A selection of what has been written about me....

Parish seek a name for 'quirky' lane

A lane in St Helier, currently referred to as 'the lane with no name', might get back what is believed to have been its original title after one man's efforts to trace its history

The St Helier roads committee asked a parish assembly this week to consider giving what member Geraint Jennings described as this 'quirky' lane between Grande Route de St Jean and Grande Route du Mont à l'Abbé the 'quirky' title of 'La Ruette Sans Nom'.

Mr Jennings said that while this lane, in which there were no properties, continued to be nameless it was not possible to put in place a width restriction to prevent over-sized vehicles using it and damaging the roadside banks.

It was also necessary for the lane to have an official name so that it could be included in the green lane network.

Describing the lane as insignificant, Mr Jennings said that more prestigious names which the parish had in mind were being kept for new roads including those involving the waterfront.

Robin Seymour Cox had other ideas, however.

Informing the assembly that he was not on the electoral list, he said he had nevertheless researched the history of the lane in the archives and had discovered an entry in 1767 in which it was referred to as La Ruelle de Rauvet

Town surveyor Peter Noble thanked Mr. Cox for his research and suggested the matter be adjourned so that the background could be researched.

The assembly, including Mr Jennings, voted in favour of this move.

JEP 17/1/2003

Happy Shopping at the Fête Dé Noué

JEP 2/12/2002

Geraint Jennings was typically upbeat about the latest setback to political ambitions, insisting: 'I'm not really disappointed, I thought my vote was reasonable. I keep putting over the message of looking after the environment and a positive lifestyle and people do listen. I'm looking forward to the municipal elections next month and standing for the rates committee and I look forward to continuing to work for the parish and the Island as a whole.'

JEP 28/11/2002

À Carteret, il avait été question de faire concourir des auteurs de textes et de poèmes ou de chansons en sorte d'Eisteddfod. Il n'en est rien à Samarès Manor. Les créations sont l'exception. Que soient félicités, ici, Mrs Hazel Tomlinson pour "Tom pourmenne le tchian", en dgernésiais, et Geraint Jennings pour sa version jerriaise et talentueuse d'un texte de W. Shakespeare, et les "mousses jerriais" qui prêchent avec une belle conviction.

Le Viquet, S. Jean 2002

Search mounted for teachers of Jèrriais

Les Normands font la fête à Jersey

« Maintenant, je peux par­ler avec mes grands parents. » Audrey et Benoit sont élèves à Saint-Germain-le-Gaillard et au collège des Pieux du côté de Cherbourg. Ils suivent les cours de Normand de Rémi Pézeril, un prof militant des langues minoritaires. Samedi matin, de bonne heure, ils ont pris le bateau à Saint-Malo avec leurs copains et copines de la chorale. Pour la premiere fois, ils ont rendez-vous avec leurs cousins « Jerriais » à la fête normande. Ils vont chanter avec Théo Capelle, accompagné du guitariste Jean-Louis Dalmont, du groupe Magene. Les premières d'une carrière internationale...

Il ne faut pas rire. Rémi Pézeril a découvert sa culture normande... en Sicile, raconte-t-il dans le car qui nous mène au manoir de Samarès « Il y a trente ans. je suis tombé sui la célébration du 900e anniversaire de l'arrivée des Normands à Palerme. Certes ils ont dû piller et tuer, mais ce fut ensuite une période de paix et de prospérité, qui est toujours celébrée. C'est à Rome qu'on retrouve le Centre Européen d'études normandes! »

Depuis il enseigne la langue de ses ancêtres, une langue d'oil, comme le gallo, le wallon... Une langue minoritaire. « Certainement pas un patois. » Bien avant qu'on parle de mondalisation, l'enseignant a été sensibilisé aux cultures en voie de disparition. « J'ai même été chez les Indiens d'Amérique. Mais si on est capable de défendre ces cultures d'ailleurs, pourquoi pas les nôtres. La France particulièrement a tué ces cultures souterraines. »

Le Remi Pézeril Jersiais s'appelle Geraint Jennings, un barbu en catogan, il coordonne l'enseignement du « Jerriais », le normand de l'île. «Notre langue est de moins en moins parlée dans les familles, mais le Parlement nous aide à relancer son enseignement facultatif dans les écoles prim­aires et secondaires. Grosso modo, 200 enfants suivent nos cours. Quand je me promène sur les chemins, je suis heureux d'entendre parfois une petite voix qui me dit: «Bouônjour! Comme est qu'ous êtes?»(Bonjour, comment allez­ vous?)», dit-il avec un bel accent du terroir. Il s'inspire de l'exemple de l'île de Man, « Là­-bas, il n'y a plus de vieilles gens à parler le Manx, mais les en­fants, eux, le parlent. » Il y a donc de l'espoir. Comme les Bretons de Diwan, les défenseurs de la langue insistent sur les chances supplémentaires données ainsi aux gamins d'apprendre les langues étrangères.

Loin d'eux l'idée d'un nationalisme étroit, d'une frilosité régionale. « Mais nous devons défendre nos racines communes. Plus notre société est urbanisée, et plus il faut faire attention à notre culture rurale », affirme Pierre Aguiton, vice-president du conseil régional de Basse-Normandie, et créateur de la Maison de Normandie à Jersey. Si la culture est forcément un moteur dans ces retrouvailles printanières entre la Grande-Terre et les îles anglo-normandes, personne, ici, ne neglige l'économie. Et d'ailleurs, Pierre Aguiton regrette que les liaisons maritimes entre, les cousins soient nettement plus mauvaises qu'avec les voisins Bretons. « C'est plus facile de partir de Saint-Malo que de la côte normande pour se rendre sur nos iles. Mais les liaisons devraient s'améliorer cet été », precise l'élu.

Sur le gazon anglais du ravissant manoir de Samarès, Jersiaises encapuchonnées et Jersiais enchapeautés, dansent en se faisant des courbettes, sous l'oeil étonné des petits chanteurs de Saint-Germain.

Des générations se decouvrent, apprennent à se reconnaître, se renforcent. Ce serait dommage de ne pas en profiter, foi de Normands.

Louis LE MÉTER.

Ouest-France 9/6/2002

A Celebration of the Jersey language

At the fair, organised by the umbrella group of Norman-French organisation, Le Congrès des Parlers Normands et Jèrriais, more than 1,000 paying visitors came to see Norman-French poetry, recitations, dances and songs, at the biggest celebration of Norman language and culture to have come to Jersey.

Congrès spokesman Geraint Jennings said they were delighted with the publicity given to Norman-French culture, and that both the French newspaper, Ouest-France, and the French television channel, France 2, had been at the event and would give publicity to Jersey.

JEP 11/6/2002

Quotes of the week:

'You don't have to be a Jèrriais speaker to appreciate the singing or the food and drink.'

Geraint Jennings, co-ordinator of La Fête Nouormande

JEP 7/6/2002

Festival to put Jèrriais on map

Where else could you find bachîn ringing, hurdy-gurdy playing and games of choule and doque but at La Fête Nouormande, which starts on Monday?

Strap on your bonnets, the largest festival of Norman culture is coming to Jersey. The organisers claim that this year's La Fête Nouormande will be the biggest yet with a week-long programme of activities including singing, dancing, games, costumes, a parade, a plethora of visiting performers and even free Calvados tasting.

Programme and publicity co-ordinator, Geraint Jennings said: 'We're going to try to out-do the Guernsey event two years ago which was very successful. It depends on the weather but we're definitely expecting thousands over the week. We're getting plenty of publicity already in the mainland Norman media, and France3, the regional TV station, is coming over to cover it.'

The main events will take place over the final weekend, but the fête begins with some entertainment in the streets of St Helier on Monday 'We go from the ridiculous to the sublime,' Mr Jennings said. 'Our first event is the Jèrriais Singers in costume performing for BBC Music Live at West's Centre.'

This choir, drawn from students and teachers of Jèrriais, will be performing their version of The Beatles' All You Need is Love as part of the massed performance of the song around the country. 'We've worked on a translation with the students and they're going to do that with a selection of other songs,' said Mr Jennings.

Mr Jennings will join in with an unusual musical performance of his own - bachîn ringing. 'It's a tradition which has disappeared but we're reviving it for the fête,' he explained.

'The bachîn is an old preserving pan, used for all sorts of reasons including making black butter. The custom was that you'd announce mid-summer and scare evil demons away by making this awful noise with it. By holding the reed across the rim and drawing wet fingers across it makes vibrations and you get a trumpeting sound. If that doesn't attract attention to the Fête I don't know what will!'

Street entertainment on Wednesday and Thursday will be provided by folk group La Sagesse Nouormande with songs, bagpipes and hurdy-gurdy playing. 'It's interesting because they're from England, but they have a repertoire of Channel Island and Norman songs,' said Mr Jennings. 'Their name's a bit of a joke though - it translates as Norman Wisdom.'

Another visiting group with a Channel Island repertoire is Magène, a folk-jazz group from France who will be playing a concert at St James on Saturday evening.

'We've also got the Guernsey dancers (Danseurs Dgèrnésiais) coming - they're fun,' Mr Jennings continued. 'Once they've demonstrated a dance, they tend to drag members of the public up to join in. Then there's the town parade on Friday, which is a bit of an innovation. It's always happened informally before when people have had to get across town in costume with their flags. This is the first time it's been formalised and it will be an opportunity to see everyone on their way to fire up for the big event.'

The big event will be La Grande Journée d'Fête on Saturday, a day of songs, poetry, story-telling, food, drink, traditional costumes and Jersey wonders in a marquee at Samarès Manor. 'That's the big family day out when we've got most of the groups over,' said Mr Jennings.

