Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A collection of letters between a married couple who were separated by war "belongs in Guernsey", according to the writer of a book based around them.

Harry and Martha Marley married in 1935 after they met while Martha - an American from Virginia - was on holiday in the island.

Martha returned to America during the war, while Harry had to stay in Guernsey, and the couple were not reunited until 1945.

Gerald Breen, a friend of Martha's niece Susan Williamson, used the letters to write a book called "All My Love... Always", but has now donated the collection to the Island Archives.

BBC Radio Guernsey

Overseas firms with a presence in Guernsey will be able to bring trainee staff to the island for a year, under approved changes to the work permit policy.

It means trainees who have served a minimum of three months service with an overseas company with a presence in Guernsey will be able to transfer to the firm's Guernsey office on a placement for a maximum period of twelve months.

This brings the island in line with UK policy.

The current system under which staff can apply to transfer after 12 month's service for a permit of up to two years.

The change is due to be reviewed in a year’s time.

Rob England
BBC News Online

The music festival Big Gig and Legends in the Park in Jersey has been cancelled, organisers have said.

Caroline Strachan, from the event, said: "We have been let down very late in the day by the act we had been working with", adding it had not been possible to find a replacement "at such short notice".

Organisers say ticket holders are entitled to full refunds, and would be contacted "within the next fortnight".

The event is run by volunteers, with all profits being donated to local charities.

"Craig David’s team have been very supportive and appreciate that many of his fans will be disappointed but we would like to reassure you that we are in discussions to bring him to the island in the future," Ms Strachan said.

She added: "We will return in 2019 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Sure Big Gig Weekend."

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A new promenade at Havre des Pas in Jersey will open tomorrow evening.

The Parish of St Helier has been buying plots of land on the promenade over the past six years, and has now combined them into a single piece of "landscaped open space" for the public.

The plots of lands that were purchased cost a total of £80,000 - each one being individually approved by the Parish Assembly - with the refurbishment work carried out by the parish's team of stonemasons, parks staff and decorators.

The new promenade opens at 18:00 tomorrow night.

BBC Weather

It will be dry through tonight and, under mostly clear skies, it will turn rather cool. Mostly light winds.

Minimum temperature: 5 to 8C (41 to 46F).

Staying dry and settled through Thursday.

There will be some long sunny spells with just a little patchy cloud developing. Generally light winds.

Maximum temperature: 9 to 12C (48 to 54F).

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Guernsey can "only hope" that things get better after the seventh cruise ship of the year was cancelled due to bad weather, according to a senior port manager

Harbour Head of Port Operations Gerome Davis said that, in the last four years, Guernsey had averaged 10 weather cancellations over the course of the cruise ship season, which extends from March until October.

Cancellations have a financial impact on local businesses, which make money from visitors buying local products and souvenirs of their visit.

Twitter

Rebecca Bennett lost income support because the babies have been away from home for more than 28 days.

Ynys Mon will host an unofficial Island Games football tournament in 2019 after is was axed from the main games in Gibraltar.

BBC Radio Guernsey

The road in St Pierre du Bois will remain closed tomorrow and reopen early on Friday morning after the "inclement weather this morning and a breakdown of machinery", a States spokesman has said.

As a result, works planned in Rue St Pierre for the next two days have been postponed, with no new date yet set.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Jersey Finance has echoed the calls of the chief ministers of the Channel Islands by welcoming the result of a UK Parliament debate, after an amendment that would have attempted to force legislation on the Crown Dependencies was withdrawn.

An amendment to the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill would have seen the UK Government attempt to legislate that Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man had to make their registers of beneficial ownership public.

However, the amendment, due to be laid by four Labour MPs, was not lodged as alternative proposals put forward by the Conservative-led UK Government were not accepted for debate by the speaker.

However, the CEO of Jersey Finance, Geoff Cook, said the island was "absolutely aligned" with the UK's commitment to combat money laundering and financial crime.

Image source, Jersey Finance

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

The seventh cruise ship weather cancellation of the year is "disappointing", according to Visit Guernsey, but there is a "positive season ahead".

