:00:04. > :00:08.Good evening. Welcome to BBC in the Channel Islands. Tonight's main
:00:08. > :00:13.stories: Hundreds flock to a jobs fair in
:00:13. > :00:16.Jersey, spurred on by record unemployment.
:00:16. > :00:23.Plus new cranes for Guernsey Harbour. But how many more
:00:23. > :00:26.multimillion pound repair projects can the island afford?
:00:26. > :00:36.And the sand sculpture which it's hoped will encourage you to run a
:00:36. > :00:40.
:00:40. > :00:45.Over 500 people passed through the doors of Jersey's jobs fair today
:00:45. > :00:48.within 20 minutes of the doors opening. Those behind the event say
:00:48. > :00:53.they were shocked by the demand of people from all ages looking for
:00:53. > :00:55.work. It comes as the island faces record levels of unemployment. The
:00:55. > :00:58.latest figures show that 1,540 islanders are registered as
:00:58. > :01:06.actively seeking work. Edward Sault went to meet some of those
:01:06. > :01:10.desperately seeking a job at St Helier's town hall.
:01:10. > :01:13.This was the scene that not even careers advisors thought they'd see.
:01:13. > :01:19.Record numbers of people within minutes of the doors opening,
:01:19. > :01:23.coming in to try and find a job. Myles is one of them. He's 20 and
:01:23. > :01:33.been looking for work for the past year. Today, he's trying to see if
:01:33. > :01:38.his luck is set to change. There is a lack of jobs, but it is a lack of
:01:38. > :01:42.good jobs. I do not want to be a chef or a receptionist. That is not
:01:42. > :01:45.what I want to do. Louise is head of training for
:01:45. > :01:48.Marks and Spencer in Jersey. She says there are jobs out there.
:01:48. > :01:55.There's a very high percentage of people that do have the right
:01:55. > :02:01.skills. We concentrate quite a lot on customer-service. We are looking
:02:01. > :02:10.for people poor are poor start and will give hundred % for our
:02:10. > :02:14.customers. -- personnel. Those behind the event has been printing
:02:14. > :02:19.of money leaflets for those coming today. We tried this year to make
:02:19. > :02:23.contact with the people unemployed to say, this is happening, or come
:02:23. > :02:27.along. When you think of it logically, we should expect high
:02:27. > :02:29.numbers. They have turned out. It wasn't just school leavers,
:02:29. > :02:32.students or graduates here today, though. Antony was made redundant
:02:32. > :02:41.just before Christmas after 30 years at work. Today, he came to
:02:41. > :02:44.look for a job. I do not mind doing anything just to get back in the
:02:44. > :02:46.work force. Those behind today's event say they
:02:46. > :02:49.expect to see over 1,000 people today. But with those here
:02:49. > :02:52.surprised at the numbers coming in already, that figure is sure to
:02:52. > :03:01.rise. Revealing the real truth and pain behind Jersey's unemployment
:03:01. > :03:05.statistics. A man from Jersey has been sent to
:03:05. > :03:08.prison for committing a series of serious sexual offences. 55-year-
:03:08. > :03:11.old David Carrel was sentenced to 10 years by the Royal Court this
:03:11. > :03:18.morning. Jersey police welcomed the conviction and commended the
:03:18. > :03:20.courage of all the victims for coming forward.
:03:20. > :03:23.A man's appeared in Guernsey's magistrates court, charged with
:03:23. > :03:28.indecently assaulting two young girls. Mike Wilkins reports from
:03:28. > :03:32.outside the court. 47-year-old Jose Felix Alvarez from
:03:32. > :03:39.St Peter Port is alleged to have carried out the assaults in the
:03:39. > :03:47.1990s. It's claimed the girls were under 12 years old at the time. Mr
:03:47. > :03:49.Alvarez is due to reappear at the magistrates court on March 14th.