'We're trying to offer something for everyone, you don't have to be a Jèrriais speaker to appreciate the singing or the food and drink, and those who want a taste of the literature can drop in and out of the marquee where the serious culture is being performed.'

Almost all the texts, including lyrics to songs and the hymn for the closing service, have been printed in a brochure in their original language - Jèrriais, Dgèrnésiais or Normand - and are available for enthusiasts to buy.

One of the highlights of the final day will be traditional Norman games such as choule, a hockey-like game in which you can also use your hands and feet. An expert is coming from France to demonstrate and there are plans for an informal match against the mainland - and if enough Guernsey folk are interested, even a choule Muratti - but anyone is welcome to have a go.

'We're also going to revive the Jersey game of doque, one of those playground games which has died out and can best be described as pebble petanque,' said Mr Jennings.

'We are determined that this fête is going to be the biggest yet. We're going to set up something that will put the language on the map.'

JEP 31/5/2002

Saint alive

As town resident Geraint Jennings is discovering, the legacy of St Helier the man spreads some way beyond these shores.

The chosen path: Few people outside Jersey seem to know about the pilgrimage to St Helier

St Helier may be Jersey's patron saint, but there are also communities in France who consider him theirs. In Normandy they venerate him as a healer, but know little of his violent death at the hands of pirates, as Société Jersiaise member Geraint Jennings has discovered.

St Helier performed only one miracle in Jersey, yet legend says that he performed many during the trek from his birthplace in Belgium to the sand dunes of Nanteuil to meet the famed evangelist St Marcoulf.

Stories tell of crowds flocking to him for cures, and apparently he had a particular skill with skin complaints. As a result, there are healing springs and churches in his name scattered all over Normandy and eastern Brittany - there is even a village of St Hellier - spelled with the extra 'l' north of Rouen. But no catalogue exists of all the places connected with him, and many are tucked away off the beaten track.

However, with the spread of the internet, knowledge of these sites is increasing as enthusiasts post up the latest information on their local sacred places. This is good news for Mr Jennings, a member of the Société's history section, who has a long-standing interest in St Helier and has set about tracing the saint's footprints.

'Being St Helier born and bred, I've always had an interest in the subject, and when I visit places I like to have a reason,' said Mr Jennings, a member of the Jersey Cycling Group, who has combined his interests and embarked on a series of cycling tours to places with St Helier connections. He has recently returned from his second trip to France where the rail system allows travellers to take their bikes onto trains for free.

'One of the problems of tracking the legend of St Helier is that he is often confused with Hilary of Poitiers, but I pick up things here and there,' said Mr Jennings who is building up a reputation as an authority on Saint Helier, - a suggestion he shrugs off modestly, although a sizeable portion of his personal pages on the Société's website is dedicated to his researches on the saint.

His first St Helier trip, two years ago, took him to Bréville-sur-Mer, four miles north of Granville, where St Helier's body is said to have washed ashore after his martyrdom.

'The inhabitants immediately realised that this was the body of a saint,' Mr Jennings explained. 'Where it came to rest a church was built and you've also got this holy spring. Most people arrive at Granville but don't realise there's a place just outside connected with St Helier.'

Mr Jennings's latest cycle tour took him north of Rouen to the forest of Eawy, on the edge of which is the village of St Hellier. The spelling may differ, but it is still our own patron saint to whom the community owes its existence.

'The story is that as St Helier was heading from Tongres towards the west, he came across an enormous oak tree in the forest which was being used as a pagan shrine,' Mr Jennings said. 'St Helier christianised it by striking the ground and calling forth the water, and a spring started gushing out. A chapel was consecrated near the site and eventually a village grew up around it.

'The people there know there is a connection with Jersey, but they don't know the rest of the legend. They know him simply as the founder of their village.

'During the war, or shortly afterward, the chapel fell into disuse,' Mr Jennings continued. 'Although the older generation remember being taken there to be washed, most people had forgotten about it.'

When the present owners bought the land on which the chapel stands a decade ago, it was being used as a cattle shed. They knew nothing of the existence of the holy spring until they started getting visits from people with afflictions, particularly mothers with sick children who believed that St Helier's well had healing powers. Eventually the owners restored the chapel.

'They're quite willing to open it up,' Mr Jennings said. 'You just ring the doorbell and they'll let you in. People come and either take the water, or bathe the affected parts. It's often a last resort but people do believe in it.'

The chapel even boasts a reliquary containing a bone from St Helier's arm, but Mr Jennings doubts its authenticity.' A carefully labelled fragment one might believe, but this is a whole bone in extremely good nick for a saint who was martyred in 555 AD,' he said.

'St Helier's relics were kept in the abbey at Beaubec and must have been lost or destroyed during the French Revolution.'

Mr Jennings learned about the spring after reading a book on the healing saints of Normandy by French author - Hyppolite Gancel; it was published two years ago and was written partly in response to a interest in holy springs.

'A lot of these old wells and springs are getting much more traffic,' Mr Jennings said. 'It could be something to do with New Age spirituality, or it might be internet-connected. It's much easier to find out about them now, and in the past few years there's been an upsurge in interest.'

After visiting St Hellier, Mr Jennings cycled to Beuzeville, a busy market town which has a large neo-gothic church dedicated to St Helier. Although the foundations date from the 13th century, it has been extensively altered throughout the ages. Its stained-glass windows are mid-20th century, but one depicts St Helier surrounded by flying seagulls, with Viking boats approaching in the distance. Behind him is an island covered in pine trees which represents Jersey.

'People have heard that St Helier went to Jersey, but they don't know about his hermitage, or the annual pilgrimage,' Mr Jennings said. I tell them about St Helier wherever I go.'

Mr Jennings keeps in touch by e-mail with the people he meets on his trip and is building up a list of information about the cult of St Helier abroad. He is planning another tour next summer, possibly to Beaubec and Barantine, or even Monhoudou, where there is a statue of the decapitated saint in the grounds of the château. New leads are still turning up.

'Once you start . . . . ' he said.

JEP 26/11/2001

One of the most common tales in Jersey, due perhaps to the miles of long, winding lanes which take an a different appearance after dark, are stories of La Blanche Femme - a white ladies who would haunt lanes, particularly in the north of the Island.

And the Island isn't without four-legged ghosts. 'There is perhaps more a history of animals haunting Jersey, such as the big cat of Carrefour Selous and the Black Dog of Bouley, than there are traditional phantoms,' said local historian Geraint Jennings.

However, there seem to be little in the way of long-established ghosts living in private houses who need to be quietened down - unlike the film of The Others.

JEP 16/11/2001  

St. Helier wins more accolades

St Helier has double cause for celebration this week. After picking up the Large Town and Permanent Landscaping awards in the Britain in Bloom competition on Wednesday, the parish has also been given the Four Blooms award in the Communities in Bloom competition, a Canadian contest in which Canadian and European towns are paired....

The judges were also impressed with the level of community involvement and picked out both the roof garden of Rouge Bouillon school and the 'impressive' play area project at de Quetteville Court, the £66,000 scheme run by Planning's urban renewal sub-committee and the Housing Committee.

Tony Gottard, principal planner, was delighted that - the scheme had been recognised: 'It's very good news from our point of view.

'The refurbishment of a very worn out garden area came out of research we did into children's play provision in the area.

'Local artist Geraint Jennings produced a mural using local children's ideas and the parish provided a tree and all the paints.'...

JEP 9/10/2001

Residents splash out on a new town mural

A colourful depiction of a variety of board games now adorn a wall at de Quetteville Court.

The scheme for the area, which was initiated by the urban renewal sub-committee, includes the mural, a seating area, a new playground and additional planting.

The designs for the mural are the work of residents of de Quetteville Court with the assistance of artist Geraint Jennings.

He said that the mural had been painted on 'a tatty old wall' and had brightened up the area, and that a number of residents came down to help to paint the mural at the weekend. It was important, he added, that this element of the improvements was not imposed upon them but was rather something that everyone had been a part of.

'This is the sort of thing that people can get involved with. It brings people together and they feel that they own it. The children can come back and see the parts that they painted.'

JEP 1/8/2001

The parish's recommendation for a 3.05p increase was proposed by Geraint Jennings, a member of the parish roads committee, who argued that parishioners needed to show that they were prepared to play their part. This would send a strong message to the States to do more.

JEP 1/8/2001

Innovations to the annual pilgrimage to St Helier's Hermitage were made this year to build on the success of last year's mystery plays.

Last year the pilgrimage was augmented by the plays in outdoor locations at Elizabeth Castle. This year 'The story of Helier' was enacted by Fraser Martin and a poem in Jèrriais (*) was recited by Geraint Jennings....

JEP 23/7/2001

(*) Actually a prayer in French

Les « Rouaisouns » ont institué un prix pour récompenser les créations en langue normande, chansons, poèmes, textes en prose ou saynettes. II y avait d'excellentes choses lors de l'édition 2001

Le jury a voulu couronner les textes composés par trois bambins de Jersey, des petits anglophones âgés d'environ 10 ans qui ont appris la langue normande pendant les cours dispensés par Geraint Jennings et Tony Scott Warren, leurs enseignants...

Presse de la Manche 13/6/2001

Le représentant jerriais explique la méthode avec un très joli mélange linguistique. <<C'est important qu'on a la modernité pour les p'titots. J'avons nos pt'its computers, on met des quizz et des games, les mousses sont contents!>>

Ouest-France 10/6/2001

Le normand veut vivre

La Fête des Normands, les Rouaisouns, s'ouvrait hier matin par un très sérieux échange sur la situation de la langue normande des Îles anglo-normandes au Pays de Caux et sur son devenir….

