Wise as a Serpent, Harmless as a Dove An Island Parish

4,000 miles south-west of the British Isles,

where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea

lies the island of Anguilla.

Colonised by English settlers in the 17th century,

it was quickly abandoned because of its poor soil.

So, the African descendants, many of them former slaves,

became landowners rather than plantation workers,

fostering an independent spirit and close connection to the land

that still flourishes.

Today, just 3% of the population is white

and it's now one of the 14 British Overseas Territories

with its own government and the Queen as its head of state.

-Fire!

-GUNSHOTS

It's very similar to growing up in Cornwall.

Everybody looks out for each other

and it's just a really nice way of living.

I've been here 23 years and I still think I'm kind of British.

With an average temperature of 80 degrees,

British expats have been lured here by the beaches,

low taxes and relaxed way of life.

We have a tradition in Anguilla of going to take a sea bath.

This is the epitome of paradise.

You know, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

But this delicate island's future is precarious.

With few natural resources,

Anguillans have always had to be inventive to make ends meet,

competing with larger nearby islands like Antigua and St Kitts

for the tourist dollar.

Here, the threat of hurricanes is ever-present,

and in the eye of these storms is a rock,

the Anglican minister Bishop Errol Brooks,

who presides over the island's largest parish.

As a people, we stand strong when things get rough.

This paradise is extremely fragile.

In the days to come...

-ALL:

-Happy Easter!

..it's Easter in Anguilla.

It's Easter weekend, you know, so you have a long weekend, people.

A long weekend of fun.

I'll probably go to the inside of that boat.

Trudy Nixon and Reggie Oliver

prepare to compete in one of the island's

most gruelling swimming races.

Looking at the distance from the shore out to Scilly Cay,

it's a bit daunting.

And the National Trust travels to Prickly Pear Island

to give three Lesser Antillean iguanas a new home.

I think he's saying thank you for releasing me.

SHE LAUGHS

# Welcome to Anguilla

-# My beautiful island...

-#

Come on down to Anguilla, summer's soon here, you know?

Wow, I tell you, you've got to shake your leg to this music.

'Ai, ai, ai, shake a leg!

'OK, not too much. Don't fall down, for sure.'

It's the week before Easter on Anguilla

and at St Mary's Church in the capital, The Valley,

major renovations are underway

to coincide with the big Sunday service. Overseeing the repairs

is the head of the Anglican diocese of the Eastern Caribbean,

born and bred Anguillian, Bishop Errol Brooks.

If you look here you will see how...

..this is all rotted.

So, we've got to change... all the windows and doors.

Luis Pedraza has travelled 1,000 miles from Miami

to install 12 new stained-glass windows,

specially commissioned by the bishop and paid for by the congregation,

they're reinforced with storm-proof glass

to withstand hurricane season.

I made commitments to the congregation.

That they've got them in place for Easter

and I think they're going to hold me to it.

So, I'm glad again that our friend is here.

HE LAUGHS

Most Anguillians enjoy the natural beauty of their island,

especially the clear, blue waters that surround them.

Hi!

Hello, ladies!

I'll see you soon.

Like many islanders, Dr Linda Banks rarely misses the chance

to cool off at the water's edge.

We have a tradition in Anguilla of going to take a sea bath.

It's so amazing to start the day

or end the day at the beach in the water

feeling your body embraced and massaged.

All the beaches are free.

You can come whenever you want.

The land is free, the sea free, the air free,

this is the epitome of paradise.

Another resident who enjoys the tranquillity of the white sands

and crystal-blue water is Wiltshire-born Trudy Nixon.

I love going for a walk on this beach

because I get to go past all these incredible villas

and this one behind me rents out for 250,000 US dollars in season

and I get to walk my dog past this villa every day if I want to.

Trudy moved to Anguilla from the UK 15 years ago.

Coming to live in Anguilla was a bit like moving back to my village

where my mum and dad live in Poulshot in Wiltshire

because, kind of, people know who you are here

and from the moment you step onto this island, you're somebody.

