Blue Skies Around the Corner An Island Parish

FOG HORN SOUNDS

This is the picturesque island of Sark,

the smallest of the four main Channel Islands.

Just three miles long and a mile and a half wide,

it's an island hideaway bursting with character and charm

and seemingly, immune to change.

The sun is at last shining after a dire start to the season.

It's been a tough time for the locals - not just bad weather.

Recently, a fatal carriage crash on the island

stunned the tiny community.

A Swiss woman in her 60s has died after a horse-drawn cart

overturned in Sark.

Eight other people were injured, one seriously.

They remain in Guernsey's Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

The consequences of the horrific accident are a real concern

for those whose livelihoods depend on the carriage businesses.

People like horse trainer, Julie Jackson.

We're all totally shocked, everybody.

People who come, they come because it's got horses and carriages

and no cars, and because it's quiet.

Everyone says the same thing, they get on the back of my carriage

and they say, "Oh, my God, that silence", you know.

It's knocked us all on the head, this. All of us.

It's a terrible tragedy that's never happened before

in the history that we know of, you know.

We're all totally shocked.

You don't know what to say, really.

Accidents like this are unheard of on Sark,

and the cause is a complete mystery.

No-one can speculate about animals.

The day a horse can talk, you'll find out what went wrong.

At times like this, the two churches play a vital role

in the community, but Karen, the Methodist lay minister, is away,

so the Anglican vicar, Gill, is coping on her own.

I see my role as being available, so that if people want to talk,

I want to be around in the community so that people can talk,

and it's ringing round those who, you know, are most affected

and just to say, really feeling with you deeply

about this and praying for you, and concerned for you.

The island's way of dealing with things seems very much

to try to return to life as normal.

You know, we've got a job to do, there's work to be done,

there are more people coming and we get on with it.

The Petite Poule cafe, right in the heart of the main street,

is a barometer for the island's mood.

Christina, who has lived on Sark for 17 years,

is hoping the cloud is starting to lift.

It's awful, but we have to carry on and move on and hope that it never

happens again, and thankfully, it's never happened in all the time

I've been here. That's the first time and hopefully it will be the last.

A police investigation is underway to try and uncover exactly what

happened and until then, island life tries to return to normal.

The good weather comes as a huge relief

to all those who live and work on Sark.

Like fisherman, Baz Adams, who's returned to sea where he's happiest.

You've only got to get one fine day and you forget all the bad weather

and you think, "Oh, what a lovely day."

That's how it goes.

There hasn't been the people on the island this year

so it's been difficult, you know, to get rid of the lobsters

at the hotels and boarding houses.

You know, you've just got to make the best of it.

You mustn't let things get you down too much.

It's not just the fishermen who need the good weather to last.

The whole island is busy preparing for the biggest crowd-pulling event

in the summer calendar, the Sark Folk Festival.

It could be a life-saver for local businesses,

so long as the weather holds.

This weekend, the Folk Festival is going to bring 2,000 people.

Every hotel room, every guest house is full.

Every restaurant is going to be full for lunch, breakfast, dinner,

afternoon tea.

People that are all coming on this week are actually putting money

back into the island and that's what we need.

I have my courtyard across the way,

so the weather's very, very important for me.

People sit outside and it puts people in a better frame of mind.

When you're on holiday, you want to sit out in the sun and enjoy it.

There's another big summer event on Sark that keeps the islanders busy,

and Gill, the Anglican vicar, is no exception.

Let me just secure the top so that at least it's held together.

Yeah.

And then we can get cracking on the bottom.

Across the whole island, the lanes and hedgerows

will soon be the backdrop for the annual Sark Scarecrow Competition

and this year, the theme is royalty.

Although still newcomers, Gill and her husband Colin

are determined to make a big impression.

I think this is the first scarecrow I've ever made.

I made guys for bonfires,

but I don't think we've ever made a scarecrow before.

And at times, we're very aware of our beginnings.