Jersey en avance

La situation est différente a Jersey. Tony Scott Warren, aujourd hui en charge de l'enseignement du jerriais par les Etats et Geraint Jennings, lui aussi enseignant de la langue locale, reconnaissent qu'ils avancent a grands pas parce que le statut de la langue normande est reconnu et que les Jersiais sont de plus en plus demandeurs: ils apprennent leur culture et réactivent leur identité par plaisir. <<J'avons tout pllein d'enfants dans les classes pour les mousses>>, disent ils. Les outils ne manquent pas: des méthodes vivantes très bien illustrées pour les deux premières années de jerriais, un site Internet, des livres, <<des p'tits computers sus la tablle>> pour moderniser la culture, faire du jerriais une langue dans laquelle un contemporain peut exprimer toute son experience.

Presse de la Manche 10/6/2001
 

Last week's request for songs to sing around a foreign campfire has had a marvellous response.....

Geraint Jennings recommended The Great British Songbook by Kingsley Amis and James Cochrane, "a battered paperback copy of which I have carted all over Europe".

The Times 31/3/2001

I' m' faut èrmèrcier touos les cheins tchi font tant d'travas duthant l'année auve l'organnîsâtion d' ches êvenéments-chîn: l's officièrs du Conmité Exetchutif espécialement ma vice-présidente, Enid d'Gruchy, not' segrétaithe, Geraint Jennings, lé gardgien d'nos sous, Harold P'rée, sa femme Margaret P'rée et san Conmité Social, Roy Cudlipp et l'Conmité Dramatique, et l's ètudgiants.

JEP 15/3/2001

We should learn from the Welsh

A LETTER appeared in the JEP on 27 January under a sub-heading ‘It is time we phased out the use of French’. ‘Ah,’ I thought, ‘a cocky incomer.’ But no, it was from a gentleman called Richardson Pallot, which sounds to me a true Jersey name. It seems a very old-fashioned idea when in Britain the Scots, the Welsh and indeed the Cornish are reclaiming their heritage, language and culture.

When I had my first two children and lived in St Ouen I was disappointed that their grandparents and father didn’t speak to them in Jersey Norman-French. Children can be fluent in two languages without any difficulty. Let me give Mr Pallot an example.

Many centuries ago the English aimed to defeat the Welsh not only on the field of battle but also by insisting that educational and legal matters were conducted in English. When my grandmother was at school in North Wales, any children who spoke Welsh in school were punished by having to wear boards around their necks. She and her brothers and sisters were fortunate as her mother spoke only English in the home and her father only Welsh!

The students at university with my brother often made a lot of noise when they were inebriated so that they were arrested and could in court demand a trial in Welsh as they claimed only to speak Welsh. With English law dominant it took many years and many students before this was achieved.

Now we have schools where all subjects are taught in Welsh and children who can speak both languages freely. And with place names and public notices Welsh stands above English translation. It has, too, enabled us to regain our culture and dignity. We have a Welsh Assembly which in time I am sure will have as much power as the Scottish Parliament. The Celtic language is the oldest in Britain, with a great fund of writing, poetry and music. If Mr Pallot doesn’t see that as modern enough, we also have very successful pop bands and film actors.

I delight in Tony Scott-Warren and Geraint Jennings’s efforts to give Jersey children back their language and their heritage. It’s the differences that make people interesting, not a bland sameness.

Where is Mr Pallot’s pride in his own history? Was it for nothing I survived being told ‘There’s a boat in the morning’ for years after I arrived here? And what about his name? Will he now become Mr Pallot with a hard ‘t’ or hold on to the Jersey pronunciation of his good Jersey name?

Chris Wakeham

JEP 12/2/2001

Bid to revive Guernsey-French

Efforts to resurrect Guernsey's patois could soon be made in the island's primary schools.

A trial scheme to teach Guernsey-French - mirroring that which began in Jersey in 1999 - could be in place by September.

Assistant Jèrriais language teaching co-ordinator Geraint Jennings said that materials used in Jersey had been offered to schools in Guernsey.

The organisation behind the new scheme is Les Ravigotteurs, whose spokesman, Keith Le Cheminant, said that without a scheme to teach the language in schools it could easily die out within a generation.

'By 2025 we could have fewer than 20 people in Guernsey who speak Guernsey-French unless we are successful in our attempts to teach it to children,' he said.

Jersey's scheme began with extra-curricular classes in primary schools which proved so successful that the project has been extended to secondary schools.

JEP 8/1/2001

Take eight local artists...

A mix of artists and styles has resulted in a few surprises in an exhibition which shows them all to excellent advantage.

Mix is an unusual exhibition, featuring work from eight local artists.

It's unusual because most of them have had solo exhibitions in the Berni Gallery before. It's unusual because there is no common thread between them. It's unusual because some of the artists have tried new things that may surprise those who already know their work. And it's unusual because it all adds up to a cross-section of Jersey's painting talent, managing to show them all to excellent advantage.........

Geraint Jennings has moved away from his figurative work to more abstract skyscapes, where the clouds are solid lumps of colour. He's included some free-standing pieces, which trace the silhouette of figures alternately cowed by the sky and challenging it.......

This isn't a definitive collection of Jersey's painting talent by any means, but it is a fine balance of artists and artworks, and whether by accident or design the different styles complement one another wonderfully. It isn't often you walk out of an exhibition wishing you had the money to buy six or seven different pieces.

JEP 14/11/2000

Buses: Let's party!

Ideas put forward by Geraint Jennings for next summer include competitions, posters, fancy dress and children's entertainment.

'At the moment the ideas are sketchy, but Jersey Bus are in favour because it's something they can do without too much expense,' said Mr Jennings.

'Currently the bus service has a bad reputation for various reasons, and bus use is seen as low-status, something people only do if they are desperate. I've had the experience of sitting on a bus in a suit and feeling that people were looking at me as if I'd had my driving licence taken away. It's not seen as a respectable service.

'We also need to get people more aware of the service that is already available - people assume that there isn't a service in their area, but there very well might be,' said Mr Jennings. Providing entertainment at bus stops and on the buses would also reward regular bus users. 'At least one day a year, let's celebrate! Let's have a party for users,' he suggested.

Some of the other ideas that have come from similar events around the UK include decorating the buses with balloons and streamers, drawing attention to bus stops with entertainment and quizzes, and putting on concerts and poetry readings in a stationary bus.

Car-free day is a non-starter

Jersey does not have the public transport alternatives to participate in the European car-free day being held across the Continent tomorrow.

Chairman of the Jersey Pedestrians Association Geraint Jennings said that all over Europe towns and cities would be marking the day by closing roads to traffic, opening temporary cycle tracks and providing additional public transport.

He said that Jersey did not have the facilities in place to offer a viable alternative which would allow people to leave their cars at home.

'We all saw with the Pioneer Coach bid for the Hoppa Service the difficulties in Jersey of running an experimental service. The idea of the day is to offer additional public transport,' he said.

Mr Jennings added that even if Jersey could not fully participate, motorists could help to mark the day in other ways.

'We would ask motorists to think about the sizeable proportion of the population who are car free every day by yielding to pedestrians at junctions and crossings, drive a little slower than usual and giving plenty of room when overtaking cyclists,' he said.

He said that if Jersey was to participate in European car-free day in the future then a proper choice would need to be offered to car users. 'It is not so much that people are unwilling to leave their cars, it is an unwillingness to provide a decent alternative,' he said.

JEP 21/9/2000

Speed limit proposals: No agreement

The Home Affairs Committee's proposal to cut the Island's top speed limit from 40mph to 30mph has received a mixed reaction from interest groups.

The proposed reduction bas been cautiously welcomed by the Jersey Pedestrian Association but the Road Safety Panel chairman believes it would be unenforceable.

Home Affairs president Deputy Alastair Layzell has said the idea of an Island-wide 30 mph limit is one that his committee believes is worth pursuing and they have called for it to be investigated. Jersey Pedestrian Association's chairman Geraint Jennings said that as an effort to improve road safety it had to be viewed as just a first step.

Mr Jennings said: 'Reducing the speed limit cannot be seen as a simple bash at the motorist but as an attempt to redress the balance between car users and others on the road. It must be incorporated into a wider pro-transport package which takes into consideration not just the needs of drivers but the wider community.'

Increased speeds not only reduced survival chances in a crash but had a detrimental effect on social and commercial activities, he said.

'Studies have revealed a "zone of influence" that cars at speed can create,' he said. 'This can inhibit people from talking in the street or window shopping or residents from opening their windows or enjoying their garden.'

He said there needed to be an improved awareness among road users and greater respect for pedestrians.

'Although I support this measure to reduce car speed, it will not work unless the wider issues are addressed. The roads will become ultimately safer when every user understands and respects the issues faced by others, who may use a different form of transport to them.'...

JEP 14/9/2000

If nothing else, the Postcards to the Future is a way of getting some decent artwork. The original idea from the exhibitions sub-committee at the Arts Centre was to mark the Millennium by getting people to design their own postcard, and put a message on the back for future generations...

And it's nice to have a bit of linguistic optimism from Geraint Jennings - his card is written in Jèrriais which, one hopes, will not confuse those in centuries to come.

JEP 26/7/2000

Cream, beer, jam, and Jerriais

As you approach the Jersey stalls, the first thing you notice is the sound of Jèrriais being spoken.

Jersey's own language, rarely heard in public, has come to life at the Village as Islanders with a knowledge of the patois gather around the focal stand.

