Sark News

SEVERAL weeks ago I wrote of Sark’s Anglican minister, the Rev. Graham Leworthy, who, apart from conducting services and everything else that goes with the calling, is also an extremely talented artist.
Sadly, not long after that was published, Mr Leworthy suffered a stroke and was taken from here to the Princess Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.
Happily, according to a note from him I read the other day in the Island Stores window, he is recovering nicely. In it he said that the prognosis was good and he hoped to be back in the island before too long.
Not surprisingly, he has received many cards and letters wishing him a swift and full recovery and I look forward to the day, hopefully not too far away, when I can break into a fiver (well, crapauds are often described as Scotsmen stripped of their generosity) and buy him whatever he fancies at the Bel Air Inn.One of the most popular hotels and restaurants in Sark has changed hands. Chris and Caroline Robins, who have run Hotel Petit Champ – first as managers and then as proprietors – for probably more years than either of them cares to remember, have decided to retire.

At the recent end-of–season tourism forum, committee president Sandra Williams paid tribute to the couple – whom she described as Mr and Mrs Petit Champ – for their contribution, not only to the tourism industry but also to Sark’s island life.
Deputy Williams cited as just one example the many Sark children who have learned to swim in the hotel’s pool – swimming lessons there have taken place every Tuesday afternoon for the whole of the time Mr and Mrs Robins have been at the hotel.
‘Petit Champ and its team have hugely enhanced the Sark visitors’ experience, as well as that of many local people,’ said the deputy. ‘I am sure I speak for everyone when I say we are sad to see you go,’ she added, before wishing the couple a long and happy retirement.
The business has been bought by John Donnelly, who runs self-catering units at La Vaurocque, just a couple of hundred yards away as the crow flies, and earlier this week I spoke to him about his plans for the hotel and restaurant.
He stressed that there will be few changes – something which will certainly come as a relief to long-standing customers – and added that he hoped to retain all the present staff, some of whom have worked at PC (as it is known locally) for many years.
‘Why change a winning formula?’ he asked. ‘The fact is that Petit Champ has a high percentage of clients, both tourists coming for holidays and local people using the restaurant, who have been staying and eating there for a long, long time.
‘It is a highly successful enterprise – look at the awards they have won – and I certainly have no plans to introduce sweeping changes.’

Before I close, I must mention the number of people who have asked about my reference last week to parliamentary privilege in Chief Pleas and particularly those who have wondered what the phrase means.

The best illustration I can come up with concerns a Jersey politician who, in a debate in which he was getting exasperated with his opponents, said that half of them were mad. Required to withdraw the remark and apologise by the Bailiff of the day, the member agreed to amend his remarks by saying that half of them were not mad.

By Phil Falle (from thisisguernsey)