We've got L plates on.

Gill is secretly hoping her own entry,

a life-size King Henry VIII, is good enough to attract

the attention of the judges and win her first prize.

He's got here safely and he's well and truly stuck in place,

and I'm delighted it's now completed.

But someone is about to scupper Gill's hopes of victory.

Carnival committee chairman, Puffin Taylor.

I've ended up as Chairman of the Carnival Committee

because I'm sort of fairly outward going.

As I say, it's a team effort with things

but I tend to be the one that's going round

chatting to people and persuading them and saying, how about this?

Puffin's got a crisis on her hands,

and she's hoping Gill, the Anglican vicar, can help.

Hi, Gill.

Hi. Come on in.

So what's all this about, Puffin?

The Carnival Committee, we had a bit of a chat.

Right.

And we thought,

well, you could perhaps be relied upon to be an impartial judge.

But under the strict rules, judges can't enter their own scarecrows.

Well, you're not doing one, are you?

-Yes.

-Oh.

So that's going to be a problem, isn't it?

Well, I'll disqualify it, that's all.

You mean after all the hard work we've put in,

he's not going to count?

No, no.

Anyway, you've been asking all these questions,

I'm just hoping you're not wriggling.

Are you going to do it or not?

Yeah, of course I'll do it.

Great.

I've been, what's the word I'm looking for?

Not pressurised exactly, but that would probably do.

She's incredibly persuasive,

she's one of those irresistible forces, let's put it that way.

In order to judge the scarecrow competition,

what lies ahead for the two women is a day in the lanes

and ten miles of cycling to find that stand out winning entry.

Here we are. There should be one just here somewhere.

Oh, I like her sunglasses.

I think they're amazing!

The bling belt,

I don't think the Queen would quite wear a bling belt like that, but...

Have they used a balloon? No, it's a ball.

It's a float for a boat, I think.

Ah, that's what it is.

"I rule, OK?"

She's got high-heeled shoes on.

Oh, look, even pearl necklace as well.

And do you see the royal jelly?

Very good. Botox lips.

Right, the next one's here, Gill.

But there is one scarecrow that threatens to bring

the two judges to blows.

This is yours, isn't it, Henry VIII?

That's right.

Oh, yes, yes, I've disqualified this one, as you...

Yeah, well, I actually was incredibly...

I didn't mind withdrawing because I was judging,

I quite understood that, but when we got the list and found,

disqualified written across it, I was actually quite upset.

Why can't she enter, then?

Well, she's judging.

Yeah, but she could, you know, judges are allowed.

I can be very objective.

How would you rank this?

It's a very enthusiastic first effort at the Sark Scarecrow.

First effort.

Being an island with no airport, the only way to get to Sark is by boat,

and that includes all food and drink supplies.

The folk festival is just a few weeks away and extra shipments

have been organised for what the local businesses hope

will be the busiest event of the year.

Cars are banned on Sark, so all the big deliveries for the island's

shops and restaurants have to be made by tractor and trailer.

Patiently waiting for their delivery of stock are Julie and Nicky Baker,

a mother and daughter partnership who own and run

the Food Stop supermarket.

The folk festival is the most important weekend

of the year for them.

Huge amount of people that come, yeah.

And the people are really lovely that come.

Oh, they are.

It sounds silly, but they all look like hippies.

But there are old hippies and there's youngsters

and they clean up after themselves, there's no litter round the island.

It's absolutely fantastic,

and we all pray that it's nice weather.

They plan to extend the shop opening hours

to make the most of the trade generated by the festival-goers.

If people have forgotten their toothbrush or deodorant

or something, there's somewhere,

because there's only really the three shops

and we're the middle size. The big shop doesn't actually have much

stock, so you've got to be able to provide something for people.

Once they're over here,

they can't just nip to Guernsey and pick up their deodorant

or something, so... Well, they can for a £26 boat ride, but...

And toilet rolls.