Jèrriais speakers, led by expert Geraint Jennings, are more than willing to teach a few words to the uninitiated as well as talk about Jersey history.

JEP 22/6/2000

Jèrriais on-line for success

Those who take the Independent on Sunday newspaper will have noticed a recent article on the subject of minority languages to be found on the internet, a large part of which was devoted to Les Pages Jèrriaises, the website created by Geraint Jennings.

Writer Marek Kohn tells an amusing anecdote of how, during a routine inquiry on the web, he stumbled upon something that appeared to be, and I quote: 'French with a pronounced lisp. Frère had become fréthe and American has turned with a splutter into Améthitchain. The words were liberally garnished with circumflexes, possibly surplus stocks off-loaded by the Académie Française'.

Kohn continues on a more serious note, explaining more about Jersey's native tongue, and tells how visitors to the site can hear spoken phrases, consult a vocabulary read poems and see what the lyrics from Auld Lang Syne to Whispering Grass look like.

This piece, in a national newspaper, is a splendid and well-deserved accolade for Mr Jennings, who has put a tremendous amount of effort into creating the website. You too may visit it on www.societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais.

JEP 22/4/2000

Tour guide Geraint Jennings imparts some historical details to Sir Michael.

JEP 17/4/2000

How to find lost languages in a click or two

I was conducting a routine inquiry on the web the other day when I found myself reading a page of what appeared to be French with a pronounced lisp. "Frère" had become "fréthe" and "Américan" had turned with a splutter into "Améthitchain". The words were liberally garnished with circumflexes, possibly surplus stocks offloaded by the Académie Française. Clicking the link that read "R'tou à la page d'siez-mé", or "Back to home page", I learnt that this was Jèrriaise, Jersey's native tongue.

On Les Pages Jèrriaises, compiled by Geraint Jennings, visitors can hear spoken phrases, consult a vocabulary, read poems, and see what lyrics from "Auld Lang Syne" to "Whispering Grass" look like in Jèrriais. On Jersey itself, according to 1989 census figures cited by Jennings, 5,720 people spoke the language. The Pages are part of a movement to push those numbers up. And, obliquely, they are a reminder that the internet is not just transforming the way the world does business. More than any other medium, it is transforming the way the world speaks. When historians look back on the net, they may or may not recognise it as the vehicle that made the world run on information instead of things. They will almost certainly acknowledge it as the apparatus that secured global domination for the English language.

At the same time, the internet has globalised parochial languages such as Jèrriais. It connects the homeland with the diaspora, a particularly useful effect for minority languages, since emigration is often one of the main reasons for their decline. It raises their profile, and promotes the identity of the peoples who speak them.

Independent on Sunday 2/4/2000

Cyclists get more stands to lean on

Seventy-four new parking places for bicycles are now available in the town centre. Cycle racks have been installed next to Cyril Le Marquand House, in the Parade, in Old Street, Vine Street, West's Centre, Ingouville Lane and Don Street. Pictured at West's Centre are St Helier Constable Bob Le Brocq and Jersey Cycling Group spokesman Geraint Jennings

JEP 17/2/2000

Artist and thinker

The Mystery of the Cave

(Sonia Hillsdon, £3.95)

The latest short history written by Sonia Hillsdon and illustrated by Geraint Jennings deals with La Cotte de St Brelade, the cave which was inhabited by man an incredible 250,000 years ago.

In a simple style which will be easily understood by young children, the book explains how Old Stone Age man hunted mammoth and woolly rhinoceros in conditions which were very different from those of today.

The book also explains how excavations at La Cotte have given us an insight into Jersey's distant past.

JEP 30/12/1999

Packed assembly as St. Helier elects two new Procureurs

The parish of St Helier has two new Procureurs du Bien Public - former Deputy Jimmy Johns and former Roads Committee member Stewart Mourant. In an election at the Town Hall this week which also featured sitting Procureur Eddie Buesnel and Roads Committee member Peter Pearce, Mr Johns topped the poll with 96 votes, with Mr Mourant gaining 77.

Despite his 73 votes, Mr Buesnel, who has served three terms, lost his seat, and Mr Pearce also failed to be elected with 28 votes.

There was another election, too, for the five members of the Roads Committee with a total of nine candidates vying for the posts.

Eddie Buesnel came out top with 83 votes, followed by Geraint Jennings, who was re-elected with 81 votes, as was Peter Pearce with 58.

Also elected were Ian MacFirbhisigh (66 votes) and John Wilding (58). Those unsuccessful were Frank Norwood (47 votes), Nigel Blake (46), Bernie Manning (32) and Richard Bates-Bree (28)...

At the meeting, the Constable, Bob Le Brocq, expressed his pleasure at seeing such a packed assembly.

He said he wished that such a high turnout would become a common feature of elections for members of the honorary police...

JEP 17/12/99

How would you help walkers and cyclists?

Cyclist and pedestrian campaigner Geraint Jennings asked the candidates how they would help walkers and cyclists, especially in town and in No 3 District, given the importance of these activities to the economy and to the quality of life of Islanders.

JEP 22/11/99

Jèrriais reaches the classroom

About 180 primary school children in 20 schools are starting a two-year course this term in Jèrriais - Jersey's traditional Norman-French language.

The first lessons were due to be held today at Springfield and Plat Douet Schools. The teachers are Jèrriais language teaching co-ordinator Tony Scott-Warren and Geraint Jennings, who has already put 1,000 pages of Jèrriais on to the Internet.

Both are members of Le Congrès des Parlers Normands et Jèrriais, a group which aims to increase the public's awareness of the Island's native language.

Mr Scott-Warren, who has studied the language for 14 years, has been teaching it in evening classes and last year ran a series of ten lessons in the language at Hautlieu School.

He said: 'There is an increasing interest in Jèrriais at the moment, reflected in the number of children interested in learning it, despite the fact that the lessons are extra-curricular. There is so much pressure on the timetable that it makes it impossible at the moment to give space for Jèrriais on the curriculum.

'In due course, one of the aims is to get it on to the Island curriculum. I think it will only be a matter of time before it is there.

Successful

If the current two-year course is successful, we hope to have Jèrriais taught in secondary schools and to have the equivalent of a GCSE exam in the language - as has already happened with Manx in the Isle of Man.'

Lessons are being given to children in years five and six, before or after school hours, during lunchtime or during the time that school assembly is held. Les Landes School is holding lessons at 7 pm in order to make the lessons more of a shared community event for children and their parents. Classes range in size from three to 15.

Lessons are orally based and enable the students to ask and answer simple questions and speak short conversational sentences. A text book entitled Lé Neu C'mîn (The New Way) has been prepared, based on a similar venture for learning Manx. Two further booklets are being prepared at the moment, and sponsorship is being sought to cover the costs.

JEP 6/9/1999

Jèrriais to net page No 1,000

The Jersey-French pages - begging their pardon, les pages Jèrriaises - on the Internet will soon reach their 1,000th page.

Webmaster - or again, to give him his authentic Jèrriais title, lé maitre-pêtre Geraint Jennings, has told me that the honour of filling the 1,000th page will go to the winner of a competition for sending in the best page.

This could be a story, article, poem, quiz, game, pictures, photos, sounds, or even something called javascript. Texts may be of any length, serious or humorous, and on any subject - but they must be in Jèrriais.

Competitors should send their page to Mr Jennings by the end of this month and all entries received will be published on Les Pages Jèrriaises.

The winner will receive a bottle of calvados or the cash equivalent, whichever he or she prefers.

Mr Jennings has also made an index of the Jersey French titles which can be found in the St Helier Library, and he has indexed the articles by George d'la Forge, the pen name of George Le Feuvre, who wrote a Jèrriais column in the old Chroniques and the JEP from 1947 to 1981.

JEP 20/8/1999

Laugh and learn with a timely trip through the ages

THE indefatigable Sonia Hillsdon has produced another of her small books, this one apparently aimed at adults with a sense of humour.

The distinction has to be made because she and Geraint Jennings have between them produced a series of ten local history books for children.

In essence it is a speedy trip through Jersey history, looking at how the Islanders have earned their crusts over the centuries - a timely look if you believe that the finance industry is about to go pear-shaped.

The best thing about the book are the illustrations by Geraint Jennings, whose light-hearted touch is bright and lively and features several versions of Hascouf and Piton, the two characters who take the reader through the ages, as the generations do everything from cider-making to cod fishing.

For anyone who wants a quick zip through Jersey's history from an economic angle, this is a fun read. But the style and presentation still seems far more suited to younger readers.

Jersey Evening Post 6/8/99

Names keep the French connection

The waterfront development site has a proposed new name - Le Quartier du Havre.

The name - the Harbour Quarter - will replace the current title of West of Albert if it is approved by a St Helier Parish Assembly, probably next month.

Discussions between the Waterfront Enterprise Board and the St Helier Roads Committee also resulted in proposals for names of five new roads being created within the development site.

Peter Noble, controller of technical and environmental services for the parish, said: 'This was an interesting challenge for us - I don't think we've ever had to come up with five names all in one go before.'

Most of the research for the names was undertaken by Roads Committee member Geraint Jennings, who said: 'All the proposed names are in French, which is the general naming philosophy these days of all the parishes'...

Jersey Evening Post 6/8/99

Hats off to cycling scheme

A picture in Wednesday's paper caught my eye.

It showed two gentlemen pedalling along the newly opened section of the town cycle network while being cheered on by Senator Jean Le Maistre and a young family.

