0:00:03 > 0:00:06Situated just 30 miles off the coast of France,
0:00:06 > 0:00:10the Channel Islands are the most southerly part of the British Isles.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Guernsey is the second largest, and with its stunning beaches and
0:00:13 > 0:00:16cliff walks, it's a popular tourist destination.
0:00:17 > 0:00:21Welcome to Songs Of Praise. This is St Peter Port,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24the picturesque capital of Guernsey.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27It's a place where visitors come and enjoy the freedom of
0:00:27 > 0:00:30the great outdoors.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33For older residents, that freedom is still precious.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36They can remember a time when the island was under Nazi
0:00:36 > 0:00:40occupation, and on the 9th May, the whole community will be
0:00:40 > 0:00:45celebrating, as it does every year, Liberation Day.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I'll be hearing from the woman, who, as a young girl,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51lived through those difficult war years.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54There was maggots, of course, in this bread,
0:00:54 > 0:00:56but we had to eat or go without.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59The food has improved a lot since then, thankfully,
0:00:59 > 0:01:02as I get a taste of Guernsey ice cream.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And I go inside the prison for a cookery lesson with
0:01:06 > 0:01:08the inmates led by a local vicar.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Prisoners are often forgotten people.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Naturally, because they're hidden from society.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17And I'm on the trail of the first Catholic missionaries to Britain.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29We've got some great music for you from around the country.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33We begin with a traditional hymn that's a declaration of praise.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Here, it's been given a modern arrangement
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and it's performed by Keith and Kristyn Getty.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41Along Guernsey's coastline, the remnants of German occupation during
0:03:41 > 0:03:46the Second World War are a lasting reminder of those challenging times.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50In 1940, with the war going well for Germany,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54islanders became increasingly nervous about being invaded
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and 5,000 children were evacuated.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00But sending your children away
0:04:00 > 0:04:03was a very difficult decision for parents.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08Molly Bihet was only eight years old when her mother brought her and
0:04:08 > 0:04:11her younger sister down to the harbour to catch one of
0:04:11 > 0:04:14the boats taking children to the mainland.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18We came down here, and to see the people queueing up,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20I think it put my mother off straightaway because she
0:04:20 > 0:04:22didn't want to part with us anyway.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26But she thought that she was going to be able to go with you, did she?
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Yes, she did. She thought she was going to be
0:04:30 > 0:04:32a carer and go and look after us,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35but they wouldn't allow it.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37When we got back home, my mother said,
0:04:37 > 0:04:39"Right, that's it. You're not going."
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Only days later on 28th June 1940,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50the Germans bombed the island, killing 34 civilians.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Soon afterwards, they landed. It was to be a long five years.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00The Museum of German Occupation gives
0:05:00 > 0:05:02a sense of what life was like then.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Within two or three days,
0:05:04 > 0:05:09we saw them, and my mother really stayed indoors for a month or so,
0:05:09 > 0:05:11she wouldn't leave the house,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14she was really just frightened to see them.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19They were big... With helmets, boots, guns.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I mean, very frightening at the very beginning.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25You never knew what day in day out was going to happen.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30The new laws, you had to do as you were told, I mean, definitely.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34But they kept to themselves and if you didn't, sort of,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37upset them, they were fine.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- And we had to learn German.- Did you?
0:05:41 > 0:05:43- You learned German in school? - Oh, yes.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45We had a German teacher.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47What about going to church?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49What do you remember of that?
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I was in the choir and I used to go every week and it was
0:05:53 > 0:05:56something that people felt they had to.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58I mean, I gave a lot of faith
0:05:58 > 0:06:02and it helped us youngsters again, children.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Molly, how did you do for food?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08It was a constant worry for my mother.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13In 1942, there was a very bad harvest of potatoes and
0:06:13 > 0:06:18the Germans always used to take them. It was a bad time.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So, that's when we used to go scrounging.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Just looking around here, I mean,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27you can see how inventive people had to be with food.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I mean, parsnip coffee, bramble tea...
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Parsnip coffee wasn't bad actually.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35- Really?- No.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41The flour towards the end of the 1944 was really awful.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46There was sawdust, there was nails, there was maggots of course
0:06:46 > 0:06:49in this bread, but we had to eat or go without.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Many of the islanders were saved from starvation,
0:06:54 > 0:06:57by the arrival of the ship carrying Red Cross parcels.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59We loved the Klim.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Klim was a powdered milk.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03We had chocolate.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Going to school the next day... Look what we had! Chocolate!