People say, "hi". People say, "good morning", "good afternoon",

"good evening" to you.

Most of Trudy's time

is spent editing one of the island's magazines

but any spare moments are devoted to her real passion.

This is where I work and where I've obviously written

my soon-to-be fourth upcoming bestseller.

It's a kind of Caribbean -

dare I say it - bonkbuster.

If I could be the Jilly Cooper of the Caribbean, I'd be so happy,

I love Jilly.

-I love her.

-SHE GIGGLES

Always one to participate in community life,

Trudy has decided to take part

in the Festival Del Mar swimming challenge in Island Harbour,

a fishing village at the east end of Anguilla.

I probably won't wear a bikini but I do have some.

SHE LAUGHS

I could distract them - all the other swimmers -

with my womanly charms and then, maybe...

SHE LAUGHS

This is quite a good one.

It's a little bit big for me now, so this is kind of practical.

It's kind of quite... Actually, I don't like it.

SHE LAUGHS

The race is a relay.

So, today, Trudy's meeting up

with her tournament partner, Reggie Oliver.

I think we have to discuss tactics,

we have to decide who's going to do which leg,

who's going to start and who's going to finish.

We know each other very well

but we haven't ever swam in a race together before.

Hi, Reggie!

SHE GIGGLES

-I'll probably go to the inside of that boat.

-Yep...

The contest will cover a distance of two miles

between the village of Island Harbour

and Scilly Cay, just outside the bay.

It's always going to be a current,

sometimes it's heavier than other times.

Right, yeah. I'm going to use that current.

You're going to use that current

by going into the current and then coming...

The current is going to help you in the last part of the race coming in.

OK. I think I'm going to need every little bit of help I can get!

THEY LAUGH

I know! I need every little help I can get, too.

I'm scared, Reggie!

Actually standing here and looking at the distance

from the shore out to Scilly Cay, it's a bit daunting.

I kind of thought I could do it,

but it is...it's quite a long way!

Reggie says we'll be fine, so I'm sure we'll be fine.

The seas and reefs around Anguilla

are under the protection of the National Trust,

which monitors the island's flora and fauna.

Based at its headquarters in the centre of the island

is Executive Director Farah Mukhida.

Anguilla has its mainland,

and then it has quite a few outside cays.

And it's actually on these cays that a lot of Anguilla's biodiversity...

So, the species and everything that makes it really special

in terms of its nature are actually found on these cays.

Animals that have been rescued are brought here

to the sanctuary to be nursed back to health.

It's lunchtime, and team member and native Anguillian Jan

is encouraging the underweight guests to eat up.

This is prickly pear.

He can be very, very picky.

You're going to see him soon,

but his name is Blue and he's one of the pickiest that we have.

Hi, Bluey, such a good boy. Hm?

This is Blue, a Lesser Antillean iguana

and one of the rarest native reptiles on Anguilla.

The scales are actually blue... Are like a turquoise blue along here.

He's such a beautiful little thing.

The Lesser Antillean iguana

has been on the island for thousands of years,

but, recently, the population numbers have been dwindling,

and that's because of another more aggressive species of iguana

that's recently washed up on Anguillian shores.

This is the invasive green iguana.

So, you notice the difference between them, though?

It's a little more scary, I find.

So, in 1995, we were hit, our Anguilla was hit

with a Category Four storm, Hurricane Lewis,

and this green iguana...

sort of washed up on one of the beaches.

And it just sort of pushed the Lesser Antillean iguana

into a little portion of the island.

He's more aggressive than Blue.

Blue's kind of used to being handled.

We have to come here, both morning and afternoon, to actually feed him,

to make sure that he gets enough to sustain him

and to gain some weight and stuff.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

Blue is not the only Lesser Antillean iguana

who had to be rescued.

He shares his living quarters with two others, Tina Turner...

She's almost like a diva, she has a lot of attitude and...

SHE LAUGHS

..that type of thing!

..and Ugly.

When we got him out of the wild, his face was just peeling.

SHE LAUGHS

But he's a sweetheart, though.

He's, well...

I call them all sweethearts!