This excellent scheme has been designed to make town more attractive and safer for cyclists. So it was a pity to see that one of the men in photograph was not wearing a crash helmet - the most important piece of safety equipment for any rider.

And who was the bare headed cyclist in the picture? Geraint Jennings, the scheme's co-ordinator.

Jersey Evening Post 25/6/99

Thumbs down for town safety

Facilities need to be dramatically improved if St Helier stands any chance of becoming a pedestrian-friendly area, say the Jersey Pedestrians Association .

The chairman of the group, Geraint Jennings, together with André Ferrari, took to the streets of St Helier for National Car Free Day yesterday, armed with a stopwatch to find out exactly how 'raw a deal' pedestrians get.

Mr Jennings, who is among the 17 per cent of Island residents who do not own a car, explained that Car Free Day was aimed to encourage more people to walk, cycle or take the bus, rather than drive. He said that pedestrians were still given the lowest priority despite being promised improvements in safe access around the town.

Mr Jennings said: 'Traffic flow is definitely weighted against the walker. But even if people do have to drive into town, they still have to get from the car park to work.

'The junctions and crossings we're looking at reveal that the links are not logical or efficient in any way.'

After a tour of the town, the crossing at West Park was voted the worst of all. 'The design of this junction is faulty and is a recipe for conflict between car and pedestrian because vehicles do not have time to clear the junction before pedestrians get the green man,' he said.

A close second, he added, was the Minden Place, Bath Street, Phillips Street junction, which the group named the 'most bizarre' of all for having only three pelican crossings, leaving the road outside the supermarket unmarked.

The Robin Hood crossing was voted the most confusing and the Grand Hotel crossing was given the wooden spoon because of the length of time it took for the lights to change and for having no audible bleep or green man light.

But the best crossings, the group decided, were the two at Cheapside.

Jersey Evening Post 6/6/99

Jèrriais on the web

My congratulations to Geraint Jennings who has now launched the 900th page in Jèrriais on his Internet web-site.

The tireless Mr Jennings has reached that nicely rounded figure with an article on the author of many poems in Jersey Norman-French, Elie, otherwise Edwin J Luce (1881-1918).

The Maître-pêtre (webmaster) tells me that he hopes to reach his 1,000th page in time for the new Millennium and invites anyone who knows the whereabouts of some of Jersey's rich literary history to add to the treasures they have already, to contact him on 280778.

The pages include songs, hymns, texts. Bible stories, prayers, playlets, educational materials, games, poems, biographies and even the zodiac in Jèrriais. So where can you find them? On http://www.societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais.html

JEP 18/5/99

Du nouveau à Jersey!

Un membre du Congrès, également membre de la section de la langue jerriaise de la Société Jersiaise, s'est aussi attaqué à la question cruciale de la remise à jour du vocabulaire. M. Geraint Jennings a ainsi produit un certain nombre d'énoncés contemporains en jerriais, qu'on peut lire sur Internet :

« J'tais brantchi la niet enchiéthé à seule fin dé dêchèrgi lé rapport dé Starr entouor lé Président Améthitchain sus l'ithangnie » (= sur le Web)

« Mais M'mée, si la fil'ye à la Prîncesse Rouoyale peut aver la langue pèrchie, mé j'peurs aver eune boucl'ye d'bouton » (= un anneau au sein)

« Av'ous veu la dreine gamme dé compiuteu pouor les mousses Jèrriais? Lé gângnant est l'chein tchi tue lé pus d'mauves » (= le plus de mouettes)

« Es "Dossièrs-X", à la télévîsion, Mulder dithait en Jèrriais: « Véthe, Scully, ma soeu fut enl'vée par eune souotâsse volante (= une soucoupe volante). La véthithé est là-horte; i'faut êt' ouvèrt ès possibilités extrêmes ».

A Jersey, le Jersey Evening Post a illustré l'un de ses articles sur le jerriais, le 29 septembre 1998, du dessin ci-dessous représentant - approximativement - les Spice Girls, dont les noms ont été traduits en jerriais.

Un abonnement gratuit au Viquet récompensera le lecteur continental qui saura traduire, de la manière la plus originale, en normand de sa région, les noms de ces quatre vedettes.

(Un indice : leurs noms anglais sont Sporty Spice, Posh Spice, Scary Spice et Baby Spice).

LE NORMAND SUR INTERNET

Il y a actuellement deux sites spécialement dédiés à la langue normande en Normandie, aux deux extrémités de la province :

et le site de Thierry Bulot, qui porte un certain nombre d'énoncés en cauchois publiés dans le Courrier cauchois :
http://www.multimania/bulot/cauchois.

Le Viquet  

Quatro candidatos a senador

O PRESIDENTE dos Serviços Públicos, deputado Jerry Dorey, será candidato a senador nas eleições do próximo mês, bem como o músico em part-time Paul Le Claire, o homem de negócios Harry Cole e o artista e professor Geraint Jennings.

O deputado Dorey representou o distrito no 1 de St Helier durante 5 anos e disse que'irá propor 'uma forma equilibrada de governo'. Numa entrevista ao JEP, disse que se é dado às pessoas o direito de conduzir veiculos, é dever dos Serviços Públicos facultar-lhes estacionamento.

Le Claire, solteiro e de 35 anos de idade, trabalha também como porteiro e gere uma companhia de consultadoria que ensina às crianças aptidões básicas. Ele deseja ver a emigração controlada atravês de autorizações de trabalho. Defende ainda que deve ser condição necessária saber falar, ler e escrever inglês para quem tenha um trabalho onde contacte directamente com o público.

Geraint Jennings, jersiano de 32 anos que, como é óbvio se interessa muito pela ilha onde nasceu, pela comunidade local e pelo ambiente. Acredita no indubitável crescimento económico, numa economia mista, no controlo efectivo da emigração e na existência de oportunidades para todos.

O outro candidato, o homem de negócios Harry Cole, afirmou que todas as decisões a ser tomadas deviam ter em conta a geração futura de modo a não ser prejudicada pela má gestão dos dinheiros públicos. É contra o facto de as casas dos Estados de Jersey serem vendidas a imobiliárias e mantém a posição de luta face a todos os que querem construir desordenadamente, estragando o ambiente.

A reunião de apresentação de candidaturas terá lugar no próximo dia 27 de Janeiro.

A FOURTH candidate has entered the fray in the forthcoming Senatorial by-election and a fifth has confirmed he is considering standing.

The man to declare is Geraint Jennings, who has stood unsuccessfully in four previous elections.....

Mr Jennings is the chairman of the Jersey Pedestrians Association, a staunch campaigner for a town park and a member of St Helier's Roads Committee.

He stood for Senator in 1993 in the poll topped by Senator Vernon Tomes, whose death has caused this by-election.

Mr Jennings says his policies have not changed but are even more relevant today.

'I stood on a platform of sustainable economic growth, a diversified economy, effective controls on immigration, opportunities for all - no discrimination because of sex, race or disability - sustainable agriculture, protection of our countryside and heritage, the separation of legislature and judiciary and better transport.

'I stood on a platform that stated the quality of people's lives must come first.

'Time has shown that such concerns have been the concerns of large numbers of people,' he said.

Professionally, Mr Jennings is an artist, illustrator and teacher....

JEP 22/1/99  

Feel the Rhythm

Tumbling human figures, glimpses of côtils and wonderfully chunky skies predominate Meat Seat and Greet, an exhibition of paintings by local artist Geraint Jennings.

Part of the exhibition at the Arts Centre includes the small, colourfully painted chairs in which, in English and in Jèrriais, the artist invites us to sit to view our surroundings, and thus we become part of the exhibition ourselves.

'I wanted to make it more of an installation,' explained Geraint, who likes the idea of viewers being involved in the exhibition by sitting down, albeit on a very small seat, and taking time to study the paintings that surround them.

'I always take the view that a picture is not working or complete until somebody is looking at it and it is making ideas. It is not finished as a concept until it is in people's brains,' he said.

Furthermore, the chairs are another surface to try out for, having done book illustrations and a mural, Geraint is keen to show what else he can do.

The relationship between humans and their surroundings, however, is intrinsic to both the exhibition and the artist's personal view of life. It is unlikely the two could be separated.

'I'm interested in the quality of life, how you feel about the place around you, what it does for you, how it enables you do what you want,' he said.

Some of Geraint's paintings bring to mind archaeological digs, with pieces of broken willow pattern pottery scattered in a field.

'I am interested in the interaction, the human imprint on the landscape, the fact that it is not natural, it is man made, and it contains evidence of previous generations.'

Other paintings feature human figures and Jersey cows as if they were part of the organic landscape themselves and in others, an iridescent light is shed against a night-time sky. All of these paintings relate to the living world.

'I like repetition,' he said. 'I like the repetition of the fields and the landscape, the hedgerows and the furrows.

'I like wiggly lines. I like waves, patterns, numbers and rhythms.

'I like to start a painting on my birthday. It marks my own rhythm,' he said, adding that it also acts as an extremely useful deadline.

Geraint explained how individual paintings stem from the development of a theme and recurring images result.

While harmony and linkage and the range of light are subjects that crop up when he talks about his work, the artist insists that a painting is whatever the viewer makes of it.

A case in point came a couple of years ago when paintings in his last exhibition were regarded as sexual, despite the fact he said he had purposefully painted the figures in ways that were not. 'Hugging and holding,' is how he described them, although not all of his viewers agreed. In this exhibition, however, he says his figures are indeed more 'fertile and earthy' but then it is up to the viewer to decide.

So why does Geraint paint? The answer is simple: 'I find it extremely irritating not to.'

