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Formed in 1939, the Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club is an almost 80-year-old entertaining institution. From its club room, ‘The Barn’, near La Hougue Bie, the club rehearses and presents up to five productions a year.
This July, to coincide with the film’s 50th anniversary, the Club is putting on a 100-strong production of 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and with only one month to go before the curtain goes up, the team has been busy running lines, sewing costumes and rehearsing.
For Express, Gareth Thomas (President and Chief Artist for set), Val Nelson (wardrobe) and actors John Shield, Clare Scott and Charlotte Keywood left their characters backstage to focus on island life and how it could be improved...
There needs to be more funding and focus on Arts and Heritage. A Minister of Sport and Wellbeing has been proposed, but this should be a Minister of Wellbeing, that includes arts with sports; arts does after all offer a lifetime of healthy activity. Sports is a heavily broadcasted activity for many people in Jersey and often provides young participants with funding in order to pursue their dreams overseas.
Pictured: Arts need more funding and more attention.
However, funding is less readily available to those students who are involved in the Arts and is barely promoted across the island, for example, musical tuition is now only available to those that can afford it, with too many talented students missing out, simply because their parents can’t afford the lessons.
There needs to be a more holistic and inclusive approach to education. Too many of our young people are square pegs having to fit into round holes.
Pictured: The JADC thinks there should more variety in the education system.
We would love to see an education system that caters for all types of learning, emotional and physical needs. A system that incorporates individual skills including the creative arts as well as the academics.
We would like to see Jersey use much more renewable energy sources.
Pictured: Between the tides and the wind, Jersey has a lot of potential for renewable energies.
Geographically, we are perfectly positioned to harness both the wind and the tides for power and each new building should be compelled to have solar panels.
The States of Jersey needs to be reorganised and different options for voting considered, such as online voting, in order to maximise the number of people who are engaging with politics in the island.
Pictured: 36 States Members should do the trick according to JADC.
Would 12 Senators (elected on an island wide basis and forming the Council of Ministers), 12 Deputies (elected from six jurisdictions of approximately equal size and primarily acting as Scrutiny) and 12 Connétables (to retain the Parish links) not be enough, bearing in mind the number of senior civil servants and consultants employed and the size of the island? We should consider a Queen's Speech type of statement made at the beginning of the political year outlining the programmes of each States Department.
It is becoming more and more expensive to live in Jersey. Housing is prohibitively expensive and we need to look at ways we can help people onto the housing ladder, for example a return to the States' Loan system to create a stock of affordable housing.
Pictured: A good look is needed at housing and living costs in Jersey.
We should reconsider GST on necessities and raise the rate for luxury items. We need to understand why visitors from the UK no longer see Jersey as a place to enjoy considerable price savings – retail tourism was an important revenue generator for us and we need to look at ways we can recreate it.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang will be at the Jersey Opera House from 12 to 22 July.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and not of Bailiwick Express.
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