Once Jan and her team have nursed them back to health,

they will release them on to in uninhabited cay off the main island,

free from the aggressive green impostors

who threaten the species' future.

As one of four British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean,

Anguilla gets regular visits from passing Royal Navy vessels,

out on exercise or patrol in the Caribbean Seas.

'We have the HMS Mersey in Anguillan waters on a formal routine visit.'

From today until Saturday. Wow, look out for the Navy ship, boy!

'HMS Mersey is in Anguillan waters.'

Today the crew of the Navy vessel

is reporting to the Queen's representative on the island,

Governor Christina Scott.

Pleased to meet you, welcome to Anguilla.

Hello, hi. Nice to see you. Hello, sir, how are you?

-Good to see you again. Come on through.

-Great, thank you.

So, what are your key priorities for the visit, then?

Well, I'm at your disposal, ma'am.

It really stood out for me when we saw the list of officers coming,

just how many female officers you had,

so we thought it would be a good opportunity for you

to have a conversation with some young women

and inspire them to take on roles

they might not traditionally think of going into.

Predominantly, it's 10%, normally,

of any crew that happens to be female,

but HMS Mersey has 25% of the ship's company is female,

across all ranks and rates.

A quarter of the ship's company are female.

It struck us as a good opportunity

to include some women's groups on the island

and to provide inspiration, for some of our young girls.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you very much.

-Welcome to Anguilla.

-Thank you.

If my diary allows,

I will try and join them

and gather the courage to walk up the metal ladder

up the side of the ship to get there.

Yes, that's one I'm willing to try.

'It's Easter weekend, you know?

'So you have a long weekend, people. A long weekend of fun!

'And don't forget, you know,'

Easter Sunday service at St Mary's in The Valley

will be at eight o'clock,

'Easter Day, at St Mary's.'

At St Mary's Anglican Church in The Valley,

it's all hands to the pump as the team from Miami

and locals continue to install the new stained-glass windows.

They only have two days left

until the bishop's Easter Sunday Service.

We decided that we'd put the national symbols

in the stained glass.

This is the turtledove, our national bird.

-This is the...

-Butterfly.

-We tried to capture the colours.

-Yeah.

As church lay reader and chalice bearer,

Dr Linda Banks is also monitoring the progress of the windows closely.

Amazing. It will give our church a real lift,

and then the symbols, you know, the boats and all of that,

the Anguillan symbols, amazing.

The question is, are they going to be ready for Easter?

I don't think so. The bishop said he could do it

but we're all worried he won't hit that deadline

in time for Sunday.

While the bishop keeps a watchful eye on his renovations,

duties around the parish continue.

Today, they fall to Father Menes Hodge.

You know, the Anglican Church here in Anguilla,

some of the members are either ill

or are physically unable to

make the service.

And we do not neglect them.

When they can come, we're delighted to have them,

when they can't come, we go to them.

They realise that they're not being forgotten.

Anguilla's warm climate and relaxed way of life

seems to favour longevity, so, today, Father Hodge

is visiting one of the island's oldest residents -

99-year-old Welsh-speaker Margaret Jones,

mother of the island's dentist, John Jones.

IN WELSH:

What are you doing now, John?

Well, making a mess of this, actually.

Margaret moved to Anguilla from Wales three years ago

to live with her son, who insists she spends her twilight years

away from the cold of her native Anglesey.

You'll get up one morning and you'll say to yourself,

"Oh, God, not another lovely day!"

Because it's always lovely here.

Hello? Good to see you! How are you today?

I am very well, thank you, yes. Very well.

At 99 years of age,

sometimes Margaret doesn't manage to muster up the strength

to attend Sunday service.

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all,

for now and forever more. Amen!

I hope you will be able to get out to St Mary's on Sunday.

Well, I haven't had my hair done nor nothing.

I'll arrange to have a nice hairdo.

THEY CHUCKLE

I believe she would very much like

to attend the service on Easter Sunday.

We may see her or we may not, depends upon how she feels.

One mile off Sandy Ground,

HMS Mersey is expecting some special guests.