At school Geraint's interest in art rewarded him with an A level but because of course structures at the time he was unable to combine art and languages in further education, 'I had to make a choice and I chose to do four years at language school,' he said. 'I wasn't firing on all cylinders. I wasn't committed to my language degree and I carried on painting all through the first year. I realised that I didn't need an arts teacher to keep prodding me.

'I also discovered that money and security weren't quite as important as communicating and creating.'

Meat, seat, and greet the artist

MEAT Seat and Greet with Geraint Jennings when his new exhibition opens at the Berni Gallery featuring his typically bold and highly colourful works.

Influenced by traditional Jersey fields, the shapes of the hedges and trees, and the patterns of the furrows, the human figures themselves have become correspondingly earthier, passing this feeling on to the paintings.

And a renewed interest in the sky, and especially the night sky, sees comets and stars featuring prominently in the imagery.

Meanwhile, any visitors who feel the need for a bit of a rest can become a part of the exhibition by sitting on one of the chairs placed around the gallery, drawing the sitters in to become a part of the landscape.

JEP 2/1/99

Angry response to marina security gates

THE introduction of security gates on the western arm of the Elizabeth Marina has been met with anger by people who say it is sending out the wrong message.

Chairman of the Jersey Pedestrians Association Geraint Jennings said that no public walking access should be removed without the consultation of the users.

'The whole point of the investment was to provide Jersey with a walkable waterfront where people could enjoy the views and goings on.

'As much public access should be there as possible and this is sending out the message that it is not a continuation of the walking route - the promenade is for the whole public, not just the boat owners.'

Mr Jennings fears that this might be the thin end of the wedge and if access to boats is a concern, then they would have to prevent access to the entire marina.

'Although it will only be closed in the evening, when the development is completed with bars and restaurants, people won't be able to go for a walk along the promenade after their meals - why should boat owners have some sort of veto over the public?'

A tour of some of Jersey's more interesting Websites with Rob Shipley

Mr Jennings might imagine that the word 'polymath' is a leg-pull, but what do you call someone whose interests include politics, the environment, Slavic culture, Russian and Jersey-Norman French?

And as if that were not enough, he is also rather a good painter.

If you visit Mr Jennings's site you will find material relating to much of the above, including on-screen images of the paintings.

The site can be found at http://user.itl.net/~geraint/

JEP 4/11/98  

Pay up if you want to learn this language

There is to be a States grant for a few children to learn Jersey Norman-French. Probably they will only have each other to talk to.

Both avid promoters of this minority mother tongue have good old Jersey names - Scott-Warren and Jennings.

Radio Jersey have a totally boring session on Mondays which most people switch off, so let those who want to learn pay for evening classes, like most of us do for any other subject.

JEP

Thoroughly modern Jèrriais

It's not just black butter and tractors, you know

BECAUSE Jèrriais was spoken in temps passé, there is a tendency to believe that the only application of the language lies in the brave old days when Jerseymen were like brothers. and people kept their own cows and went to black butter evenings.

To prove that Jèrriais is also a contemporary language, Société Jersiaise (section de la langue Jèrriaise) member Geraint Jennings was asked to provide a few useful examples of vibrant and up to date Jèrriais - the sort of thing one might use every day. He began by quoting top UK chanteuses Les Fil'yes d'Epice:

('Tell me what you want, what you really, really want . . . ').

Showing an impressive command of current affairs, Mr Jennings continued:

('I was online the whole night in order to download the Starr report about the American President on the Web.')

As for fashion . . .

('But mum, if the Princess Royal's daughter can have a pierced tongue, I can have a nipple ring!').

Incorrectness

Moving on, and demonstrating a heartwarming degree of political incorrectness, Mr Jennings was prepared to brave the wrath of the animal rights harpies:

('Have you seen the latest computer game for Jersey kids? The winner is the one who kills the most seagulls!').

And it becomes quite clear that Mr Jennings, too, watches television's most compulsive investigators of the paranormal. This is his convincing example of Foxtalk:

('In the "X-Files"on TV, Mulder would say in Jèrriais: "Yes, Scully, my sister was abducted by a flying saucer. The truth is out there. One must be open to extreme possibilities. " )

More examples of Jèrriais can be found on the Internet at http://www societe-jersiaise.org/geraint/jerriais.html

Société add another leaf to Jèrriais book

THE 400th page has now been added to 'Les Pages Jèrriaises' on the Internet.

Geraint Jennings a member of the section de la langue Jèrriaise of the Société Jersiaise said: 'The lnternet pages give the whole world an idea of our ancient language, and those interested in Jèrriais can now find a mass of texts in the Jersey language.

'There are texts, articles, dit-ons, poems, biographies of writers in Jèrriais, and vocabulary lists with English translations.'

He said that the 400th page which has now been added is a list of computer vocabulary, which demonstrated that Jèrriais was capable of adapting to the 'on-line world' of the forthcoming 21st century.

JEP 29/5/98  

St. Helier to go green for Millennium

Roads Committee member Geraint Jennings, who proposed the scheme, described it as an exciting environmental way of marking the Millennium, and his fellow committee member, Peter Pearce, shared that enthusiasm.

JEP 28/5/98  

Land for park to be acquired

Town park campaigners Geraint Jennings and Andre Ferrari flank Deputy Imogen Nicholls to talk about aspects of the day's agenda before the sitting

JEP 18/3/98  

Crown advocate

For 99 years the Jubilee Crown has stood sentinel over Victoria Avenue, But when does it celebrate its centenary? Geraint Jennings thinks we should be told.

OF the thousands of people who drive or walk along Victoria Avenue each day, possibly fewer than a handful have noticed a piece of public art which was placed there towards the close of the last century.

The granite Jubilee Crown at West Park was finally completed and put in position one hundred years ago in 1898. However, it is of some concern to the Société Jersiaise that there appears to be no record of the precise date of its completion.

The chairman of the art and photographic history section of the Société, Geraint Jennings, is now asking for anyone with further information to come forward.

JEP 18/3/98  

You've got it wrong, Public Services told

...Deputy Crowcroft and Geraint Jennings both spoke of the failure of Public Services to link parking charges with the sustainable transport policy, leaving no alternative modes of transport for those not wishing to use their cars. Senator Tomes said that the draft form of the policy had been requested by Finance and Economics for a further study and that his committee hoped to lodge it later this month.

JEP 12/3/98  

States just walk away from problems, say pedestrians

STATES Members have done little more than 'pay lip service' to the needs of the pedestrian, says the Jersey Pedestrians Association.

Supporting comments made last week by St Helier Deputy Simon Crowcroft who said that Public Services were causing delays in providing pedestrian crossings in St Helier - the association is calling for a higher priority to be given to policies which affect walkers.

Association chairman Geraint Jennings said that although the States had made a commitment to walking in the Environmental Charter and had requested a higher priority for pedestrians and cyclists to be given in the new Public Services transport policy, action had been 'very slow'.

Association members are particularly concerned about recent pedestrian injuries, which they say highlight the problems faced by the walking public. A lack of crossings, a shortage of information or lack of enforcement of pedestrian priority within the Highway Code, and excessive traffic speeds in urban and rural areas suggest that States Members have disregarded the commitment they made, claims the association.

Calling for more backing for propositions brought by Senator Dick Shenton and Deputy Crowcroft, which highlight the importance of traffic calming and crossings, they are asking States Members to 'do less talking and more walking'.

Mr Jennings said: 'Walking is the most widespread form of transport, yet it has been so low on the list of priorities. We do not need expensive facilities for walking - even the use of paint would solve a lot of the problems.'

JEP 18/3/98  

Pedestrians plan day of action

PROBLEMS for people walking in town are being highlighted by a pedestrian 'day of action' on Saturday.

The event, in which pedestrians are also being asked to raise awareness of the provisions of the Highway Code, is being organised by the Jersey Pedestrians Association.

Association chairman Geraint Jennings said that the junction of New Street, Burrard Street and Union Street was a focus of concern, and many pedestrians had complained about the difficulty of crossing up and down New Street.

He continued: 'Few pedestrians, and possibly fewer drivers and cyclists, are aware that article 108 of the Highway Code states: "Give way to pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning"

'There is little awareness of pedestrian priority at junctions, but since most road users seem to take little notice of pedestrian priority anyway, it can be difficult or even unsafe for pedestrians to attempt asserting their right.'

Since there was safety in numbers, he said, association members and non-members who supported walking would be out and about on Saturday morning asserting pedestrian priority, handing out leaflets and answering questions on pedestrian issues......

'When it comes to road safety, everyone should be on their toes,' he said.

JEP 11/12/97

On The Internet

Geraint Jennings (CA 77-84) is a man of many parts: green-suited, sharp-tongued Jersey politician (Green Party candidate for the Senate, and more); poet who has shared a platform with Jeremy Reed; widely-exhibited painter; and author and illustrator of a series of books on Jersey. At his web site (http://user.itl.net/~geraint/) we learn about him in all these roles, view some paintings and study the critics' verdicts: " If your idea of art is a mixture of bricks, protruding tongues, railings, disembodied heads, acres of exposed flesh, hairy armpits and goggle-eyed women, then Geraint Jennings's exhibition.... is for you."

The Blue December 1997

Jersey-French poems index on Internet

THERE are now 1,000 titles of Jersey-French poems in an index being compiled by the section de la langue Jèrriaise of the Société Jersiaise - 170 titles are on the lnternet.

Section member Geraint Jennings said that the section had been hunting for poems in Jèrriais in old newspapers and almanacs. Although the task was less than half complete, more than 1.000 titles had been found so far.