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Finally, the war came to an end and on the 9th May 1945,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16the island was liberated.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19- VOICEOVER:- General Heiner signed the unconditional surrender of all
0:07:19 > 0:07:22German forces in the islands on behalf of his chief.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27It was on the afternoon of Liberation Day, and we all went
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and started to run and we ran towards these soldiers -
0:07:30 > 0:07:33they must have wondered what was going to happen.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38And when we got down there, we were all kissing them and
0:07:38 > 0:07:42this sailor came up to me and gave me this orange. "What is it?"
0:07:42 > 0:07:45I didn't know, so I flung my arms around him.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51If I live to be 100, I am never going to forget Liberation Day
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and the orange and the freedom that we were going to have.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57It was wonderful.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46This is known as The Little Chapel. It's gorgeous.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And at just 16 foot by 9 foot,
0:10:49 > 0:10:53it's thought to be the smallest consecrated chapel in the world.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Since Songs Of Praise was last here in 2004,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01the chapel has been completely renovated.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Our next piece of music is a memory from that visit performed in
0:11:04 > 0:11:06the grounds of Sausmarez Manor.
0:11:09 > 0:11:16# There is a happy land far, far away
0:11:16 > 0:11:23# Where saints in glory stand Bright, bright as day
0:11:23 > 0:11:30# Oh, how they sweetly sing Worthy is our Saviour King
0:11:30 > 0:11:37# Loud let his praises ring Praise, praise for aye
0:11:43 > 0:11:50# Come to that happy land, come, come away
0:11:50 > 0:11:57# Why will you doubting stand Why still delay?
0:11:57 > 0:12:03# Oh, we shall happy be When from sin and sorrow free
0:12:03 > 0:12:12# Lord, we shall live with thee Blest, blest for aye
0:12:12 > 0:12:19# Bright, in that happy land Beams every eye
0:12:19 > 0:12:27# Kept by a Father's hand Love cannot die
0:12:27 > 0:12:33# Oh, then to glory run be a crown and kingdom won
0:12:33 > 0:12:41# And bright above the sun We reign for aye
0:12:41 > 0:12:47# Bright, in that happy land Beams every eye
0:12:47 > 0:12:49# Beams every eye
0:12:49 > 0:12:56# Kept by a Father's hand Love cannot die
0:12:56 > 0:13:03# Where saints in glory stand Bright, bright as day
0:13:03 > 0:13:10# And bright above the sun We reign for aye
0:13:10 > 0:13:13# And bright above the sun
0:13:13 > 0:13:21# We reign for aye. #
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Guernsey may be part of the British Isles, but
0:13:27 > 0:13:29its proximity to the French coast
0:13:29 > 0:13:33means there is a strong Normandy influence here, too.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The other thing you can't miss is the cattle.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40These lovely ladies are Guernsey dairy cows.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41The island is famous for them
0:13:41 > 0:13:44and they are the only breed allowed here.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48The de Garis family have been farming here for generations and
0:13:48 > 0:13:52I'm here to sample some of their famous ice cream.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53Oh, this is lovely.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- Thank you.- What makes it so special coming from Guernsey cows?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Because Guernsey cows are the only cows that don't digest
0:13:59 > 0:14:04the keratin, so it makes the milk really creamy and yellow and richer.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- But they are very happy cows, which makes good ice cream.- So, Jim,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12what I hear is that not only do you produce wonderful ice cream,
0:14:12 > 0:14:16but you can speak the old Guernsey patois?
0:14:16 > 0:14:21Yes, that was my first language before I went to school.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23The patois is a Normandy French.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27So how would you say, "Are you enjoying your ice cream, Sally?"
0:14:27 > 0:14:29HE SPEAKS GUERNSEY PATOIS
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Jim isn't the oldest speaker in the family though.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38He took me to meet his Aunt Clara, who is a remarkable 107 years old.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42..de vous rencontrer.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45I'm pleased to meet you. My patois is very bad.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50It's fascinating that this is a mixture of French and...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52It's different to French.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I'm wondering if you and Clara
0:14:55 > 0:15:01could introduce our next hymn for us in Guernsey patois?
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Pere, ecoute la priere que nous t'offre.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07Which is in English?
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Father, hear the prayer we offer.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Now we have got a new series from Richard Taylor.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Over the next few weeks, he will be exploring the birthplaces of
0:16:48 > 0:16:51the different Christian denominations in the UK.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Today, he is in the south-east of England at the very spot
0:16:55 > 0:16:58where Catholicism arrived on our shores.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It was springtime in the year 597
0:17:02 > 0:17:07when a boat came ashore here at Pegwell Bay in Kent.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13On the boat was a group of men who were quite literally on a mission.
