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Jersey's Battle of Flowers was hit by two pieces of sad news this week: first, organisers had to cancel this year's Christmas Parade, then, one parish association announced its dissolution...
But, there is some positive news in the form of a new entrant: the island's Prison Service are preparing to flex their creative muscle to add a new float to the parade.
Pictured: The 2021 Christmas Parade. (Jon Guegan)
The Battle's Christmas Parade has been cancelled for the second year in a row.
The Battle of Flowers Association has been the main supporter of the event in recent years, but said it had been a "considerable call" on its "limited resources" and is not able to stage one this year.
The parade was cancelled in 2022 in the wake of the Haut du Mont flats tragedy.
The association hopes this year's cancellation does not spell the end for the parade, and would like to see it return next year.
Battle of Flowers Association chair Russell Labey said: "We're disappointed not to be able to bring some free festive cheer to the town centre again this Christmas."
He added: "The exhibitors, in particular, are crestfallen."
The Battle of Flowers Association got involved in Christmas festivities after the Optimists Club entered a Christmas-themed float in the 2005 Battle of Flowers and was then invited to take part in St Helier's Fête dé Noué celebrations.
Mr Labey said: "Our participation began with one float being invited to join the St Helier Fête dé Noué festivities and developed, over the years, into a full parade, which the the Battle of Flowers Association is now relied upon to organise and subsidise – a considerable call on our limited resources."
Pictured: People lined the streets for the 2021 event, after the pandemic caused the 2020 iteration to be cancelled (Jon Guegan)
He added: "We think the event has value. If others agree, we can partner up and parade again in Christmas 2024."
He said that there had been an "offer of support" from the Economic Development Department, which would cover exhibitors' expenses.
"We're grateful for that," Mr Labey added.
The 2021 Christmas parade was held despite there not having been a Battle of Flowers in the August, owing to the pandemic. Thousands of people lined the route for what would be the first Battle parade since 2019.
Pictured: 'Wedding Daze', the parish's 2008 entry (Rob Currie)
This week, St Martin's Battle of Flowers Association shared that they will no longer be a feature of the event.
The organisation had not entered a float since 2018 – and the committee has now voted for its dissolution, with a final send-off set for next year.
Having existed on-and-off for years, the most recent iteration of the association was formed by Percy Gicquel and Tom Marrett in the early 2000s - but they have struggled to put forward an exhibit in recent years.
For float-building, they used a marquee in the car park opposite the public hall – but this was vulnerable to the elements and was badly damaged in a storm one year.
Beth Gicquel, who is organising the association's final send-off, blamed the slowdown in recent years on a combination of Covid and young members leaving the Island to go to university.
Battle of Flowers "is going through a difficult patch at the moment", she acknowledged, adding: "That's perfectly understandable, given what we've all been through in the last couple of years."
Still, she hoped that "there will be a generation that grew up in the Battle when they were younger, who will think 'I want this for my children'".
She added that the association had been "a wonderful community", with many St Martin families involved. "We had so much fun," she said.
Battle of Flowers Association chair Russell Labey said: "St Martin’s were part of the eastern parishes triumvirate of elite exhibits, alongside, Grouville and St Clement's, who battled it out for Prix d’Honneur throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. They produced some real showstopper’s like “How!” based on the indigenous peoples of America and I seem to remember a 70ft long Chinese dragon! So it’s sad to see them go.
"Happily talks are under way for St Martins to join forces with Trinity and we look forward to welcoming both back to the 2024 parade.
"St Martin’s were kind enough in the summer to offer all their equipment to other exhibiting teams and I am about to tow their chassis to Battle Command, give it an MOT, and offer it to a new team or use it for one of our in-house performance exhibits.
"The 2024 parade is shaping up to be the biggest for many years."
The States of Jersey Prison Service shared on Facebook that they were committed to entering Battle of Flowers, adding: "We came, we saw, we plan to take part (but not necessarily conquer!)."
|We plan to start small on our first year and build it into our annual calendar, an opportunity to engage 150 prisoners and 130 staff in this significant Jersey tradition and cornerstone of our island’s culture. Our intention is to be economical and ecological in our approach," the service said.
Since revealing their planned entry into the parade, the service, which is on the hunt for a 10-12ft trailer, added that they had received "wonderful" offers of support.
SAY GOODBYE...
St Martin’s Battle of Flowers Association are holding a black-tie ‘Final Hurrah’ event at the Royal Yacht Hotel on Saturday 27 April.
Anyone who has been involved over the years is invited to buy a ticket for £10 per person – either by emailing Eryn Filipponi at finalhurrah@outlook.com, or in person at the committee’s final meetings.
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