0:00:02 > 0:00:05Lying just 80 miles across the English Channel,
0:00:05 > 0:00:06close to the French coast of Normandy,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09are the beautiful Channel Islands.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13The smallest of the four main islands is Sark, a magical place,
0:00:13 > 0:00:17bursting with character, that some say time has forgotten.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20It's full of surprises...
0:00:25 > 0:00:29..and unusual customs. A unique place, where there are no cars.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Sark is home to a warm and close community,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39with two different churches at its heart.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Both are led by women.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44May he nourish us by his presence.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45One Anglican...
0:00:47 > 0:00:49..the other, Methodist.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53The island has a spectacular beauty and tranquillity,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57making it the ideal antidote to modern life.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01But during the course of the summer,
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Sark will face a series of dramatic events.
0:01:03 > 0:01:08This year, the island seems to have been hit by one shock after another.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12The two churches will try to unite to help the tiny community
0:01:12 > 0:01:15as its cherished way of life is shaken to the core.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19What's at the heart of Sark, what makes Sark, the community,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22the care for one another, that's what's important.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Just nine miles from Guernsey
0:01:55 > 0:01:59lies the jewel of the Channel Islands, Sark.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It has no airport, so the only way to get here is by ferry boat...
0:02:05 > 0:02:06..weather permitting.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Just three miles long and a mile and a half wide,
0:02:10 > 0:02:11with only 600 residents,
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Sark is arguably the most unusual place on our shores.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19There are no cars on the island.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Visitors must take the aptly named toast rack,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24pulled by tractor to the top of the hill,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28where horse and carriage taxis wait for business.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31The main form of transport is two wheeled and keeps the islanders fit.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37Puffin Taylour is chair of the Sark Carnival Committee.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42You'll find her whizzing around the lanes in all weathers.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44People say, "What do you do on Sark? It's so quiet,"
0:02:44 > 0:02:47but when you're here there's so much.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49It really is a very, very lively place.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52You have to have a very good calendar to keep up with everything.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Bye.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Now, after a long and hard winter,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02spring's arrival has provoked the locals into a flurry of activity.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Just up from the tiny harbour,
0:03:06 > 0:03:12fisherman Bas Adams is getting ready for the lobster fishing season.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16We've repaired all the pots and they're all ready to go in,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18but the weather hasn't been favourable for painting.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22There's been, you know, so much fog, we just couldn't paint.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27But yesterday, we had a jolly good day.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28I'll be honest with you,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31I prefer painting the boat than painting the house.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35But, er, you better not let my wife hear that.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Bas is a direct descendant of Sark's first settlers,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45who came here during Elizabethan times.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I was born here and I've lived here 74 years.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I'm quite happy, yeah.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59I've been fishing around for 50 or 60 years.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Despite being well past retirement age,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06he still goes to sea six days a week during the fishing season.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10My grandfather and my uncle, that's how I started.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I was only about six and I used to go with them.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Sometimes they used to say, "No, you'd better not come today, you'll be seasick."
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Sometimes I used to get ill,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22my grandfather used to stick me in a barrel and cover me with a tarpaulin.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25When I did feel better, I used to come out
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and even after going through that, you know,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I still used to go the next day.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33If they didn't want to take me, I used to cry
0:04:33 > 0:04:35because I wanted to go so much.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Sark's a wonderful place. There's no two questions about it.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43It's so different to all the other islands.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46That's what makes it so unique. You couldn't wish for anything better.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48I couldn't, anyway.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57In the middle of the island lies St Peter's, Sark's Anglican church.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00There's been a place of worship here
0:05:00 > 0:05:05since the days of the first settlers who arrived in 1565.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09The vicar is Gillian Nicholls.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10A newcomer to the island,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14she recently arrived here from rural Buckinghamshire.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I've been here for five months now,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19so I'm really beginning to feel I belong. Um...
0:05:19 > 0:05:22To start with, obviously, you feel as if you've come in from outside,
0:05:22 > 0:05:27you don't know anybody and it's very much a steep learning curve.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Trying to get hold of as many names as possible
0:05:29 > 0:05:33and work out who's who and how the thing works and so on.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35I'm a long way from being an islander,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39but in terms of loving it, I'm an islander.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42As Gill's first Easter on Sark approaches,
0:05:42 > 0:05:46it's an exciting time for islanders and vicar alike.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It is an incredible time,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53and the fact that this week is gloriously sunny and warm
0:05:53 > 0:05:57gives an extra sense of everything bursting into life.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Shops that haven't been open are opening
0:05:59 > 0:06:02and people are painting their boats
0:06:02 > 0:06:05and everything seems to be just coming to life at the moment.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06Lambs are being born.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11There's that sense of newness of life, resurrection,
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Easter on the way.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16The Sark Anglicans are very proud of their church.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21They've been busy raising funds to restore the windows in time for the Easter services.
