then, especially wild animals, and I still do. I'm a big animal lover and so are my kids. 'We have visited London Zoo and gone to Longleat Safari Park a number of times as well as local zoos around here. It's something I am still interested in but I think they are as well.' He said his three children, Leo, 12, Riley, 11 and Hope, nine loved visiting zoos and seeing animals though they were a little bored by his dramatic story, which they have heard many times. 'It gets a bit boring for them now. Some people can still remember the clip but I don't tell people about it so much anymore. Some neighbours and friends know but some don't.' The terrifying incident unfolded in the summer of 1986, when the Merritt family, from Horsham, West Sussex had taken a trip to Jersey for a summer holiday. Along with his older brother Clint, 8, sister Stephanie, 10, and parents Stephen, 34, and Pauline, 28, Levan had visited the zoo to celebrate the birthday of his youngest sibling, Lloyd, who was turning 4. Little did he know his trip to the zoo, on the first day of their holiday, would be broadcast around the world and catapult Jambo to international stardom overnight. Initially the children had been interested in the spider monkeys and Levan remembered 'finding it funny as one of them peed on my Dad.' But as they continued around the zoo the three boys became fascinated by the gorilla enclosure which was dominated by a 18 stone 7ft silverback called Jambo. Pestering his dad for a better view Levan clambered on his father's shoulders and leant over the wall. 'We were just boys being boys, I suppose,' he said. 'I just wanted to get a better view of them so I was leaning over a bit and then suddenly I went.' He lost his balance, toppled from his father's shoulders and fell 20ft into the enclosure. Landing on a cement floor he was lucky to be alive, but he had knocked himself out, fractured his skull and snapped his arm. As he lay motionless on the ground, the 7ft tall 18 stone silverback male slowly approached him. After stroking his back the gorilla stood guard over Levan, placing himself between the boy and the other gorillas in a protective gesture. A nerve-jangling minute or two later Levan began to regain consciousness and began to cry. As his family screamed at him to remain still, his sobs caused the gorillas to retreat in panic and Jambo led them into the enclosure house in the pen. But when the gate was closing, a younger gorilla called Hobbit rushed out of a second pen and charged towards the group. A brave keeper grabbed a stick and stood between the gorilla and Levan even when the ape rushed at him aggressively. At was at this point that an ambulanceman and another zoo keeper stepped in and rescued Levan in a dramatic escape. Rescuers hauled Levan up on a stretcher and he was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital. While a dramatic event such as this today would be uploaded to social media within minutes, in 1986 it was filmed on a £1,300 Sony CCD-V8 by Brian Le Lion - in what was a relatively rare phenomenon at the time. It was only the next day, when Levan was lying on his hospital bed, the family watched back the incredible footage. Levan's mother, Pauline told MailOnline of her memories of that day, recalling: 'When Levan slipped into the pen, I started shouting and screaming and I was led away to the zoo cafe, while Stephen stayed put. Luckily they managed to get him out. 'It was only the next day we saw what had happened. One of the nurses had seen it on breakfast TV and asked us 'have you seen this?' knowing that we were the family who had been involved. 'That was the first time I saw it and to be honest I couldn't actually believe what I was seeing.' Suffering from a badly fractured skull and a broken forearm, Levan spent the next six weeks in hospital. He had a metal plate inserted into his skull and also had to wait for his arm to properly heal. When he did finally return to normal life and go back to school he faced another challenge. The video clip had been beamed to news channels across the world and brought a certain celebrity to Levan and some schoolchildren were jealous of the attention he received. He was mercilessly bullied at Tanbridge House in East Sussex with children calling him 'gorilla boy' and 'monkey man' and 'metal brain.' 'I wasn't allowed to do any physical sports like rugby or football and that singled me out as well.' 'It was horrendous,' said Levan. 'They didn't like that I'd had all this attention so they took it out on me. It was unpleasant but the school took it seriously and sorted it out.' 'My family were quite shocked by it all. But the worst affected was Stephanie. She was 10 at the time and the oldest and felt responsible in some way. She still can't watch the video even after all these years. I think she feels guilty in some way. I suppose it is upsetting to watch.' The events that could have left such traumatic scars have done nothing to diminish his love of animals - including gorillas. Following his recovery, his family was invited back to the zoo and he has maintained links with them ever since. He has returned on more than 10 occasions. In 1992, he cut the ribbon to celebrate the unveiling of a bronze statue of Jambo following the death of the gorilla at the age of 31. He said: 'It was really nice to go back when the statue was unveiled. It was me saying thank you for what he had done.' Levan also returned to the zoo on the 20th anniversary of the event where he was reunited with former ambulanceman Brian Fox, who helped lift him to safety. He said he was 'proud' to have helped change public perceptions of gorillas from dangerous King Kong beasts to gentle giants. Levan, who split from his wife Amanda, several years ago said he has tried to instil respect and interest in the animal kingdom in his own children. 