Morning!

Good!

Governor to Anguilla Christina Scott

is joining members of the Church on board the naval ship.

-How are your sea legs?

-This is the bridge.

This is where we drive the ship.

This is where the captain sits.

And this is where they work out

if we're going in the right direction.

Anybody else want a go at sitting in the chair? Have your photo taken?

ALL LAUGH

I'll put this round to keep you safe,

because the ship will be moving.

This one on, and lift up,

and it's locked again.

I think that was a fun visit.

I think the young girls on the tour enjoyed themselves.

They were a little bit shy

and a little quieter than I've seen them previously,

but I take from that that they were slightly impressed

with what they were seeing,

and I'm really grateful to the crew of HMS Mersey

for taking the time today and being so generous to show us all around.

The governor isn't the only person

who's been invited for a visit on board.

I don't know how good my sea legs are.

Bishop Brooks is joining the captain and senior officers for brunch,

but first, a few words of thanks.

We humbly pray that you bless our sovereign lady, Queen Elizabeth,

and all who serve in authority under her.

That all things being ordered in wisdom, righteousness and peace,

to the honour and glory of your name and the good of all people.

We wish you the best.

Thank you, Bishop, most kind.

-Thank you, sir.

-I think it's time we eat.

Now, time for the bishop to tuck into some traditional British fare.

-Thank you.

-Today we're having what's called "brunch",

and it has all the things that probably aren't very good for you,

with the bacon, and the sausage, and the black pudding and the eggs.

As a small thank you for you coming on board, I thought it appropriate

-to give you a small slice of England.

-Ah, baked beans.

-I've got some.

-And this is black pudding.

-That's a lot of food.

We may be here a while trying to eat all this!

Definitely.

This Anguillan boy...

having marmalade...!

THEY CHUCKLE

English food is rather bland, if I could say that,

in comparison to what we do in the West Indies,

but I was able to get some Earl Grey

and marmalade, and that was good.

Six miles to the north-west lie the Prickly Pear Cays,

named after the indigenous plant much beloved by local wildlife.

Today, Prickly Pear East is playing host to three new arrivals.

That's Tina Turner.

This is Blue.

Jan and the National Trust team

are releasing the three Lesser Antillean iguanas

that they've been nursing back to health for nearly a year.

The purpose for putting them in pillowcases

is just they tend to calm down

when they're in sort of like darkness.

I just started moving him so now he knows he's being moved

and he's started to wiggle around a little bit.

With no aggressive iguana species on this deserted island

to scare them off, Jan and colleague Farah

are hoping these Lesser Antilleans will thrive

in the safety of their new surroundings.

This one we call Tina and this is Ugly.

So, it's a male and it's a female,

so we're actually going to release them together

and then they can decide on their own

whether they want to stay together

or if they want to find their own way.

We're going to play matchmaker here

by releasing the two of them in the same tree,

hoping that they stay together.

She looks happy.

He's like, "Yay, freedom!"

So, that was Tina Turner that we just released.

This is Ugly.

There you go.

Ouch. It's OK, babes. You got him? Got his back legs?

-Mm-hm.

-All right.

All right. It's OK.

OK, I'm putting him on this one, here.

Oh, wow. Look at him.

Over the past few years, the National Trust

has released 11 Lesser Antillean iguanas back into the wild

on Prickly Pear.

Now, Blue and his two chums

take the total up to 14.

I can't believe it.

He's just ready to go!

All right, here we go.

My heart is beating. Literally!

All right, Bluey.

See you.

Good luck.

SHE CLAPS EXCITEDLY

I think he's saying, "Thank you for releasing me."

So, ideally, this is like a fresh start for the species.

So, ideally, all of these iguanas

would find their mate and start to breed

and the population grows.

We would love for them to have babies.

We would love for them to start a family.

And build the population.

-Yeah.

-And build the population. That's the goal.

Back on a windswept mainland,

it's the day of the Festival Del Mar swimming competition.

And at Island Harbour, Trudy Nixon is squaring up to the opposition.

This is my big competition.