Yeah, or toilet rolls, as she said.

Toilet rolls!

Julie and Nicky started their small grocery shop business

nine years ago and have never looked back.

The key to their success is simple.

The thing is to look after the locals, that is the main point.

Look after the locals, know what they want, get what they want.

Visitors are nice, they're the icing on the cake,

but the main thing is to look after the locals.

When we go round the wholesalers, we're going round the shelves

saying, "Oh, Mrs Brown likes this, we'll get some of that."

"Oh, Mrs Smith's been asking for that for ages,

"we'll get some of that."

Do you share the same passion as your mother for this business?

I think so, yes. I did work in a bank for 19 years,

so there's no stress or no traffic jams over here,

and if the hardest thing you've got to think about is,

"Oh, I didn't put something on a shelf today,"

well, nobody's lost their mortgage or anything like that, so...

The shop, though, has outgrown its premises,

and it's getting a makeover to create extra space.

They've got to knock the front of the shop out

that's here already to...

When are they doing that then?

Tomorrow, some of it, that's why we're moving all this stuff.

Will you be open, despite all the building work?

Oh, yes. Yes. Yes.

Amazing! Is it causing a lot of chaos for you, Julie?

Oh, yes, probably. We're quite chaotic, anyway!

Despite the mess and the noise,

Julie and Nicky can't afford to lose any business by closing.

Wrong way, Richard, it's that way.

Scarecrow judge, Gill,

together with the chair of the Sark Carnival Committee, Puffin Taylor,

are cycling the length and breadth of the island

in search of a prize-winning scarecrow.

Oh, I can see who this is. Looks to me like Neptune.

What about the platinum blonde curls?

I think those are just terrific.

It's getting harder.

The standard's going up, up, up at the moment I think.

Gosh, look at these two.

It's a hotly contested event,

and finding a clear winner is not going to be easy.

Well, the more you see, the more difficult it gets.

To start with, it looked as if there were one or two front runners.

Now there are probably half a dozen front runners,

which makes it a bit more tricky.

The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts.

I like the red eyelashes.

Great ears.

-I like the brooch, look.

-Yeah.

Just look at this. The Royal Garden Party.

Oh!

I think they're wonderful.

They've got such character. They've got such individuality.

I just love it. I think it's wonderful.

And certainly, I'm very clear who first prize is.

Mum!

It's all of you that's come first. Well done.

Yes!

Well done.

Have you enjoyed this morning?

I thoroughly enjoyed this morning, yes.

It's been a real privilege to do this.

I was very glad to be asked and I'm delighted to have been able to do it.

Well done. Congratulations!

Congratulations, girls. Very good indeed.

As the folk festival draws closer, at the Food Stop supermarket,

building work continues.

Julie hopes that these alterations will solve a growing problem,

storage space for her stock.

This is the overflow.

Where are we going? Is this where you live?

Yes. It's overflowed into my house.

Julie likes to hold a surplus of stock

in case bad weather stops the cargo boat delivering the goods,

but recently, things have been getting out of hand.

There's a grand piano behind that heap.

Blimey!

You can't really see it, and I certainly can't get to play it.

So how do you feel about having to use your house as a store room?

Well, needs must.

It's better to have the stuff and store it in the house

than not have it and, you know, have to wait for England to send it

and then you're without stuff on the shelves and you can't run like that.

This is our spare room, but nobody can stay in it.

Kitchen rolls and toilet rolls,

think we've got about 160 cases, so that's 160 times ten.

Do the islanders ever...?

People of Sark have very clean backsides.

Or they will have when they've used this.

As if things aren't bad enough already,

there's even more festival stock on the way.

Hear a rumble, I know that's...

Yes, here he comes round the corner now.

This is ours, this is what's got to squeeze into these sheds.

Julie, it looks like a lot of stuff, are you going to have space?

Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Even if it has to go in the garden, we'll have space.

Don't see any loo paper though, Julie.