0:06:21 > 0:06:28They've just raised £6,000 in order to have this one re-done.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32It's a wonderful picture because he actually becomes the head of the...
0:06:32 > 0:06:35He becomes... No, you're better when you stay... Now, that's perfect...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37I've always wanted to be Saint George.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39You look as if you're, er in...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- Slay a few dragons.- You look as if you're in a suit of armour.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49St Peter's isn't the only place of worship on the island.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53There's another church here on Sark, just a short cycle ride away -
0:06:53 > 0:06:54the Methodist chapel.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57It's been here for over 200 years
0:06:57 > 0:07:00and the lay minister is Karen Le Mouton.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Le Mouton means "the sheep", so when Steve and I got married,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08obviously our friends decided now's the time for us
0:07:08 > 0:07:12to start a new collection, and they decided it should be sheep.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Hence sheep jumper, sheep earrings.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19Also, we've got loads and loads of sheep of all descriptions
0:07:19 > 0:07:22and all shapes and sizes that we've been given over the years,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and we have now a huge flock in our house.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27And it's quite apt being the pastor of the Methodist church
0:07:27 > 0:07:30because, you know, you're there to shepherd your flock.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Karen's from the neighbouring island of Jersey
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and like her Anglican colleague, Gill,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40she's still getting accustomed to Sark's unique ways.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44I had a slight advantage in that I know island life
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and about the Channel Islands, so I can help support her through
0:07:48 > 0:07:52some of the idiosyncrasies that are only really known by islanders.
0:07:52 > 0:07:53So that's been quite helpful
0:07:53 > 0:07:55and I've been able to, sort of,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58hold Gill's hand and help her through those bits.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Over the last few months, Karen and Gill have become close friends and allies.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Now they've decided to try something
0:08:04 > 0:08:07that would be very new for both their congregations.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10In a place like Sark, where you've got a set community,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12you don't want to be competing with one another.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14We're all a body of Christ.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16But it does present a few problems,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19as the Anglicans and Methodists here on Sark
0:08:19 > 0:08:22do have different ways of doing things.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23SINGING
0:08:23 > 0:08:25I can't hear you.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30On the whole, generally,
0:08:30 > 0:08:35the Methodists tend to be slightly more informal than the Anglicans.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49It looks like bridging these differences
0:08:49 > 0:08:52could be much more of a challenge than Gill and Karen expect.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Chorister Linda Williams has lived on Sark for 40 years
0:08:56 > 0:08:59and she knows how the St Peter's congregation ticks.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03We will adapt, but we do it very, very slowly.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08As long as it's not forced down our throats, you know.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14I think it's quite important that the vicar should take on board
0:09:14 > 0:09:17who we are and what we need.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25Nevertheless, Karen and Gill have decided to try and bring their different congregations together
0:09:25 > 0:09:28for one of the upcoming Easter services.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30They've come up with an idea for part of the service
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and they hope it will provoke a lot of thought.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Just across the field, the lambing season's getting underway.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Shepherd David Scott has been a sheep farmer here on Sark
0:09:50 > 0:09:52since he was a boy.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54It's ideal sheep country really.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58They graze right down to the water's edge in places.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Well, to the cliff edge, anyway.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03These are all my old girls, these are.
0:10:03 > 0:10:0610 or 11 is the youngest, I should imagine,
0:10:06 > 0:10:10and the oldest is probably about 14.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Old Hazel over there, she's quite a good age.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Hazel!
0:10:14 > 0:10:16BLEATING
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Well, you tell the age by looking at their teeth.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22So the first year, they have a set of lamb's teeth,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26and then the second year they get two teeth,
0:10:26 > 0:10:31the third year they get four teeth, the fourth year they get six teeth,
0:10:31 > 0:10:36the fifth year they get eight teeth and then they start losing them.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Have any of these got any teeth at all?
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I think she's got a couple. I'm not sure.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43I'll pick this one...