0:17:13 > 0:17:1814 monks sent by Pope Gregory the Great from Rome to bring
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Catholic Christianity to Britain.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24They were about to change the course of our history.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Britain had been Christian during the late Roman Empire but
0:17:28 > 0:17:30after the Romans abandoned the island,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33pagan tribes from modern-day Germany,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36like the Angles and Saxons, invaded it.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Christianity clung on in the west and north, but in eastern and
0:17:39 > 0:17:44southern Britain, the Anglo-Saxons dominated, worshipping pagan
0:17:44 > 0:17:48gods like Woden, Thor, Freya, the moon and the sun.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Gregory picked an abbot called Augustine to lead this
0:17:54 > 0:17:56terrifying mission.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59From the perspective of Rome, Britain was at the edge of
0:17:59 > 0:18:04the known world, devilish, dangerous and damp.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07In fact, the monks got halfway here when they sent a message back
0:18:07 > 0:18:10to Rome to say that actually they were not really sure this
0:18:10 > 0:18:13mission was a terribly good idea after all and could they come
0:18:13 > 0:18:17home, please? But Gregory told them to get on with it.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23As it went, the missionaries were treated well.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Britain was divided into independent kingdoms and the local king,
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Ethelbert of Kent, was married to a Christian princess from
0:18:31 > 0:18:35across the Channel, so he knew a bit about the strange faith.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38He met the monks under an oak tree.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41This Victorian cross is a memorial to that meeting.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47Augustine and his monks will have made quite an impression.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51The fashion in Rome at the time was for personal reserve
0:18:51 > 0:18:55so they will have come across very formal and stiff-necked.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59They walked in procession, they chanted Latin psalms,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04they performed a mystical ceremony with bread and wine.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09To the pagans, they must have looked like beings from another planet.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15King Ethelbert guaranteed the monks' safety and allowed them to
0:19:15 > 0:19:18worship at a site in his capital at Canterbury
0:19:18 > 0:19:21which is now the parish church of St Martin's.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25It is the oldest church in continuous use
0:19:25 > 0:19:27in the English-speaking world.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33St Martin's is incredible. It is truly ancient.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Look, there are Roman bricks in the walls, and this was Augustine's
0:19:37 > 0:19:41command centre, his HQ, from where his monks fanned out across
0:19:41 > 0:19:43the country, evangelising to the people.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Now, most of Europe was Christian by this point,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51so personal conviction aside, there were sound political and
0:19:51 > 0:19:56trade reasons for adopting the new faith, but the fact is that within
0:19:56 > 0:20:00a few years, the King and thousands of his supporters were baptised.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08To find out more, I am talking to local historian Martin Taylor.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Augustine baptised the King, and what did he do next?
0:20:14 > 0:20:18Well, he persuaded the King to build the monastery and the
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Cathedral and the next door Cathedral in Rochester and
0:20:23 > 0:20:25the Cathedral in London.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27So by the time he died,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30only seven or eight years after he'd come,
0:20:30 > 0:20:35he has laid the foundation that will sustain Christianity,
0:20:35 > 0:20:41and by 690, it will be accepted throughout the English kingdoms.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Although it is Augustine who is behind Canterbury Cathedral.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Yes, absolutely. He is England's first archbishop.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57He was the man everybody admired.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05Britain owes its Catholic heritage to Augustine and those old monks,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08but what happened to the pagan gods?
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Did they just disappear?
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Well, in a way, they are still with us - remember their names,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Woden, Thor, Freya?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21They found a hiding place in our days of the week.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27Woden, Wednesday, Thor, Thursday, Freya, Friday.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Happy Sunday!
0:21:37 > 0:21:45# Locus iste a Deo factus est
0:21:45 > 0:21:58# Locus iste a Deo factus est
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- # A Deo - A Deo
0:22:02 > 0:22:09# A Deo factus est
0:22:09 > 0:22:22# Inaestimabile sacramentum
0:22:22 > 0:22:35# Inaestimabile sacramentum
0:22:35 > 0:22:47- # Irreprehensibilis est - Irreprehensibilis est
0:22:47 > 0:23:03- # Irreprehensibilis est - Irreprehensibilis est
0:23:03 > 0:23:17# Locus iste a Deo factus est
0:23:17 > 0:23:30# Locus iste a Deo factus est
0:23:30 > 0:23:37- # A Deo - A Deo
0:23:37 > 0:23:47- # A Deo - A Deo
0:23:52 > 0:23:55# A Deo
0:23:55 > 0:24:12# A Deo factus est. #
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Guernsey's fertile land makes it perfect
0:24:21 > 0:24:23for growing fruit and vegetables.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26This market garden produces ingredients
0:24:26 > 0:24:28for a very special local eatery.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Caritas Community Cafe is the brainchild of local vicar
0:24:32 > 0:24:34the Reverend Richard Bellinger.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40I was a bit surprised when Richard didn't want to meet me at the cafe,
0:24:40 > 0:24:41but at the island's prison.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45The plan for the morning is we're going to be doing
0:24:45 > 0:24:46the bhajis over there.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52The bread here. Sausages here, cakes over there.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Every week, Richard runs cookery sessions with some of the prisoners.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03So, what are we cooking here, Richard?