We haven't ordered any. I think we've got enough.

With this much stock, they'll be in trouble if things don't sell,

especially the 2,000 toilet rolls squeezed into the spare room.

But Julie's daughter, Nicky, has had a brainwave.

We could perhaps sell them singularly.

Wrap them in cling film, because if you're only here for the weekend,

you don't need a four pack, or a two pack.

They might only want six sheets.

Perhaps we can sell them by the sheet!

The festival weekend has arrived.

All the hotels and guest houses on the island are all fully booked,

which is good news for church organist and fireman, Kevin Adams,

whose farm has been in his family for over 500 years.

He rents out space for people to camp.

Nice to see so many tents,

it makes it look really colourful with all the different coloured tents

and shapes and sizes.

And then obviously from here, people have got a cracking view

cos they can see the boats coming in.

We are heavily reliant on tourists so that's one of our major industries.

Sark Shipping brought 945 people yesterday, I think,

so it's a cracking number and they're all here

for the Folk Festival, which is fantastic.

Kevin's not the only islander hoping to benefit from the festival.

Down at the harbour, fisherman and eligible bachelor Dominic Wakeley

has been busy.

He's been fishing hard over the last few weeks

to build up a big surplus of seafood in his water store

that he hopes to turn into cash.

There's about 400 lobsters in there.

This weekend, Dominic plans to barbecue his lobsters and sell them

at £12 a piece to hungry revellers up at the festival.

It might sound like good money,

but the fishing season lasts only seven months

so the extra cash is vital to see him through the lean winter months.

Come on, Persil!

Little Persil.

On what must be one of the most idyllic sheep farms

to be found anywhere in the world, shepherd David Scott,

followed everywhere by his devoted pet lamb, Persil,

is catching his breath after what's been a hectic few months.

Not only did his ewes have a record lambing year,

but he and his wife, Estelle, have been busy with their own new born,

baby girl Robyn.

She has good reason to escape the house

and find some peace and tranquillity.

Her husband David is not just a shepherd

but also a talented guitarist with his own folk band, Big Sheep.

They're playing at the festival tomorrow,

so they're up against it to squeeze in enough practice in time.

It'll mean a late night, but David's lovingly prepared supper,

fresh from the fields, to keep them going.

Nice bit of lamb, a bit of local lamb,

but don't worry, it's not Persil.

This is actually last year's lamb,

so it's been around for about 12 months,

so it's had a very good, enjoyable life.

What fitting way can you do

but to eat a bit of it at the end of it all, really?

It's bedtime for baby Robyn, but the music must go on.

She and her mum, Estelle, are the band's number one fans but tonight,

Estelle's hoping Robyn will sleep through it all.

Anybody who wakes up the baby, except for me,

they have to go and put her back to sleep again.

All right.

Robyn's pretty good, she'll sleep through most things.

Estelle needs earplugs to sleep through us practising

but she'll be all right.

I might get a bit of a cold shoulder when I get into bed, but...

I don't know what sort of speed you fancy, Barney.

Right, dessert spoons, soup spoons.

The band's drummer, Barney, has considerately devised a more

baby-friendly way of keeping the midnight beat.

Big Sheep have a long night ahead of them

if they want to be spot on for tomorrow's big gig.

It's the morning of the big folk festival.

Dominic has arrived to set up his lobster shack,

but it looks like the barbecue's going to stay unlit

for the time being.

But bleary-eyed shepherd David Scott's not going to let

the weather spoil his fun.

He and his band, Big Sheep,

are still rehearsing the morning after the night before,

and they're due on stage in a few hours.

Come on, everybody.

Luckily, the showers have passed.

David and the band can take a scenic shortcut

to make it to the gig on time.

The festival crowds are not just good for business,

they also offer a perfect opportunity for horse trainer,

Julie Jackson.

She's training her pupil, young horse Ronaldo,

to eventually take tourists on carriage rides around the island

and to do that, he must get used to all the noise of the crowded lanes.

Just brought him out for a trip through the street.

I knew it'd be packed,

I thought it would be good for him, just it's never going to be

more packed than that and he's really good, you know,

I'm very pleased.

Are you going to the Festival, Julie?

No, no. I've got to work. I don't finish till, like, teatime,

and then by the time you've eaten and got clean and everything,

you've only got a couple of hours.

I'd like to go, but it's just unfortunate,

we have to work, eh?

One of them things of life, eh, Ronald?

Do you reckon?

"I'd like to go," he says.

"I'd really like to go, but unfortunately, I don't drink beer."

Gorgeous day, innit?

Julie's in a particularly chirpy mood today.

It could be to do with a blossoming romance.

Rumours are, she's started dating an eligible bachelor and is smitten.

See ya!

COMPERE: Would you please welcome to the Sark Folk Festival, Big Sheep.

Up at the festival, the waiting is over.

It's big sheep's turn to take to the stage.

# Well there isn't much to gain

# By living love the same way... #

Arriving in the nick of time is David's wife Estelle

and baby Robyn, who's already had plenty of practice

at listening to her dad and the band at home.

Yeah, it's her first festival. It's a bit loud, but so relaxed.

Relaxed, lovely people, and it's nice for us, because at home

we've got the band staying, so there's been masses of music during

the day, you know, and it's just sitting at home and I'm feeding her

and everyone's playing the guitar and the mandolin

and I know, it's great.

But just as big sheep are in full swing, there's a problem.

SOUND CUTS OUT

# It's always been the same. #

It is fiddly, isn't it?

It is fiddly.

Across at the lobster shack, Dominic, the eligible bachelor,

has got off to a flying start.

He's only been open a short while,

and it appears Sark's freshest seafood is going down a storm.

Very busy.

How many do you think you've sold?

I think we've sold about 25 already this morning.

He's a man of few words,

but there's a rumour on the island that his bachelor days may be over.

Is it true, are you and Dom an item?

Well, I suppose, yeah. I'm at his house nearly every night

and I like him a lot and he phones me a lot,

so if someone phones you, they must like you, I suppose.

You're obviously attracted to him.

Well, of course, yeah. I think he's gorgeous, but there you go,

but everybody likes him, he's very nice as a person,

he's just a top bloke, you know.

Kind, funny, fairly quiet but you know,

he's just got something about him like, that caveman appeal, you know.

But Ronaldo may not be quite so happy

now he's in competition for Julie's affections.

It could be that three's a crowd.

Back at the festival, the technical gremlins have been sorted.

Dave and Big Sheep are flying.

But it's Dominic's lobsters that are the biggest hit,

He's busier than he could have imagined.

The gamble has paid off and all the weeks of fishing have been worth it.

-So there's not many left.

-Not many left.

-You've nearly sold out.

-Nearly sold out, yeah.

Well, what a great weekend for you.

Brilliant, yeah.

And back to fishing at six o'clock tomorrow morning,

get some more lobsters, stock up again.

The folk festival has been a big success for the whole island,

not just the cafes, but also the shops.

I like it because at least the stocks down a little bit,

at least we'll be able to perhaps walk through the piano room

next time, so...

Then we can go and buy some more to fill it up again,

and that's the best bit!

Thank you very much!

In the days to come...

'Karen, it's Leo Osborn here.'

Karen, the Methodist lay minister,

gets a life changing call from her boss.

'I wonder if I could ask you to give me a ring, please,

'when you have a minute. I'd like to discuss your future.'

It's exciting and I think I'm going to have

a lot of tossing and turning tonight.

Baa, baa!

Sark turns out in force for a bizarre island tradition.

And the islanders roll out the red carpet for a royal visitor.

Commemorative mug, sir?

Are you all taking part in the sheep race?

Oh, look.

Sark royal visit.

It's you, sir!

Oh, ha-ha!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media