'I'd really like to take my children to the zoo next year to mark the 40th anniversary. That would be brilliant.' JAMBO THE GORILLA Jambo (pronounced 'Yambo') was born on April 17, 1961 at the Basle Zoologischer Garteen in Switzerland. He weighed only about 4 pounds. Jambo is Swahili for 'Hello' or 'How are you?' Jambo was unique as he was the first male gorilla to be born in captivity and was also the first captive-born gorilla to be reared by his mother (Achilla). This famous gorilla sired a total of up to 17 baby gorillas from five different mates. Jambo died on September 16, 1992, from a rupture of the major artery, resulting in a chest haemorrhage. A life-size bronze sculpture of Jambo was erected after his death and he was commemorated on a special Jersey £1 stamp in 2012.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
I stayed in a floating yacht hotel in Europe – we had champagne breakfasts on a budget and even spotted celebs
Gibraltar's biggest attraction in every sense is the looming mound of limestone that dominates everything here FLOAT YOUR BOAT I stayed in a floating yacht hotel in Europe – we had champagne breakfasts on a budget and even spotted celebs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DAVID WALLIAMS was sitting at the next table offering to massage a newlywed couple. First morning aboard the Sunborn floating hotel in Gibraltar and the professional extrovert was in full character, engaging with star-struck holidaymakers as only he can, with a twinkle in his eye. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Gibraltar has for so long been pigeonholed as a stopover for day trippers - but why not stay for longer? Credit: Shutterstock 6 David Walliams as in full character, engaging with star-struck holidaymakers as only he can, with a twinkle in his eye Credit: Instagram 6 Get to the top of the Rock via the scenic cable car Credit: Getty We arrived too late the night before to catch the Little Britain comic's one-man show at a sports centre but apparently it went down a storm. He has already asked to return for November's literary festival, and it's no surprise. Gibraltar has for so long been pigeonholed as a stopover for day trippers. Passengers on the 250-odd cruise ships that briefly moor under the Rock's majestic presence dash around to see a few sights but mainly aim to take advantage of the VAT-free shopping. It's a trend the local tourist board is working hard to reverse. They want travellers to take more time fully taking in the surprisingly large number of things to do on a tiny sun-kissed slab of Britain at the mouth of the Med. And when beer is just £3.75 a pint, why not stay longer to enjoy? Secret bunker Gibraltar's gripping history has a deep association with our Armed Forces. The Royal Engineers were founded here in the 18th century and practically built the place. The honeycomb of tunnels dug by clever sappers during World War Two offers a fascinating insight into the work of our determined Armed Forces and the strategic importance of Gibraltar during the conflict. In one cavern hangs a full-size replica of a legendary Spitfire fighter plane. There is also the spine-chilling story of the Stay Behind Cave — the once secret bunker carved into the heart of the mountain, complete with provisions for a year and a bicycle generator. An elite group of patriotic volunteers agreed to be sealed off from the outside world for a year and spy on the Axis powers, should Gibraltar get overrun — the ultimate one-way ticket in the line of duty. From the exotic Moorish times, through the centuries of the British Empire and beyond, there are tours to take and a bloody back story to hear in the name of entertainment. Strait of Gibraltar Tunnel: A New Bridge Between Continents My wife and I stayed four nights on the permanently moored Sunborn yacht hotel, anchored flush against the dockside of Gibraltar's Ocean Village. It's a 5H joint, and the food and service reflects that. Yet even in high season, a spacious double room with a large window can be yours for £185 a night, including champagne breakfast. Step ashore and you can be seated in one of many lively bars with giant outdoor screens beaming major sports from back home. If that's not for you, just 50 yards away is Little Bay Restaurant — a vibrant Indian fusion eaterie where bubbly manager Kelly welcomes you with warm cockney charm, before delicately blended curries combined with zingy cocktails top off an early summer evening. Gibraltar's biggest attraction in every sense is the looming mound of limestone that dominates everything here. Get to the top via the scenic cable car and peer down from the stomach-churning Skywalk 1,400 feet above the sparkling sea — opened by Luke Skywalker, aka Mark Hamill, himself. Take in the view across the Straits, a 15-mile- wide blue chasm separating Europe from North Africa — which David Walliams heroically swam in aid of Sport Relief in 2008. The Northern Defences are also worth a visit. This cavernous labyrinth of tunnels has been added to over time, since the eighth century. Our guide, Karl Viagas, is steadfastly uncovering more historical treasures underground that will be spectacular when fully open. 6 You can peer