This did not mean, he said, that the index contained 1,000 different poems, because some poems had been republished in different years, under different titles or even transcribed, for example, from St Ouennais to St Martinais!

'Those who are interested in Jèrriais,' he said, 'can now consult the index to find something to read or recite. Students of Jersey history will find comic, political and social pieces, and those who believe that there is nothing written in Jerriais will have quite a big surprise.

'It is not that there is no literature in Jersey's traditional language, it is just that it is hard to find it in print.'

The 1,000th entry to the index is 'Not'e P'tit Pays', a patriotic poem from the pen of John Locke, a Jerseyman who lived for much of his life in the UK, and who was a member of the Jersey Society in London. The poem was published in the French language Jersey newspaper Nouvelle Chronique de Jersey, on 21 March 1896.

'There is an immense volume of Jèrriais poetry, prose and dramatic pieces,' Mr Jennings said. 'A lot of it is still missing, but if anyone has an old manuscript or newspaper clipping about the house, the Section de la Langue Jèrriaise at the Société Jersiaise would like to hear about it.'

The index which had been prepared is just a 'basis for further research', Mr Jennings said. It is available at the Lord Coutanche Library of the Société Jersiaise.

Parish pump will not move

After a lengthy discussion in which heated views were expressed, the assembly voted by 15 to 14 that the 150-year-old pump should not move an inch but remain where it was as part of the Island's heritage.

And there were several speeches from the floor from those concerned that further road widening of the street would encourage more heavy goods vehicles to use it and for cars to accelerate their speed.

There were alternative views on safety, however, with the Constable, Bob Le Brocq, warning that if the Public Services road widening plans went ahead, the pump would be left immediately in front of the road making it necessary for members of the public to risk being in the road to view it properly.

Roads committee member Peter Pearce made the proposition that the pump be moved back 5 ft against the wall to make room for the proposed road widening scheme. He said that the pump was currently 'a bit of an eyesore' and once it was moved the parish intended to place railings on either side of it and improve it by making it a feature.

Seconding the motion, fellow committee member Geraint Jennings said they were aware of the assembly's views about the pump but they had been caught between 'a rock and a hard place' on this one and the best compromise they could reach was to move the pump back just 5 ft.

Deputy Paul Routier referred to the last assembly's discussion on the matter when there had been opposition to moving the pump and the roads committee had agreed to withdraw that request. He said he was therefore very surprised that they had come back with another recommendation that it be moved. If Francis Street were widened, traffic would speed up there and add to problems of illegal parking and vehicles mounting the pavement in an area which was not properly policed, he said.

JEP 30/10/1997  

Plan launched to return parts of town to 'former elegance'

They include tree planting, traffic calming measures and new paving schemes to discourage speeding and encourage pedestrians.

Senior planner Tony Gottard said that the lantern-style lighting would be more appropriate for the style of the buildings in the area, many of which were listed.
A budget has been agreed and the Parish of St Helier will be carrying out the work, due to start later this year, he said.

Geraint Jennings, residents association vice-chairman, said that the proposed lighting would be much more in keeping than the 'motorway style, golf club type' currently in place.

'A lot of lighting is for the benefit of motorists, but increases anxiety for pedestrians if the pavement is not well-lit,' he said.

People feel nervous to walk in the streets at night if the lighting casts dark shadows. 'They don't feel comfortable psychologically,' he said.

Many of the measures to be taken in Clarendon Road were designed to persuade drivers not to use residential streets as rat runs, by providing more facilities for pedestrians such as planters, continuous pavements across junctions and 'chicaning' the on-street parking.

Mr Jennings said that much had been learned from previous schemes in Oxford Road and around Brighton Road, and from communities elsewhere. 'We do not just have to rely on speed limits and road humps - there are a range of techniques available to us,' he said.

'A few changes, a bit of planting, makes all the difference and improves the quality of life. When there are more people walking in the street, there is less crime - it has social benefits as well.'

Future plans include continuous pavements along David Place, where it intercepts with minor roads including St Mark's Road.

'This was the English quarter of St Helier - long vistas of elegant walking streets lined with nineteenth-century buildings.

'St Helier residents have had a bad deal in the past and it is time that the town returned to its former elegance,' said Mr Jennings.

JEP 29/10/1997  

Move to make Clarendon Road safer and quieter

They include tree planting, car parking, traffic calming measures and new paving schemes. Geraint Jennings, residents association vice-chairman, said: 'We are inviting residents and all others interested to drop in and view the plans, make comments, whether positive or negative, and make suggestions for im. provement.' Mr Jennings said that this was one more in the series of residents. initiatives and consultation exercises, asking residents what they really wanted. In the past it had led to improvements such as the pocket park and community mural at the Robin Hood corner, and the pedestrian and cyclist gateway into Springfield at the top end of Oxford Road. He said that Clarendon Road was an important pedestrian route for families and children walking to and from Mont Cantel, so the benefits of the improved pedestrian provision proposed in the scheme would be of wider interest.

'The scheme is in line with the residents' desire for more trees and a restoration of elegance to these attractive 19th century residential areas. Possible tree planting areas have been identified for Clarendon Road and residents are being invited to consider adopting a tree,' he said....

JEP 24/10/1997  

THE JJ FOX International Open Art Competition has, over the past few years, brought a breath of fresh air into the Channel Islands' art scene offering, as it does, the opportunity for artists of many standards to have their work shown in a prestigious exhibition...

Highly commended in the competition were Stephen Harrison (G) with his surrealistic 'Surprised by Vertigo on Beinn Fhada, August '97', and commended were Susan Larbalastier (J) for 'The Swimming Lesson', a delightfully free watercolour, and Geraint Jennings (J) for his allegorical 'Heritage Fields 5'.

JEP 1/10/1997

Chronicle of the folk whose lives were the sea

A new book about Channel Island shipping through the ages, 'The Sea Was Their Fortune', by Roy McLoughlin, has been published to coincide with the opening of the new Maritime Museum...

The book is illstrated by local artist Geraint Jennings in monochrome but - sadly, in my view - there are no photographs of shipping from times past.

JEP 7/8/1997

Leader of the pack! To mark National Bike Week, Geraint Jennings demonstrates the benefits of cycling to States Members on a cycle tour of St Helier. Mr. Jennings has written a leaflet for the Jersey Cycling Group and the Jersey Pedestrians Association encouraging pedestrians and cyclists to co-exist peacefully by suggesting guidelines for sensible behaviour

Leaflet to promote goodwill

PROMOTING goodwill between walkers and cyclists is the aim of a leaflet launched yesterday by the Tourism Department.

The leaflet, entitled 'Walking and Cycling in Jersey', suggests easy-to-follow guidelines for sensible behaviour.

It has been prepared by the Jersey Cycling Group and the Jersey Pedestrians Association. Its author, Geraint Jennings, said: 'We are delighted, but not altogether surprised, that Jersey Tourism has supported this initiative. It ties in so well with its aim of projecting Jersey as the friendly Island.'

He continued: 'Space is at a premium in Jersey, so we just have to learn to share space and enjoy each other's company. Tolerance and sensitivity - that's what it all boils down to.'

JEP 11/6/97

... The assembly agreed to sell back to Redvers in Bath Street 209 sq ft of land they purchased in 1959 for a road widening scheme.

Roads committee member Geraint Jennings said that since that time the area had been pedestrianised and the land - Redvers' shop front - was of no use to the parish.

He said that it was therefore right that they should sell it back to the company at a fair price...

JEP 30/5/97

Merry Band finish spadework at Robin Hood Garden

The new Robin Hood Garden, created over eight months by members of the North East Residents' Association at the junction near Springfield, was opened formally last night by St. Helier Constable Bob Le Brocq. Many residents of the association and supporters have been involved in the project, which includes a mural designed by Geraint Jennings and a bush sculpture created by Mark Guest.....

JEP 23/5/97

Geraint Jennings, chairman of the art and photographic history section of La Société Jersiaise, reflects on the stories behind the statue in the Royal Square which was found to be missing its baton this week.....

JEP 23/5/97

Breaking the boundaries of art and photography

The Art and Photographic History Section is the Société Jersiaise's newest section.

Evolving from the History Section, the new section has been created to concentrate on the two specific areas of the history of art and the history of photography.

Geraint Jennings is its first chairman, and he said: 'The delight of forming a new section, is that it can develop along any lines that its members choose...'

JEP 31/12/96

Jèrriais gets caught in the web

Jèrriais has entered the 20th century and is destined for worldwide exposure - on the Internet...

Island sayings and poetry written in Jersey-French by Geraint Jennings are already available on the worldwide web....

JEP 2/12/96

Triumph and tears as the parishes go to the polls

...Gerraint (sic) Jennings, who is on his way to becoming a veteran campaigner in the district, polled a respectable quarter or so of the votes cast - about the same as in 1993...

Election '96: Winners and losers

...Geraint Jennings, who polled 568 votes on his fourth attempt to gain a seat, said that putting himself forward for election was a worthwhile experience and he would genuinely consider standing again...

JEP 28/11/96

Guernsey comes tops in the JJ Fox

...Geraint Jennings came up trumps again with two clever and outlandish paintings.

Artefact, Guernsey Nov/Dec 96

Teacher to stand for Deputy

Teacher and town resident Geraint Jennings is to stand for Deputy in St. Helier No. 3 District.

Mr. Jennings (30) wants to promote a better quality of life for Islanders, especially those who live in town. There is, he said, a danger of concentrating too much on economic growth in the belief that the social benefits will come later. 'The two should be balanced from the outset,' he said.

'We need the right sort of sustainable prosperity. The benefits must be as widespread as possible,' he said.