:03:49. > :03:55.A �14 million project to upgrade Guernsey's harbour should start
:03:55. > :03:58.within months. The work to replace the freight cranes is said to be
:03:58. > :04:01.vital, but it won't be the only capital investment that's needed in
:04:01. > :04:05.the next few years to keep the Island running. So, how prepared
:04:05. > :04:11.are the States? And does the Island have the money to pay for it all?
:04:11. > :04:15.Penny Elderfield reports. Whether it be food or building
:04:15. > :04:25.supplies, the chances are it arrived in Guernsey here. And these
:04:25. > :04:30.cranes are a major part of the operation. 98% of everything about
:04:30. > :04:36.a rise in and out of these islands comes through the ports. The cranes
:04:36. > :04:39.are handled 20% of the cargo. They are fundamental today the island
:04:39. > :04:41.life. And it's vital kit which will now
:04:41. > :04:44.be replaced. The tougher job, though, will be upgrading the
:04:44. > :04:47.berths which support them and minimising the disruption over the
:04:47. > :04:52.years it'll take to happen. But for Guernsey's treasury, it was money
:04:52. > :04:57.that had to be spent. The cranes that we have are very old and worn
:04:57. > :05:03.out and clearly there are vital for the Isleham's supply lines and
:05:03. > :05:06.needed to be replaced. -- -- the islands.
:05:06. > :05:09.But this won't be the only area where investment is needed. Money
:05:09. > :05:12.for other big projects, like the airport runway, has already been
:05:12. > :05:18.set aside. But there will be other projects, and work's now started to
:05:18. > :05:22.ensure the States spend what money there is wisely. We are trying to
:05:22. > :05:26.bring together the future infrastructure needs of the island.
:05:26. > :05:30.We are trying to indicate to the States which way they should
:05:30. > :05:35.prioritise those issues so we do not get caught out by finding out
:05:35. > :05:37.we have got something like the harbour on our hands which deserves
:05:37. > :05:40.more priority. The harbour may have got the
:05:40. > :05:45.investment it needs, but will there be enough money available in future
:05:45. > :05:48.to tackle everything on the Island's to-fix list?
:05:48. > :05:55.House prices in Jersey are at their lowest for four years. The average
:05:55. > :05:58.house now costs �415,000. That's 7% lower than this time last year. The
:05:58. > :06:08.biggest falls in prices have been in one-bedroom flats and two-
:06:08. > :06:11.
:06:11. > :06:14.bedroomed houses. Guernsey States are debating
:06:14. > :06:17.changes to the way churches are funded. That's despite fears the
:06:17. > :06:20.plans could cause a constitutional crisis after threats the Dean of
:06:20. > :06:22.Guernsey would petition the Queen. In the plans, taxpayers would still
:06:22. > :06:25.contribute towards the running costs, but the parishes would have
:06:25. > :06:27.more control. The Chief Minister wanted to delay the debate,
:06:27. > :06:32.suggesting the States take longer to find a solution, but his
:06:32. > :06:37.proposal was rejected. We have already had seven years. Another 10
:06:37. > :06:43.years, 17 years to get this sorted out? I think that is totally
:06:43. > :06:47.unacceptable. A rather interesting propositions in this report. They
:06:47. > :06:57.are in a matter of public interest and the to be debated sooner rather
:06:57. > :06:57.
:06:58. > :07:00.than later. Now, there's only a month to go
:07:01. > :07:03.before BBC's Sport Relief, where we're asking people to run a mile
:07:04. > :07:06.to raise money for charity. The event is happening on Sunday 25th
:07:06. > :07:09.March. But to kick-start the campaign, a Jersey artist has made
:07:09. > :07:13.a sand sculpture to encourage people to sign up. Emma Chambers
:07:13. > :07:16.went along to see how he got on. Well, she tried to, through the fog.