down from the stomach-churning Skywalk 1,400 feet above the sparkling sea — opened by Luke Skywalker, aka Mark Hamill, himself Credit: InfoGibraltar 6 Soldiers in traditional uniform Credit: Supplied 6 The view of Gibraltar from the top of the Rock Credit: Getty James Bond creator Ian Fleming was stationed here with Naval Intelligence, and daring undersea attacks on the Allied fleet by Italian scubamen in the war fuelled his already vivid imagination for future books and movies. And in true 007 style, we were accompanied by a glamorous former Miss World who would grace any Bond movie. Kaiane Aldorino, former Mayor of Gibraltar, is now an ambassador for the territory. Sunshine, cheap beer and a beauty queen for company — plus you can spend British pounds. But like many places, travel and the natural world can often rub each other up the wrong way. Gibraltar's playful macaque monkeys are funny to watch for a time but have become a way for taxi drivers to make a few easy quid. The roads at the top of the rock were clogged with cabbies queuing to feed junk food to these wild animals in return for them doing tricks. Far better to join Brian Gomila on his Monkey Talk tour in the kinder environment of the surrounding trees. And if you really want to go green, join Stuart at EBike-Gibraltar. Power-assisted cycling on a lap around the base of the rock is easy on the legs and the eyes as you stop off at small fishing villages with inviting beaches. There's a lot of fun to be had too. A dizzying gin-tasting session at the Spirit Of The Rock distillery was as enlightening as it was alcoholic. David Walliams might agree, it's Little Britain — but with Spanish style and weather.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘Whipped till the blood comes': Jersey's shocking witch-hunting past is brought spectacularly back to life
Mont Orgueil is a medieval castle perched on the eastern coast of Jersey with beautiful views out over the shimmering sea. On a good day, you might even catch a glimpse of France. But the view won't have been much consolation to those who were imprisoned here – locked up for a year and a day back in the 16th and 17th centuries – because they were accused of witchcraft. Such was the hunger for trying witches here that historian William Monter has called the Channel Islands 'the witch-hunting capital of Atlantic Europe'. Jersey's witchy history first caught the imagination of Carolyn Rose Ramsay when she worked as a tour guide on the island. A Canadian native and former dancer for major ballet companies in Europe and the Americas, Ramsay soaked up local myths such as the 'witch ledge', built on the side of chimneys so that anyone on a passing broomstick would rest there rather than come down your chimney. She visited Rocqueberg Point, known as Witches' Rock, where you can supposedly see the footprints of dancing sorceresses. But then she came across the grimmer real-life history of the trials. In 2022, she set up Ballet d'Jèrri, Jersey's own contemporary ballet company, and the stories of witches real and imagined, celebrated and persecuted, have inspired its new triple bill, with premieres from three female choreographers: Vidya Patel, Katya Bourvis and Cecilia Lisa Eliceche. It will be performed outdoors, against the atmospheric backdrop of La Hougue Bie, a neolithic burial site, or 'passage tomb', which is one of the oldest buildings in the world. When I arrive at the company's studio at the Jersey Opera House in St Helier, the dancers are rehearsing with choreographer Eliceche, who is clearly enjoying herself. 'Yes! I love that,' she calls out, beaming, as the dancers pull off a tricky warp and weft sequence. She shows me some of the props they've been using. 'We have a witch's hat!' she exclaims, holding out a beautiful straw creation with a long, pointed crown which she brought from her home in Salvador, Brazil. Eliceche has always loved tales of witches. Her mother's family come from Zugarramurdi in Spain's Basque Country, a supposed hotbed of witchcraft in the early 1600s, and she would visit the witches' caves there. A self-described 'experimental' choreographer, Eliceche has drawn on those memories to make her piece, alongside her own spiritual practice of Haitian vodou, tying in stories of present-day persecution, especially of the Mapuche women on the border of Chile and Argentina near where she was born, who have been put on trial for defending Indigenous land rights. Eliceche is having their names embroidered on to the dancers' costumes. She feels this project was made for her, which is funny because that's exactly what Bourvis says when we speak: 'I feel like all the work I've been doing was preparation for this!' Many women today are enticed by the sense of magic, ritual, feminine power and connection to the natural world that witchcraft in its various forms offers. Inevitably, the truth of Jersey's witch trials is more grisly. In parallel with what was happening across Europe in a period of of religious fervour, women were accused, tried, tortured and murdered for supposed transgressions. At the Jersey Archive, collections director Linda Romeril carefully places a bound volume of 16th-century court records on a pillow in front of us, all delicate pages and spidery calligraphy. She translates from the French the case of Symon Vauldin, accused in 1591 of having discourse with the devil in the form of a crow and a cat. 