“Unfortunately, due to poor weather conditions, Guernsey has experienced another cruise liner cancellation today. This cannot be helped and is beyond anyone’s control", said a statement from the department.

"This is of course disappointing. However, we are looking forward to a positive season, with over 90 ships scheduled to call into St Peter Port in 2018. The schedule includes 11 inaugural visits, including Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas and Costa Mediterranea, both with over 2,500 passengers on each call.

"We will also be welcoming Princess Cruises’ Sapphire Princess on two visits for the first time, and her sister, the flagship, Royal Princess back to Guernsey for an amazing 11 visits, accounting for over 40,000 passengers between them.”

Only one cruise ship has successfully visited Guernsey this year.

Out of 11 ships scheduled to visit so far, 10 have had to cancel - seven because of weather and the remaining three because of scheduling changes.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A new public trustee has been suggested for Guernsey.

The previous trustee, Catherine Rowe, resigned her post in November last year after authorising payments more than £20,000 without political approval.

An investigation into £300,000 paid to a law firm owned by Deputy Peter Ferbrache by Guernsey's government later found "no evidence" of a conflict of interest by a politician.

The payment was made to the law firm for work it carried out for the Office of the Public Trustee.

The office's role is to preserve the interest of the beneficiaries of a trust - and is overseen by the Committee for Economic Development - of which Mr Febrache was president at the time of the payments.

The new recommendation is Mr Luis Gonzalez - the States will make a final decision on his appointment on 16 May.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Plans for what is thought could be the biggest private collection of solar panels in Jersey have been submitted to the Planning Committee.

If approved, 50 solar panels will be built around the edge of private land in Trinity.

The director of the company behind the project, Mark Brandon, said the panels would not take up any agricultural space, and added that the only reason it was noteworthy was because the panels would be placed on the ground.

This means the project requires planning permission, which wouldn't be needed if the solar panels were placed on the roof of a building.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Letters between a husband and wife who were separated by the German Occupation of Guernsey have been donated to the Island Archives.

When Martha Hinch visited Guernsey from America in 1933, she had no idea she would meet her future husband, Guernseyman Harry Marley.

The following year, Harry visited Martha and her family in Virginia, and the couple were married in 1935.

Image source, States of Guernsey

Martha evacuated the island when the Germans approached in 1940, and moved back to America when it became clear that Harry would not be able to leave his job as Assistant Manager at the Guernsey Savings Bank.

Harry and Martha would not reunite until several months after Guernsey was liberated from the occupying forces in May 1945, but wrote letters throughout their time apart.

Harry joined Martha in Virginia in 1946, where the couple lived out the rest of their lives.

Harry, who died in 2006, returned to Guernsey for the liberation celebrations nearly every year after Martha died in 1982.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

A campaign group says it will continue to fight to get information held by the Crown Dependencies made public.

UK MPs voted yesterday to make the British Overseas Territories reveal the ultimate owners of their companies by making beneficial ownership registers public. A similar motion that would have covered the dependencies was withdrawn.

The moves were suggested by MPs trying help law enforcement keep track of "dirty money".

The Tax Justice Network welcomed the ruling, but claims the Crown Dependencies should have been included.

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Palliative care in the UK is "far more developed than in countries where assisted suicide has been legalised", according to a guest panelist at last night's meeting on assisted dying in Guernsey.

Dr Carol Davies was one of many people to speak out on either side of the issue, which Guernsey's politicians will likely debate, external on 16 May.

Arguing against Dr Davies was Rabbi Jonathan Romain, who said a belief in the sanctity of life "doesn’t mean we have to believe in the sanctity of suffering".

He said "I’m very confident that the safeguards that are being put in place will stop this law from being abused."

Chris Quevatre
BBC News Online

Plans are under way to turn Guernsey's old Education Department buildings in the Grange into housing.

The complex forms part of a review of the States' properties, which aims to streamline the number of assets and the way they are managed.

Deputy Charles Parkinson, who has led the review, said an application had been made for a local planning brief.