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Hang on, girlie, let's just have a look at your teeth.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Oh, no, she's got teeth. Yeah, she's got a full mouth.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Come on then, Percy.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04David can't go anywhere without being shadowed by his new friend, Persil.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Hand reared from birth,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09David plans to get Persil ready over the coming months
0:11:09 > 0:11:13to star in an extraordinary, world-famous island tradition -
0:11:13 > 0:11:15the Sark annual sheep race.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19People must think it's mad when they hear about it, don't they?
0:11:19 > 0:11:23It must be the most unusual form of sport ever.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Er...it's certainly, it's certainly unusual, yeah.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28And we do a bit of training.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34We'll move the sheep round the island with the dogs
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and the youngsters tend to move rather rapidly,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39so when people see me racing around
0:11:39 > 0:11:43after sheep which have torn off down the road,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46we say we're in training for the sheep racing.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Do you have any of the locals that kind of come up
0:11:49 > 0:11:51and try and get inside information?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53- Because a lot of money exchanges hands.- Oh, yeah.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58People always sort of ask which one's likely to be a good runner.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59What about little Persil here?
0:11:59 > 0:12:02They're always an unknown entity, tame lambs.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06You never know quite whether they're going to run
0:12:06 > 0:12:09or whether they're just going to just stay by your side.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Gill, the Anglican vicar,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18is popping over to see her friend, the Methodist lay minister, Karen,
0:12:18 > 0:12:24to finalise plans for their exciting upcoming joint service at St Peter's.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- Hi, Karen. - Hello, Gill, come on in.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32It's definitely being noticed in the community that we are working together closely.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35But what none of their parishioners know
0:12:35 > 0:12:36is that what they're planning to do
0:12:36 > 0:12:41has never been tried in the Anglican church on Sark before.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43Where were you thinking of doing it?
0:12:44 > 0:12:49I was originally thinking about doing it in the sanctuary,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53but it could work at the steps,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55but it just depends really
0:12:55 > 0:12:59whether the majority of the people are behind us or in front of us.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01If there's not that many,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05would they then move to the choir stalls, do you think?
0:13:05 > 0:13:06We could have it further...
0:13:06 > 0:13:10We could try. You know what...
0:13:10 > 0:13:14how reluctant people are to come forward, especially Anglicans,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16they'd rather sit at the back.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Do you think it would be a step too far to actually invite
0:13:21 > 0:13:23anybody to come up as well?
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Yes.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Yes, I think it's probably revolutionary enough.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35That might be one step further than perhaps we're all ready to go.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50Over at David's sheep farm, there are a lot of hungry mouths to feed.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Make sure you don't mix it up too warm.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55At the peak of lambing season,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58David might make up as many as 100 bottles each week.
0:13:58 > 0:13:59There we go.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I've got my shepherd's Thermos here,
0:14:03 > 0:14:06in case I get waylaid on the way by something.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09I know it's not going to go cold too quick.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14With Persil at his side, he's checking his pregnant ewes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So far this year, they've given birth to over 150 lambs,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19and there are more on the way.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24I've got a ewe here.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28She's just had two lambs and I think she's going to have another one.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32It's either the first thing in the morning or the end of the day.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Just when you think your day's just about done for a few hours,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39you'll have a ewe decide to come round.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44David's grown accustomed to many a sleepless night during lambing season,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48but this year, there is an added complication.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51David's wife, Estelle, is nine months pregnant
0:14:51 > 0:14:54with their first child and due any day.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Good. Well, the more that get born now, the better.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58Yeah.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Here you go. There you go.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07May I ask? Do you know? You're not expecting twins, are you?
0:15:07 > 0:15:11No, I hope not. They promise me it's a single. Yep.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Sark has no hospital,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18and giving birth on the island requires some planning.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20I call the doctor, he comes down
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and assesses how far gone I am in labour, and then he calls...
0:15:23 > 0:15:26We have an ambulance boat called the Flying Christine,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29and he will call them and notify them
0:15:29 > 0:15:32and then I go by tractor ambulance down to the harbour
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and get in the ambulance boat and then get to Guernsey
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and get in the ambulance the other side and go up to the hospital.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41In the worst case scenario, we'll...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45If we give birth here, we give birth here and everything's, you know, fine.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48But ideally, the aim is to give birth in Guernsey.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51You seem terribly calm.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55Yeah. I think when I go into labour, I may not be quite so calm,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58but, yeah, that's the plan.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06It looks like the wait might be over, here in the field.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15There's definitely one foot there.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Good girl. Good girl.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Come away, come on. Good girl.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Just want to make sure his nose is clear. He just starts to breathe.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53David's years as a shepherd have taught him not to intervene
0:16:53 > 0:16:55unless there's a real problem.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02The best thing is just to let her get used to them for half an hour or so
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and then I'll bring them into the shed.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08That's really very exciting for you, isn't it?