0:25:03 > 0:25:04We're cooking sausages here.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07This is our root veg and local blue cheese.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11- Lovely.- I have been doing this for five years and I still can't do it.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13You're either a sausage maker or you are not.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15I discovered I'm not a sausage maker.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Tell me what goes on here.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Everybody seems to know what they are doing.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21We have had this group of prisoners for quite some time.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23We work together as a team.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25And what do you hope to achieve here?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Prisoners are often forgotten people -
0:25:27 > 0:25:29naturally, because they are hidden from society
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and often not viewed very sympathetically in society.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35So what we are trying to do is to work with prisoners
0:25:35 > 0:25:37to know they're not forgotten,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40to reveal gifts and talents in someone who feels, maybe,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44dispossessed of that is a very important part of what we do.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46And because we run a community cafe as well,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49it is a good place to get to know prisoners
0:25:49 > 0:25:52and when they come out of the prison,
0:25:52 > 0:25:54they come to the cafe, if they want to.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56A lot of my friends volunteer at the caf, on the out,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and it keeps them positive
0:25:58 > 0:26:00when they might not have something to do
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and they go there and it takes up time
0:26:02 > 0:26:04and they really get something out of it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Father, we thank you for our day.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11Father God, we pray for our families, Father God,
0:26:11 > 0:26:12that you'd keep them safe. Amen.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Once the food has been prepared,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19it is taken to the cafe for customers to enjoy.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23Here we are, Stu, we've got some things from prison for you.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Great, smells lovely, thank you.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Richard, what's this cafe about?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It is for all sorts of people, but particularly,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32we minister to those suffering from deprivation.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35God came to liberate us, to give us new beginnings,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39new freedoms, fresh starts, and that's what we're doing here.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45Someone who has been given one of those fresh starts is Stu Page.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Stu, what is it that brought you to Caritas?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I was in the Guernsey prison,
0:26:50 > 0:26:54they called for volunteers to help for the Caritas cooking session.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58For the last three months of my sentence,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I worked with Richard every Friday.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02When I came out, I had no job prospects
0:27:02 > 0:27:04so I didn't know what I was going to do.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I served three years eight months of my sentence
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and I spent so many years regretting what I did.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12What did you do, Stu?
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I went into a chemist
0:27:14 > 0:27:19and held them at knife-point and then took the tablets -
0:27:19 > 0:27:21I was a drug addict.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I felt genuine guilt and sorrow
0:27:23 > 0:27:26and all I wanted to do was give back
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and I thought, "How can I give back?"
0:27:28 > 0:27:31And then I thought, well, if I volunteer here,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33I can start by doing that.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Stu soon proved his worth
0:27:35 > 0:27:38and was given the full-time paid job as head chef.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Everyone knows me on this island,
0:27:41 > 0:27:43everyone knows what I did,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46so it's something you have to live with.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49One cheese and ham sandwich, thank you.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51'Trust doesn't come easily.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53'I have had to work hard for that,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'16 months of gaining Richard's trust.'
0:27:56 > 0:27:58I was never religious.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00I used to go to church in prison
0:28:00 > 0:28:05and then it was only last Friday and I was at a church service
0:28:05 > 0:28:07and I cried.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I cried in that service, you know?
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Because Jesus died for us.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14That's the part that really made me believe
0:28:14 > 0:28:17and I think that has given me my faith.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19It really has.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Amazing Grace is one of the first songs
0:28:23 > 0:28:25I learned to play on the guitar.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27I've sung it a lot, especially in prison,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31and, you know, they say about breaking chains
0:28:31 > 0:28:33and that's what means a lot to me.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54I really enjoyed my time in Guernsey and I hope you have too.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Next week, we're in Cumbria,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58exploring the origins of the National Trust
0:31:58 > 0:32:00but we leave you with our final hymn,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Jesus Shall Reign Where'er The Sun.