Environment & Floral

The Environment committee of the Douzaine is charged with the responsibility of managing land and buildings owned by the Parish, and dealing with issues of preservation, restoration and development. (This excludes the Parish Hall and Constables Office which is managed by the Parish Hall Committee).

Phil Merrien heads up the Floral team and if you wish to help please contact him on 07781 140831

These committee members also consist the workforce, added to when needed, by interested Parishioners.

The Committee functions by creating a project related to its brief, which will occupy the committee/workforce in meaningful and socially beneficial projects.

Ch’min de Haut

In 2007 the Environment Committee decided that it should investigate the possibility of being proactive in its approach to managing the Parish property in the Moulin Huet Valley. The first step was to establish the boundaries of what was for Guernsey quite isolated and un trodden land.

The Parish had been given a few years earlier, some valley slopes in the Moulin Huet Valley. Rather than just exploring, the committee undertook a tree survey of the North East slopes, measuring the girth of, and identifying the species of tree. (The results of this survey are stored on Parish records). The extent of the Terraces which line the valley sides were noted and this led to the creation of the Daffodil project which then led to the first path project.

The Daffodil Project

During the Autumn of 2008, two of the higher terraces were prepared and planted with about 11000 daffodil bulbs of the varieties found before and after the Second World War.(King Alfred, Carlton, Fortune ,Soleil D’or) and this was followed up a year later with another 6000. Care was taken to follow the practices of planting a commercial crop.

The First Path

During this work it was noted that a path system had existed to link up these terraces but had become disused with time. The Committee undertook plans to reconstruct some of this system and to build a path from the path below Bon Port Hotel, to as far up the valley as was possible. To do this they obtained permission from M & J Holdings who were the other landowners affected by this plan. During the winter of 2008/9 the path was started and in that first year reached the Daffodil Terraces, making them available to the Public.

The path was completed in the Spring of 2010 with its exit onto the road near the Pottery. It was approximately 700 kilometres long At an opening ceremony in April 2010 the Dean of the Douzaine, M Barbara Hervé formally opened the path and named it Ch’min de Haout. There are two marking stones, one at each end of the path with the name inscribed on them. This path immediately became a popular new route for walkers, both local and not.


The Second Path

Before the first path was complete, plans were already being prepared for a second path which when finished would create a circular route with the first, giving a total of about a kilometre. The land on which this path was to be built was owned by the States Environment Department on behalf of the States of Guernsey, and they gave the Parish group every co-operation and encouragement to complete the project.

The needed permissions were obtained and following the same eco sensitive principles learned in building the first path, this second path was completed by March 2011.It is at this time unopened or named but is being used by walkers. It is about 200 metres long This creation of paths will continue but will almost certainly move to a site other than the Moulin Huet Valley and any developments will be updated on this site.