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Yeah, it's always very exciting. Every birth's exciting.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Yeah, it's lovely, you know.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18She did it all by herself as well.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26Another successful birth achieved, but the night's not over yet.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29David's still on standby for his own wife, Estelle.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41Many aspects of life on Sark
0:17:41 > 0:17:45make it one of the most unusual islands anywhere in the world.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Crime is low, and so they have just one island constable.
0:17:52 > 0:17:53There is a doctor...
0:17:55 > 0:17:57..and an ambulance service,
0:17:57 > 0:18:02and a volunteer fire brigade, headed up by the church organist.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08From the outside,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11it seems this tiny island is the perfect place to settle.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Maybe that's why some who visit Sark never leave.
0:18:15 > 0:18:20Chorister Linda Williams first set foot on Sark in the 1970s
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and now runs a B&B.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26I came here just to work for a summer season
0:18:26 > 0:18:28and I stayed here because it was so different
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and because, to me, it was idyllic.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35How would you describe a typical Sark person?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Well, first and foremost, stubborn!
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Always hardworking.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45People are self-sufficient.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47We don't have any back-up,
0:18:47 > 0:18:50any national health or insurance
0:18:50 > 0:18:54or pensions or anything like that.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57There's no dole, so everybody is responsible for themselves.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04I have been told when I've disagreed too heartily with them that,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06"You're an outsider," you know,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09"and if you don't like it, you know when the boat goes."
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Which I think is fair enough.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15You know, it's the Sarkese people,
0:19:15 > 0:19:22they don't really adapt to change very well,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26and I side myself very much with them.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33It's the Thursday before Easter,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35and up at St Peter's, the Anglican church,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39the joint service with the Methodists has begun.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41HYMN SINGING
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Gill's hoping that tonight's unusual addition won't be too much
0:19:44 > 0:19:47for the more conservative members of her congregation.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52After all, this is a church where services have changed little in 350 years.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55It's very much more traditional.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It's the 1662 services, rather than Common Worship,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04which is what I've been using for a number of years now.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09I think it's getting the balance between change for change's sake
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and a change that, actually,
0:20:11 > 0:20:17is going to bring new vitality into the community.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18We kneel to pray together.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21'It's always a very difficult balance to get,'
0:20:21 > 0:20:25so it's treading carefully, or trying to tread carefully.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31May he bring you his pardon and peace. Amen.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Now the long-awaited moment has arrived for the two preachers.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Karen and I are now going to wash each other's feet.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48Part of the reason for that is that Jesus prayed
0:20:48 > 0:20:52that his church would be one.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Karen, let me wash your feet.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02This simple act of foot-washing
0:21:02 > 0:21:07might be quite acceptable in Anglican churches across the world.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11On Sark, however, it comes as a bit of a shock.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14It's never been seen here before.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16Change is difficult for anybody
0:21:16 > 0:21:20because we're all more comfortable in our own little boxes.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22There's a way of handling change
0:21:22 > 0:21:25which has got to be a small step at a time.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28I'm not talking about changing everything dramatically,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31but just adding, adding to their lives.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43After the service, the silence is deafening.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49It remains to be seen what the reaction will be to tonight's foot-washing.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01There's one event taking place this Easter that definitely isn't going to spark controversy -
0:22:01 > 0:22:05a centuries-old tradition down at the island duck pond.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Youngsters get their feet wet, messing about with model boats.
0:22:11 > 0:22:12It's open for kids of all ages.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14It's not my boat.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It's my grandchild's.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21You're clearly enjoying yourself.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Rather.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24And one never to miss such an event
0:22:24 > 0:22:28is chair of the Sark Carnival Committee, Puffin Taylour.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Well, look at the crowds that are here. It's absolutely marvellous.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35It's just a tradition where we all come down, with a boat,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40we raise money for charity selling hot cross buns and hot chocolate.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43We've had it in snow, we've had it in baking hot weather.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45And then towards the end, all the children really just go in
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and regard it as a big paddling pool and get wet.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Up at her B&B, chorister Linda Williams
0:22:56 > 0:22:59is reflecting on last night's feet-washing service,
0:22:59 > 0:23:01which has provoked a less than positive reaction
0:23:01 > 0:23:04from some members of the congregation.
