Select a region
She is the owner, operator and chef of the Pink Panda Van which she describes as a, "...food revolution on wheels" - but what would Emily revolutionise in Jersey if she had the chance?
This week, Express caught up with Emily to see what five things she'd change about the Island.
1. Help out hospitalityFrom my perspective in the hospitality industry, I find the five-year residency requirement ridiculous. Traditionally, hospitality relies on a transient work force who work incredibly hard for a season, to save up for their next season elsewhere.Jersey is tiny so it should be easy to keep track of people so they leave when they're meant to and then the bars, restaurants, cafes, caterers etc.. who are struggling so much under these current laws would go back to thriving.If we are to continue marketing Jersey as a ‘foodie’ destination - as we rightly should be with our amazing local produce - and tourism is to keep growing, we need to have top quality staff to support this. Currently there are 206 live hospitality vacancies on the gov.je website, four times the amount of the next largest category on there - says it all! I know it was covered recently by my pal Ben Newman (Reasons UK) but we really are letting our Island and our entire global family down by not harnessing our vast renewable energy sources. With some of the biggest tides in the world, our fame as ’the sunniest place in Britain' and some pretty hefty breezes, surely we’re incredibly well positioned to start giving back to our planet. 3. More support for small businessesAs a small business owner, I do feel there is so much more we should be doing to encourage others to ‘take the leap’. I’ve done everything myself through sheer hard work and determination but, other than some great chats at Jersey Business (a fantastic local resource) there is zero support out there for small businesses and the Social Security department’s calculations of contributions for the self-employed do not make sense.Whilst building the business, I’m earning less than I ever have and am shouldering all the risk; SS responded by more than doubling my contributions - how can that be right?  4. The future is digitalMy background is in digital marketing (probably why the Pink Panda is so annoyingly plastered all over Facebook!) and I think it’s essential Jersey really ups its game in the digital space.Small countries such as Malta and Estonia have created the most fantastic cyber infrastructure which is helping their economies come on leaps and bounds. Here in Jersey we are far too reliant on Finance and should focus on increasing our global offering in sectors such as digital to future-proof our little rock!
5. Let's love Jersey againI am a Jersey Bean but lived in many places in the UK and then Australia before moving back to Jersey three years ago and sadly I find the level of negativity and apparent boredom here quite staggering, given that we live in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Grumpy me would say ‘if it’s that bad then leave’. The more fluffy panda me would say ‘go down St Ouen’s Bay on a sunny day and then moan; buy some beautiful Jersey Royals, eat smothered in Jersey butter and then moan; go to any one of our fantastic festivals or events, full of all your friends, and then moan’. It’s all out there people, you’ve just got to get out and enjoy it! The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not those of Bailiwick Express. |
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.