'It says he's confessed to the crime of witchcraft and he will be hanged and his body burned and reduced to cinders,' says Romeril. This is the first surprise to me. Not all the accused were women – about 20% were men like Vauldin, who was married with four children. Many women were accused of diabolical acts, from casting evil spells to causing the deaths of humans and animals. From the scant surviving information, Romeril tries to put together a picture of who these women were. Some were from respectable families, with husbands and children. One, Andree Tourgis, was accused of killing her daughter's illegitimate child and sentenced to death in 1608. Romeril wonders what the real story was: she may have been some sort of midwife – so was this a stillbirth or cot death, or even an illegal abortion? In a small island community, there was also the possibility of family feuds, local disputes and jealousies being involved. And trials often coincided with periods of turmoil, such as the spread of plague in the late 1500s. Those accused of witchcraft may have practised some kind of alternative medicine, such as Jeanne Le Vesconte, who was accused of 'infecting some and curing others'. They executed her nonetheless. Public hangings took place in what is now the Royal Square. 'Hanged and strangled,' say some of the records. By the mid-1600s, the charges were more predictable. Elizabeth Grandin was accused of leading a life that was 'lustful, wicked and scandalous' and of having an illegitimate daughter to boot, while Guillemette du Vaistain had an affair with her brother-in-law. These women could have been tried for a moral crime in an ecclesiastical court, but adding witchcraft meant a potentially harsher sentence. What Bourvis wanted to explore in her piece, Flux, was the archetype of the witch as a symbol of 'everything that's not allowed. She represents messiness and sexuality and desire, but also intuition and wisdom and sisterhood'. Flux is about womanhood and femininity, but also societal systems, 'history continuing to repeat itself – and the way we are conditioned to behave because that's the only way to survive'. Bourvis could be talking about any number of current social or geopolitical situations when she says: 'The duality of 'good' or 'bad' creates this mass hysteria and insecurity, causing us to behave in the most harmful and heartless ways.' Dr Adam Perchard, dramaturg on Ballet d'Jèrri's production, also points to the pertinence of the theme: 'Fear and suspicion of the other, the patriarchy trying to control the masses – is that the 16th century or is it the present day?' Meanwhile, Ramsay talks about today's social media witch-hunts and how little it takes for people to pile on, 'to join in with their pitchforks'. Perchard is a writer-performer-cabaret artist and Jersey native who got hooked on the island's witch trial history after hearing stories of resistance: of women who found loopholes in the law; refused to submit to the jury of 24 landowning men who would judge them; or endured their stay in Mont Orgueil without confessing, despite probably being tortured. (While Jersey has no evidence of the torture, in neighbouring Guernsey it is written into the court records: 'Confessed under torture.') Perchard cites the example of Du Vaistain, who did have her punishment downgraded. 'But it wasn't such a happy ending,' he says, 'since she was sentenced 'to be whipped all the way from the courthouse to the shore till the blood comes'. Then she's banished for ever. But at least she had her life.' From the 1560s to the 1660s, there were 65 trials, with 33 leading to execution. Others of the accused were banished, some died before trial, a handful were acquitted, and the fates of a few are unknown. It's not a huge number across a century, but significant for a population of only 10,000. There are a lot of gaps in the records, which is partly why it's such a fruitful topic for art: there is room for interpretation. We can't assume that everyone was entirely innocent, says Romeril. 'They're all innocent of witchcraft, but they might not be innocent of other crimes. It's just not black and white.' After the 1660s, with the rise of the Enlightenment in Europe, the witch trials came to an end in Jersey, although by then the idea had taken hold in America. The Salem witch trials were in 1692 and 1693. These days witchcraft has a more benign reputation. Patel found herself drawn to the witch's connection to earth, nature and the seasons – themes she often uses in her own choreography, which is based in the Indian classical form kathak. She describes the piece she has made for Ballet d'Jèrri, Mark Our Ashes, as 'a reimagined ritual' honouring the people who lost their lives. Perchard introduced Patel to some of Jersey's flourishing community of modern-day witches, with whom they've been hanging out. 'I've been getting my witch on!' says Perchard, who goes on to recount a 'divination through cocktails' meeting. 'Everybody was getting out their rose flowers preserved in vodka under an Aquarius moon. And by the time we tried them all, we never got round to any divination.' The sheer enthusiasm for the subject from the three choreographers proves that the figure of the witch captures imaginations still. Back at Mont Orgueil Castle, there is a decorative metal screen that pays tribute to the victims of the trials. You turn a handle and its mechanical parts creak into life. A small model of a witch on a broomstick twirls in jerky circles. The shrieking of the metal sounds just like a gleeful cackle. Ballet d'Jèrri: Witch Trials is at La Hougue Bie, Jersey, until 14 June