0:23:04 > 0:23:09It's never been done in the Anglican church before.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11We go to church week in, week out.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14We go through the cycle of services through the year
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and it can be pretty much the same.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Why do you think people might have been worried about it?
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Probably because it would have been out of their comfort zone.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30And perhaps it was a bit thought-provoking as well.
0:23:30 > 0:23:36I certainly wouldn't take my shoes off and let everybody see my feet!
0:23:56 > 0:24:00It's Easter Sunday and the bells of St Peter's,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03rung by Puffin Taylour, summon the islanders to worship.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15Fisherman Bas Adams is safely back from sea in time to lead the choir.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Today, there's no joint service with the Methodists.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Instead, the island's faithful are back on home ground,
0:24:22 > 0:24:23in their two separate churches.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30But over at the Methodist chapel, unusually,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33there's no sign of Karen at the front door.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Apparently she's done something bad to her foot.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45She was in a lot of pain.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I'm expecting her, because she's amazing,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51to do the service this morning out of a wheelchair because it's communion
0:24:51 > 0:24:54so she will feel that's really important for Easter.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56But if not, we will all rally round.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Someone will do the readings and someone will do the prayers.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03This is an island community. That's what everybody does on an island.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07They help out and rally to the cause if there's a problem.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Surely this can't be a result of the foot-washing?
0:25:14 > 0:25:15Karen, what's happened?
0:25:15 > 0:25:20I had a slight accident yesterday with a concrete paving slab
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and I think I've broken my toe.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27It's going to be X-rayed later today over at the hospital in Guernsey,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30so we'll have to make arrangements to get over there.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34Good morning and a happy Easter to you all.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Now, I will apologise for sitting down.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I had a slight incident with a concrete paving slab yesterday,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45so please bear with me.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49Down at the ambulance station,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Dave, the ambulance man, is getting ready for his latest customer.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Until now, he thought he'd seen it all.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Oh, yes, certainly the first Methodist minister with a broken toe.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08There's no hospital on Sark,
0:26:08 > 0:26:12so for Karen and her husband, Steve, this is the first stage
0:26:12 > 0:26:15of a journey to the nearest one, on the neighbouring island of Guernsey.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23I smile today, but I was shedding many a tear yesterday.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29But Karen's husband, Steve, has a guilty secret.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32It seems he knows more about her broken toe than he's letting on.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38It's very unfortunate, we were just making this platform for her
0:26:38 > 0:26:40to put her bike into the shed and I got two edging stones
0:26:40 > 0:26:45and of course, one of the stones was a bit broken.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And so I decided to move it and I flicked it over, and of course,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Karen was standing too close to me and it landed on her foot.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And of course, you know how heavy those stones are.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59I was in a lot of pain.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10On a small island, news travels fast.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15They're going to X-ray it, I guess,
0:27:15 > 0:27:20and then decide what treatment will be necessary.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23It was a real... We couldn't believe it when we heard that.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26In more acute medical situations,
0:27:26 > 0:27:31patients are evacuated from Sark by special ambulance speedboat.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34But Karen's broken toe is not considered an emergency,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38so today, she'll take the 50-minute journey to Guernsey
0:27:38 > 0:27:40by the regular afternoon ferry.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Only when she gets the results of the X-ray will Karen find out
0:27:46 > 0:27:48how long she'll be out of action.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50Her busy diary will be put on hold.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56Her concern now is how she will get about on an island where cars are banned?
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Life is about to get very difficult indeed.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08In the days to come, David's hands are full with another new arrival.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Come on then, screechypants.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15You have good mornings and then the afternoon goes pear-shaped.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17And the evenings are always horrendous.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21A very special thoroughbred sets foot on the island...
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- What's he called? - He's actually called Ronaldo,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27but it's a bit posh so we're calling him Ron.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30..marking the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36The island remembers the dark days of occupation...
0:28:37 > 0:28:38A celebration of freedom.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41A day etched in the minds of those who lived through it.
0:28:41 > 0:28:46..and an unlikely love story involving a German officer
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and a Sark girl, which led to a long and happy marriage.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53We've been married, what, 64 years?
0:28:53 > 0:28:5764 years. I was very grateful to Hitler to send me here.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd