Tis the Season An Island Parish

Nestled 25 miles off the French coast

is the picturesque island of Sark.

The smallest of the main Channel Islands has just 600 inhabitants,

but 50,000 visitors in the summer.

They come for its tranquillity...

..its beauty, but also its eccentric charm.

Sark has no cars, no streetlights

and islanders and tourists alike get around either by bicycle...

-Hello.

-Hello.

..or horse-drawn carriage.

At the centre of the island's community are Sark's two churches.

The Methodist chapel, run by lay preacher Karen Le Mouton,

and Gill Nicholls at the Anglican St Peter's.

Aren't you just gorgeous!

But as the summer ends,

St Peter's will be without a vicar

as Gill Nicholls has decided to leave.

This has probably been one of the best years of my life.

As the tourists leave,

Sark must brace itself for the quiet months without them.

Winter for those that live and work here is no soft option.

Sark is a very close-knit community.

You just have to muck in and pull together.

With the long, dark nights ahead

and the search ongoing for a replacement vicar,

this winter, Sark's island spirit will be tested.

The only way to get to Sark is by boat from Guernsey.

But in the autumn,

the boat service goes down to only one or two boats per day.

And after months of frenetic activity for the islanders,

a sense of calm descends.

It's like Sark breathes a big sigh of relief that,

"Oh, my goodness, that's that, now we can just get back to normal."

Because so many people do so many different jobs during the season

to earn enough money to see them through the winter,

so everybody's working flat-out all the time.

And then the boats change and,

"Ah!" Yes, they've got time to just stop

and have those conversations or do things they want to do or decide,

"I'm not going to do that today, I can do that another day.

"I've now got the time to do that."

For those islanders who make a living from the sea,

it's the end of the season.

To protect their tour boats and fishing boats

from winter's harsh weather,

all vessels are lifted out for safe storage.

Baz Adams has lived on Sark all his life.

In the summer months,

he works the lobster-fishing season six days a week.

But Sark's lobsters and crabs can sleep a little easier tonight

as the fishing season closes today.

Baz and the others must down tools until March.

At least, having a closed season,

you give nature a chance.

Otherwise, you're just taking all the time.

You know, it's like a garden.

You keep digging potatoes, but there comes a time they aren't there.

What are you going to do in the winter, Baz?

Repair the pots, I suppose.

We're going to have to do a bit of replacing.

I don't know whether to replace the pots or replace me.

LAUGHTER

-Would you rather be fishing?

-I would.

The fishing boat harbour falls silent.

And with the tourists gone, Sark returns to its natural state.

The islanders get their island back.

Tessie?

Go on. Nice and steady.

With the change in seasons, it's a big day for shepherd Dave Scott,

his herd of ewes and his sheepdogs Poppy and Tessa.

Nice and steady, doggies.

Of course, driving sheep down the main highway

is made easier by Sark's lack of cars.

They're going to winter pastures.

Well, winter cliff land.

Um...they've pretty well polished off the field grass now and, er...

we'll start chucking quite a bit of hay out to them

and I always prefer to do that out here.

Tessie, come here. Poppy. Poppy!

It's quite handy because Tessie knows all the gaps,

so she tends to run on ahead and cover them. Popsie!

With barely a word uttered.

Tesso, on you go, woofer.

Steady on, doggies.

Once at the headland,

the ewes settle into their winter home quickly.

In all their multicoloured glory.

Why are the sheep different colours, Dave?

Well, when we put the ram on... We put the rams...

The rams were on a couple of months ago.

And, er...you put a harness on him

and you put a crayon in the harness

and every week, you change the colour.

So when it comes to lambing time,

we know roughly which ewes are going to lamb each week.

How many potential mums-to-be do we have here?

We have about the same as last year, a little less.

Probably about 90, 95 ewes, maybe.

Due about 20th Feb to start. We're a bit later.

Usually, we're Valentine's Day, but we're a little bit later this year.

With Gill back on the mainland,

Sark is now without a permanent Anglican vicar.

The job is unpaid, but does provide the vicarage as a residence.

And on the neighbouring island of Guernsey, it's the Dean,

Paul Mellor's responsibility to find a replacement.

The quest for a new vicar is ongoing.

Since Gillian left, we've had seven expressions of interest,

to whom we've sent all the details,

but none of them yet have turned into definite applications.

So after Christmas, we'll probably go to a wider advertising campaign

and hopefully that will bring forth the right candidate.

ORGAN RECITAL

One, two, three.

CHOIR SING

St Peter's has been on Sark for almost 200 years.

And even with a distinct lack of vicar,

many things continue as normal.

# To the faces of God...#

The choir still has to keep match-fit, so rehearsals continue,

led by farmer, part-time fireman and choirmaster, Kevin Adams.

Winter is going to be the worst time to find a vicar.

And you've got to like Sark in the winter and the summer.

In the winter, when it's very much more a community,

but obviously, with the longer, dark nights

and it can feel very remote when you haven't got regular boats every day.

Finding a vicar is very difficult and we keep searching.

We do need somebody to steer the tiller.

At Sark's post office,

dealing with the post is just a fraction of what they do.

It might be one of the smallest department stores in the world.

It's all run by Caroline.

And only today, at the very end of November,

will she set up a new temporary department.

-There we go.

-The Christmas department.

I don't like to see things out too early.

And the customers don't like to see things too early either.

I think Christmas is one of the nicest times on Sark.

It's a time when we all get together after the season

and enjoy each other's company and just have a really good time.

Lay preacher Karen Le Mouton is a Channel Islander.

Originally from Jersey, she's been on Sark for three years now.

I remember my first Christmas here, thinking,

it is a bit like stepping back in time.

And there's not so much commercialism here.

There's a lot more of people actually spending time

making things and rather than going

and buying things all the time, and spending time with one another.

And going back to those values that are really important.

BELLS PEAL

Good news has arrived from the Dean on Guernsey.

A locum vicar has been found for St Peter's

to tide them over for the critical Christmas period.

So for December only,

the Anglican vicar on Sark is retired Nigel Walker.

Well, I had an e-mail from the Winchester diocese

saying that there was a vacancy in Sark.

As my wife and I, our children had all deserted us

and weren't coming,

I thought, what an excellent way of spending Christmas.

-So, you hadn't been to Sark before?

-Never. Never.

Quite a new experience.

# Once in Royal David's city... #

To welcome Nigel to the parish, the congregation are out in full force.

And after weeks of practice,

the choir, led out by Baz, are keen to impress.

I think it's very important that we should have a vicar over Christmas.

Christmas in Sark, you know, it's really special.

As I say, it would be nicer to have one of our own.

I think if you're a vicar, you've got to be friendly, you know.

It's quite a good job, really.

-He's friendly.

-He's friendly. He could be a vicar!

HE LAUGHS

First of all, I just want to introduce who I am.

My name is Nigel Walker. I've been retired now for eight years.

Prior to retirement,

my last ministry was the Anglican chaplain in Brussels.

And let me tell you, my wife and I are delighted to be here.

# As Joseph was a-walking

# He heard an angel sing... #

It's always a very meaningful time, isn't it?

I mean, it's a wonderful time for people to gather here at the church.

But I think the great thing is there's less razzmatazz here.

And we're delighted to be able to appreciate Christmas

and what it really does actually mean, the birth of Christ,

rather than all the razzmatazz, which we see back home.

I'm delighted to be free of that.

The Food Stop supermarket is run by committed Christmas fan Julie Baker.

Oooh, I love Christmas! I've always loved Christmas.

When do you start getting Christmassy?

Oooh, I start counting from August.

Julie always has big plans for her Christmas displays in the shop.

But with this year's extravaganza,

she may well have surpassed herself.

-Who do you want next?

-The painter. He goes here.

Never before has Sark been entertained

by Norwegian handmade elves.

-Then the one with the sandpaper.

-OK.

They're made up to order. We thought they'd go in the window.

When we saw them, they're too big.

So we had to build a little house to put them in.

-Leave all the nails and that on it.

-Yeah, I was going to.

-No, the other way.

-Why?

Because he has to saw... His saw has to rest on there.

Oh. Silly me.

Once in position, the elves get to work.

Just pull the switch and see if they work.

LAUGHTER

I love the pencil behind his ear.

Oh, yes, that's great.

Well, I hope the children like it.

It's us, really, that like it.

Well, I hope they get off there in the night

and fill up all the shelves for us.

LAUGHTER

Christmas is fast approaching.

And on The Avenue, Sark's main street,

the Christmas lights are starting to go up.

But they're not the only things popping up on Sark.

Across the island, knitted sheep have started to appear.

And some of them in the most unlikely places.

-Is this something to do with you, Karen?

-Possibly.

You're not going to say?

Mm...I think there's a lot of people who know something about them.

It's very sad that they got frightened

and shot off to find places of hiding in all this bad weather.

But they might make a reappearance very soon, I hope.

Down at the fishing harbour,

Baz has arrived for a rendezvous that's become an annual tradition.

He's here to meet a little boat

that's travelled 25 miles from the French coast

laden with a precious Christmas cargo of mistletoe.

They've known each other for years

and Baz is more than happy to chat away in French.

I think it's about seven years he's been bringing mistletoe.

He said, "Can you get mistletoe?"

I said, "Well, you have to buy it from the market in Guernsey."

He said, "I've got an idea. I'll come and bring some."

He loves doing things for Sark.

It's lovely stuff, isn't it? It's the beginning of Christmas.

It makes you feel a bit more Christmassy.

Armed with enough mistletoe

to keep Sark's entire population kissing for months,

this welcome gift from their French neighbours

is in turn given away.

Here I come. Would you like some mistletoe?

Oooh, we'd love some. We've got some space in the kitchen.

-Lovely.

-Great. Thank you very much. That's lovely.

Thanks very much, Baz. See you.

Although some customers do offer payment in kind.

When the sun goes down, Sark is dark.

For 11 months of the year with no streetlights,

there's little or no light pollution.

So views of the night sky can be breathtaking.

But for Christmas, Sark's government makes an exception.

The lights are mostly traditional,

but the talk of the town this year is a dazzling new arrival on Sark.

I think it looks amazing. You don't like it?

You wouldn't want it in your front garden, but it's great here.

It's just The Avenue.

Dirt road, lots of little shops, half of them closed for winter.

It's fun. It's our Oxford Street, isn't it?

With fewer distractions, people on Sark have the time and space

to craft their own special Christmas.

And one in particular is working as hard as a Norwegian elf.

Can I ask you what you are doing?

I'm threading some ribbon through a cape

for our fancy dress for Christmas Eve.

What's the final, finished costume going to be?

Very glamorous.

Long red skirt, long red-velvet gloves,

a Santa's hat and a bodice.

With Julie as artistic director,

there's a tradition for staff at Food Stop

to be in fancy dress on Christmas Eve.

We've been snowmen, robins,

Christmas puddings, angels,

Turkish delight, Santa's little handfuls.

Am I right in thinking

you're the driving force behind all of this, Julie?

I'm the one that's barking mad.

A bit of entertainment for people.

If you come in on Christmas Eve,

you'll see us wearing them in all our glory.

It's the last week before Christmas.

And despite some heavy rain,

Methodist lay preacher Karen is clearly a lady on a mission...

..as she begins to round up her knitted flock.

I know you don't like being in the dark.

That's lovely. Thanks ever so much.

-You're most welcome.

-Did they behave?

I think so. I didn't have to tell them off too often.

-Oh, good. OK.

-Thanks, Karen.

-Bye!

It's time to spill the beans.

What exactly are you doing today?

Well, 26 sheep were made,

plus an awful lot of items to do with the nativity, as well,

like the Kings and Mary and Joseph and Jesus.

So the whole nativity is a knitivity.

Hi, Caroline. Hello, Sheila.

Karen has harnessed a wool-based creative streak on Sark.

Right, Ramble, you'll have to go in the other side.

I put an advert in the Sark Scribe

and lots of people came forward and said they'd be happy

to knit for this community project.

He's got bit of sawdust on him from the, er...

-Who knew there were so many knitters?

-Exactly.

And that they could knit so fast!

Karen's special knitivity service will be a first for Sark.

It'll be fun and the whole meaning of Christmas will be evident.

But not all the sheep for Karen's service will be knitted.

Persil? Come on, then, Pers.

Come on, little Persil.

Here he is, the little boy.

Karen has booked a special live appearance

from the island's superstar sheep.

Out you come.

We first met Persil when he was a newborn lamb, bottle-fed

and quickly becoming part of Dave's family.

Come on, then.

In sheep terms, Persil is now a teenager.

And officially a family pet.

Other sheep can only dream of a life like his.

Persil's special. And even the dogs know it.

You're an old, wise dog, aren't you, Tessie?

Tessie knows, she knows as soon as a lamb's bottle-fed,

you can't do anything with it dog-wise.

I think Persil probably thinks he's a dog a lot of the time.

He loves getting out, Persil.

Don't you, Pers? Eh?

Haven't been to church for a while. No.

All right, Pers?

Off we trot. Come on.

Christmas Eve arrives.

# Good King Wenceslas looked out

# On the feast of Stephen

# When the snow lay round about... #

The festivities start with carol singing at the Post Office.

LAUGHTER

This is the best bit of Christmas, for me.

When everybody gets together and we all sing carols, it's lovely.

We'll all finale up at the church.

Go up for the candle service and the church will be packed

and that will be really lovely.

-Merry Christmas, Caroline, thank you.

-Merry Christmas!

Have a good time, everybody.

Across Sark, the sense of excitement is palpable.

Do you want some mulled wine, Ben?

But for none more so than Julie.

I was wide awake last night, didn't go to bed till four o'clock.

Today will be one long party in the shop.

This is the mulled wine bucket.

The staff, like a team of lady Santas,

proudly sport Julie's latest Christmas creations.

And no attention to detail is spared.

You've even got shoes to match.

Yes, we've cut holes in the gloves so we can use the tills.

Thank you very much, Merry Christmas.

Oh, it's nice and hot now.

There we are, happy Christmas.

At the Anglican Church of St Peter's, there's a frenzy of

activity, getting things ready for this evening's candlelit service.

But there's time to rekindle some old acquaintances.

Since I've been here, they've been here. So, yeah, they're lovely.

We've got an ear missing from one of the donkeys...

Finally, at the Methodist chapel,

the stage is set for Karen's Nativity service.

I've got items to do with the Nativity

and Zoe's got all the sheep.

The shepherd looks after the sheep, you see.

That's Lamkins, that one.

There you go.

So, when I say about Mary, you can bring Mary up to me, all right.

Fashionably late, star of the show is Persil.

Hello, Persil. It'll be obvious when you'll need to do anything.

Don't eat the shrubs.

Pers! Don't eat the shrubs.

Archie B, a mulled wine.

-Thank you very much.

-Happy Christmas.

-Would you like a mulled wine?

-Erm, yes, I will, actually.

That's all the mulled wine now. That's all of it, so...

-It's all in there?

-So, take it easy with the portions.

We're going to run out.

So welcome to our knitivity service.

Dave tells me that all of the sheep have been gathered in,

is that right?

-I think so, yeah.

-Yeah?

They're all here and he's going to be keeping an eye to make

sure none of the sheep disappear off during the service.

We've got Bethlehem.

Oh, lovely, thank you, here's Mary.

And the shepherds were there, looking after their sheep.

All of you who have got a sheep, please bring them up.

You've got a flock around you, Pers.

THEY LAUGH

He told them that Jesus had been born

and he would be person who would save the world.

He told the shepherds to go and see Jesus.

Well, I think everybody really enjoyed it

and it was a nice atmosphere and I think it was lovely the way

everybody joined in and helped create the story.

-Persil, do you think he enjoyed it.

-He was very good.

He was very well-behaved.

There was a slight oopsy but I mean, you know, we're all to be forgiven.

CHURCH BELLS RING

Despite the uncertainty at the Anglican Church,

six weeks ago, it's all come good in the end.

And Nigel's on hand to lead tonight's all important

candlelit service.

# Away in a manger

# No crib for a bed... #

There are 200 people here in the church tonight.

Over a third of Sark's population.

# Lay down his sweet head

# The stars in the... #

Blessing of God all mighty.

Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Be among you and with those whom you love, both now and evermore.

Amen.

In the days to come, as Nigel's time on the island comes to an end,

the quest to find a permanent Anglican vicar goes on.

I think we have to keep searching.

There will be the right person out there.

We've got these vicars coming month by month, so they're bringing ideas.

Erm, and that's good to see

because we've got to bring the church alive again.

As winter takes a firm grip,

all must do what they can to survive the lean months.

Well, we'd sort of advertised that we were looking for a bit of work.

We do try and help each other out.

You know, we allow people to put notices up here

and hopefully they will pick up jobs from that.

And Karen begins a quest that could change her life forever.

If I am ordained, then that will be for life.

Obviously, it's got to be the right decision for the candidate

as well as for the church.