:07:17. > :07:19.Rain, wind and fog. Not the perfect day to be on the beach, but that
:07:19. > :07:22.didn't stop Andy Countanche from taking on the challenge of making
:07:22. > :07:26.this huge sand sculpture for Sport Relief. Even though it's hard to
:07:26. > :07:30.see, it measures a quarter of a mile in circumference. That is the
:07:30. > :07:37.logo for Sport Relief. It is one of the largest ones I have done. The
:07:37. > :07:42.outside circle is 404 metres. You have to go around it four times to
:07:42. > :07:48.get the full mile. It is one of the largest I have done. How much work
:07:48. > :07:53.is it? The I think I will be pretty sore tomorrow. My back will be a
:07:54. > :07:57.king. He's done his bit for Sport Relief,
:07:57. > :08:02.and you can, too. This year's event is on Sunday 25th March. These
:08:02. > :08:08.people have already signed up for the Jersey mile. They suggested
:08:09. > :08:13.organising a race for the members of the gym. I saw an advert on the
:08:13. > :08:19.television for Sport Relief. We decided to get involved. Why should
:08:19. > :08:25.people get involved? I think it is a fantastic calls. It is going to
:08:25. > :08:31.get people outside. It is not a competitive race. You do not have
:08:31. > :08:34.to be athletes. It is open to all abilities. It is a fantastic
:08:34. > :08:37.If you can't do a mile, there are lots of other ways you can raise
:08:37. > :08:41.money with your school, friends or family. There's lots of ideas and
:08:42. > :08:45.resources on the website bbc.co.uk/sportrelief. So, like
:08:45. > :08:48.Andy and all the runners taking part today, even if we can't see
:08:48. > :08:58.you do your bit for Sport Relief, you'll know you've done it and made
:08:58. > :09:00.
:09:00. > :09:03.Well, fog has also been affecting flights in and out of the islands
:09:03. > :09:07.today. You couldn't see much at Jersey airport as passengers faced
:09:07. > :09:10.long delays with most flights being cancelled. The same was true at
:09:11. > :09:20.Guernsey and Alderney airport. It was simply a case of waiting for
:09:21. > :09:21.
:09:21. > :09:26.the fog to clear. But for most, it was a fruitless wait. The airport
:09:26. > :09:36.have been cut off flights from the airports have been cancelled for
:09:36. > :09:40.
:09:40. > :09:46.the rest of the day. Let's take a They could be some travel
:09:46. > :09:50.disruption again, particularly for the flights were that Mr and low
:09:50. > :09:54.cloud causing quite a few problems today and it could be an issue
:09:54. > :10:00.tomorrow. The reason for the mist and fog is the fact that we are
:10:00. > :10:06.then relatively mild air. There is a very stacked and air. Not much is
:10:06. > :10:11.changing. By lunchtime on Saturday, whilst it comes somewhat closer, it
:10:11. > :10:14.is quite quiet air. So the low cloud, mist and fog will be very
:10:14. > :10:19.stubborn to move out of the way and could be a problem as we move into
:10:19. > :10:23.the weekend. Tonight, the fog is quite extensive and a mild one with
:10:23. > :10:28.a gentle westerly breeze. Temperatures no lower than nine
:10:28. > :10:32.Celsius. It means tomorrow morning will be misty and grey with little
:10:32. > :10:36.change of that pattern. By early afternoon, we may get a few holes
:10:36. > :10:41.developing in the cloud, but around the coastline, some of it will be
:10:41. > :10:45.stubborn to move out of the way. If you are heading out to sea, there
:10:45. > :10:55.is the risk of some fog patches. South-westerly or westerly, for
:10:55. > :11:04.three, occasionally forced four in the north. Times of high water, at
:11:04. > :11:08.St Peter Port, that is at two minutes past eight. Let's look a
:11:08. > :11:13.little further ahead into the weekend. Saturday and Sunday, but
:11:13. > :11:17.will be rather cloudy. Similar temperatures of ten Celsius. The
:11:17. > :11:21.winds are quite light. If we see any mist, it will be very stubborn
:11:21. > :11:31.to move out of the way with more of a breeze and some patchy rain on
:11:31. > :11:39.
:11:39. > :11:44.Van Morrison is to headline a new summer festival in a Jersey. He