Come with me.

This is what I'm swimming against.

Yeah.

One of them is called Andre

and he's like this mega-athlete

who does kite surfing and personal training

and is about 6'8".

I am feeling a bit nervous,

to be honest, about the race.

Not so much the distance now. I think I'm OK with that.

But the conditions are very choppy and windy today.

Maybe I might have one of Gorgeous's very famous,

delicious Scilly Cay rum punches

just to give me a little bit of energy in the water.

I think this will do me good.

I'll be drunk by the time I get in the water.

You will! You can have another one when you get to the other side.

-I hope so.

-Just have them take it over in the boat for you.

-I hope so!

Trudy's racing partner, American-born Reggie Oliver,

is limbering up for the race in his own unique style.

Trudy hasn't swam competition.

So, the first competition you have to be careful

because you're competing and that's in your head.

This first time for her. I don't want her to get hung up

in too much competition, you know? Just get it done, you know?

And if we pass some of the young ones, you know,

we'll boast all year. We may beat one of them.

Some of these young guys look a little out of shape.

I don't know!

With the swimmers all fired up at the starting line, the race begins.

KLAXON BLARES

It's not the greatest of starts for Reggie

and it looks like Trudy will have her work cut out

if she wants to be in the running for a medal.

By the time he reaches Scilly Cay,

Reggie's third from last.

Now, it's up to Trudy to make up the lost ground.

In Anguilla, racing wasn't part of their culture,

but the ocean is very much part of their culture.

So, all these young men could fish and dive 25, 30, 75 feet

without tanks and catch conches. So, they're great swimmers.

But with the relentless current working against them,

Trudy and Reggie's chances for a podium finish are fading fast.

Her swimming nemesis Andre makes it across the bay in no time at all

as one after the other, the competitors finish the race.

And following several lengths behind,

Trudy finally conquers the currents

and makes it back to Island Harbour.

Perhaps not in record time, but at least in one piece.

Well, I finished.

I don't know if I finished

particularly high up in the field but I finished.

You have got to be in it to win it

and I can now say, genuinely,

that I have competed in the Festival Del Mar swimming race

and survived - just about!

'Anguilla, time...! Anguilla, time for some relief,

'it's Easter Sunday.'

Lots of fun, and of course, make sure you go to church for Easter.

'That would be so nice. All right?'

IN WELSH:

I've locked that door.

DRUMMING

At St Mary's in The Valley,

after considerable toil,

and without a moment to spare,

the new stained-glass windows are finally in place,

much to the delight of Bishop Brooks.

Yes!

It's good, it's beautiful.

It's amazing. I've kept my word.

I told them that it would be ready for Easter Day.

Beautiful.

Beautiful, beautiful.

Good morning...

..and welcome to this Easter celebration.

Today, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Easter is sometimes referred to as the Queen of Festivals

and we here in Anguilla, we celebrate Easter in a grand way.

We try to bring the community together,

people from all walks of life fostering the community spirit.

At another time,

a special service will be arranged

for the dedication of the windows and doors.

We said we would do it for Easter Day, didn't we?

Right, and we did it!

APPLAUSE

I don't think there is stained glass that looks like this

anywhere in the world, you know?

And we're really proud to have that as part of our church.

It's so special to have the windows on display.

Really beautiful, capturing so many of the national symbols of Anguilla

in beautiful stained glass. Really, a beautiful way to celebrate Easter.

They make the church more...

..lively.

Among the congregation, we were delighted to see

Margaret Jones out with us.

She's full of life still, you know?

She seems as though she likes to be in the company with people.

I enjoyed myself.

I liked the service.

It was nice.

She'd stay in there now if it was still going on.

-Happy Easter!

-Happy Easter!

In the days to come...

..the National Trust and Fisheries Department join forces

to give the island's schoolchildren a unique experience.

It can be a little chaotic with little hands screaming, "Me!"

But they completely love it.

And islanders gather at Trudy Nixon's house

for a very special celebration.

If we could all raise our glasses

and wish our glorious Queen Elizabeth

a happy 90th birthday.