He is a member of the Green Party, but is standing as an independent candidate. 'Concern for the environment is not just about green fields, but about the social and urban environment. I am standing to put forward a vision of a vibrant and elegant town, a pleasant and attractive place in which to live and work. Residents and visitors should be proud of St. Helier, just as our countryside is enjoyed and treasured.'

Mr. Jennings is vice-chairman of his area's residents' association, formed to help implement environmental improvements for St. Helier identified by a States working party. One of his most recent community projects was the mural and landscaping of the corner site at the Robin Hood junction, just down the road from his Rouge Bouillon home.

Describing himself as a cyclist and pedestrian, he also supports a transport policy which provides better facilities for alternative forms of transport.

He stood in a by-election for Deputy in Trinity in 1992 and for Senator and Deputy in St. Helier No 3 in 1993.

Town parking fees plan to be delayed

.....Other arguments against the charges being implemented before residents' parking permits were made available which resulted in Deputy Carter deciding to tie up the two schemes were put forward by Grouville Deputy Imogen Nicholls and St. Helier resident Geraint Jennings.

Deputy Carter said that their belief that the alternative of parking permits should be available before two- and three-hour zone parking charges were implemented was entirely consistent with Public Services policy....

JEP 2/10/96

Park area planned at Robin Hood junction

An area of waste land at the Robin Hood junction is to be redeveloped into a small park.
Julie Shingles, chairman of the St. Helier North East Residents Association, said that the idea to develop the area had originally come from the association's vice-chairman, Geraint Jennings.
'He suggested we paint the wall at the back of the site that belongs to the States with a mural, designed by children from schools in the area.............'

JEP 29/5/96

Tales of strange happenings and heroes

Gordon Young reviews the latest in a series of locally produced books which present Island history in a clear and simple format for children to enjoy

The last two children's books in the excellent series about Jersey by Sonia Hillsdon and Geraint Jennings have recently been published.......
The last two books are superbly illustrated, as were the previous books, with the drawings of Geraint Jennings.
These simple yet very descriptive illustrations are perfect for the books, being fully explanatory yet devoid of fussy detail and thus ideal for young children to enjoy. Sonia Hillsdon's words match the pictures because they don't just inform, they also question and invite children to find out more for themselves.

JEP 25/5/96

Island life for young readers

Gordon Young looks at three new books written for young audiences

'The Battle of Jersey' and 'Who Runs Jersey?', written by Sonia Hillsdon and illustrated by Geraint Jennings, are the latest books for children in an excellent series which explains many aspects of Island life to primary schoolchildren.........
Geraint Jennings's illustrations are excellent. The drawing is simple without unnecessary fussiness but accurate in detail and there are delightful little touches of humour to be found.....
These books will be excellent for use in both home and school, and the whole collection is a worthwhile one to build up a child's library.

JEP 9/10/95

Art that stumbles on melons... and falls flat

Gordon Young recoils from a new exhibition by Geraint Jennings

If your idea of art is a mixture of bricks, protruding tongues, railings, disembodied heads, acres of exposed flesh, hairy armpits and goggle-eyed women, then Geraint Jennings's exhibition at the Jersey Arts Centre called 'Stumbling on Melons' is for you. Frankly, it is not for me.

Mr. Jennings's paintings repel me. They do not shock me, which I feel may be his intention, but they repel me because there is something about the way he distorts his subjects, particularly the female ones, which I find distasteful.

That he is a good draughtsman is undeniable, and I found his small drawings in this exhibition pleasing, well-drawn and composed, particularly his 'Lucy and Martin Dancing' series.

But when he moves into paint, his garish colours, bug-eyed women with tongues hanging out as if being strangled, and his contorted naked bodies become works which I find obscene.

His subjects are odd, and paintings such as 'On the Beach with No Trousers' should be humorous. But they are not.

His 'Iguana with Hammer' is made unpleasant by the fact that the beast seems to be riding a naked human's back - and the hammer is a symbol, to me anyway, of violence. And that is perhaps what upsets me most.

Looking around 'Stumbling on Melons', a theme which is repeated some 30 times in the exhibition, was, I found, rather an unpleasant experience, but I have no doubt that there are people who find the artist's work pleasing.

JEP 26/6/95

You don't understand art in Jersey

Both Jersey and Guernsey like to insist on their separate identities, but, reading your reviewer's response to the current exhibition of Geraint Jennings at your attractive Arts Centre - we haven't one in Guernsey yet - it is clear that anything thought-provoking is likely to find a cool, if not hostile reception, in both islands......

Geraint Jennings is obviously wasting his time and should now be looking outside the Island for exposure in a big city milieu, as indeed he has done with some success in the past. He is too big for Jersey, it seems...

....the work on show at the Berni Gallery may be said to be more lyrical; the stuff of dreams and innocence rather than anything created to excite prurience.

The fact that one of the works featured in your review was printed sideways, thus heightening the sexual connotation, also served to mislead the reader.....

For those who think that all humans have strange things in their heads which can never be properly explained, including sexuality, then Geraint Jennings, disturbing though his work may sometimes be - although tender too - could be someone who says something to you. Very probably he is your most important painter working today, and, as such, is ridiculously underpriced and is evidently foolishly undervalued and unrecognised in his native Island.

JEP 11/7/95

Greens call for use of 'social indicators'

The Jersey Green Party have told Policy and Resources that an 'index of well-being or sustainability' should be introduced, using ecological and social indicators.....
.....The party also want to see the European Convention on Human Rights incorporated into local law and the voting age reduced from 18 year (sic) to 16, with candidates being able to stand for election to the States or parish offices at 18.
The document, which is signed by Senator Stuart Syvret, Deputies Gary Matthews and Imogen Nicholls, election candidate Geraint Jennings, and others, also calls for the separation of the judiciary and the legislature, reform of polling hours at elections and limits on candidates' expenses.
The party say that there needs to be quicker movement on a range of important policy areas, including social legislation, women's rights issues, racial discrimination, water and agricultural pollution and an integrated traffic policy.....
JEP 2/6/95

....On a much, much brighter note, the reading of the work of poets who still live and work in the Island, which preceded Mr. Reed's performance, was a success.
Simon Crowcroft, Richard Pedley, Geraint Jennings and Linda Rose Parkes demonstrated that they have talents to be reckoned with, and survived trial by microphone either by ignoring it entirely or by choosing to live with its shortcomings.
JEP 31/5/95

"Stumbling on Melons" - Pictures by Geraint Jennings

This is the third show in the Berni Gallery by Jersey artist Geraint Jennings, a former J.J. Fox Competition prize-winner. "Stumbling on Melons" comes from a metaphysical poem by Andrew Marvell, reflecting a recent shift in the artist's work towards an abstracted handling of landscape.
Inside Jersey

The illustrations, as in the previous books, are simple but instructive and perfectly suited to the educational style of the books.
JEP

Geraint Jennings' illustrations, meanwhile are excellent...
JEP 14/9/94

The books are written in easy-to-understand language, with Mr. Jennings's colourful illustrations on each page.
JEP 24/6/94

A series of beautifully written and illustrated history books for young children is being published by local writer Sonia Hillsdon and artist Geraint Jennings.
Inside Jersey

....two vivid works by Geraint Jennings which step resolutely into a surreal world of the imagination..... but their full interpretation might require the assistance of the artist.
JEP 18/10/94

Managing director apologises for omission in Waterfront Enterprise Board's plan

Access for disabled people and cycle tracks will feature on the waterfront despite having been omitted from the.... plan .... He was replying to a question by Geraint Jennings... He also refuted Mr. Jennings' claims that there was no need for more office space in St. Helier....
JEP 31/10/94

...Finally there is Geraint Jennings's triptych, 'Heritage' which appeals because it allows the viewer to participate by opening and closing the doors and by handling the hanging frames beneath it which contain various artefacts from chicken bones to clippings of the artists beard.
Sadly the simplicity of the work and its uncomplicated appeal is offset by an overlong and verbose script......
JEP 9/4/92

Far from being radical 'green' theories, his views are seen by many as sensible, interesting, imaginative and far more comprehensive than those of many other candidates...
Sunday Island Times 3/10/93

Green Party candidate Geraint Jennings's sharp wit provided light relief of a different sort at some of the meetings and, while he was never going to make the quantum leap of the additional 5,000 votes he needed to make him a serious contender this time, audiences did warm to him and he should use this to his advantage in the future...
JEP 22/10/93

Gerraint (sic) Jennings is one of the surprise candidates in this campaign. His speeches are coherent, his answers plausible and his policies not all 'Green'. But some people seem to think he lacks political maturity for the post of Senator..... Clever stuff, I suppose but he is not quite ready for the top seats. We have enough jokers in the States already.
Sunday Island Times 10/10/93

Best Dressed Candidate:

... Geraint Jennings's green suit, although worn to every meeting, never failed to make an impression...

Most Entertaining Candidate:

The award goes to Geraint Jennings, who was always ready with a new joke and a devastating line in put-downs...
JEP October 93

Island language school in Moscow festival

...Mr Jennings gave two lunchtime seminars in Russian, during which he explained the history of Jersey, its various Russian connections, its geography, agriculture and tourism, as well as its status in relation to the UK and the rest of the world...
JEP 24/5/93

Time to put people first

Green Party spokesman Geraint Jennings calls for urban regeneration and truly public areas in St. Helier
JEP 4/2/93

Hope, freedom, violence and anger are just some of the themes running through the works of local artist Geraint Jennings which are currently on display at the Jersey Arts Centre's Berni Gallery...
JEP 14/9/89