The family-friendly, themed ‘Discovery Days’ were kindly sponsored by Mourant this year, which meant that for the first time, there were no charges for anyone wanting to take part in any of the events.
Hundreds of families attended each of the sessions, which have included ‘Life Under the Sea’ at the Maritime Museum; ‘Beaches’ at Les Laveurs in St Ouen’s Bay; ‘Fun on the Farm’ at Hamptonne; and ‘Terrific Trees’ at St Saviour’s Woodland, opposite the Parish Hall. The final session, ‘Crafty Christmas’ takes place on Saturday, 14 December at Jersey Museum from 10am-4pm.
Carmella Knight, one of Jersey Heritage’s Events Curators, said: “This year’s ‘Discovery Days’ have been so much fun and we’ve loved seeing families at these sessions having a great time together, enjoying creative activities and learning about Jersey’s heritage in lots of different ways. The sessions have involved 110 farm animals, over 48 sea creatures, two animals that live in trees, 4,200 glue dots and we’ve used 16 metres of Christmas wrapping paper to create decorations for our final session, ‘Crafty Christmas’!
“We introduced ‘Discovery Day’ badges this year, with a different one for children to collect at each session and nearly 1,000 of these have been handed out. We’ve worked with a host of partners throughout the year and a big ‘thank you’ goes to each and every one of them for helping us to make the ‘Discovery Days’ such a success – it has been a true community effort. We’d also like to thank our sponsor, Mourant, whose support has been vital in ensuring that the sessions were open to everyone and that finances were not a barrier.”
Daniel Birtwistle, Mourant’s Managing Partner in Jersey, said: “As headline sponsor of the 2024 Jersey Heritage Discovery Days, it was a pleasure for Mourant to be able to facilitate these events being entirely free to all visitors for the first time. It’s been extremely rewarding for us to see how popular the Discovery Days have been this year, showcasing Jersey’s various heritage sites and local beauty spots, and offering a wide range of activities encouraging Islanders and visitors of different abilities to participate in the learning and fun. ‘Discover Crafty Christmas’ taking place next week will no doubt be the perfect final Discovery Day of the year to get us in the mood for the festive season!”
Partners involved in the 2024 ‘Discovery Days’ have included:
Mourant law firm
Aspiring Jersey Island Geopark
Société Jersiaise Marine Biology Section
Jersey Heritage Education team
Plastic-free Jersey
Blue Marine Foundation
Local artists, storytellers, knitters and face painters
Living History performers
Jersey Tourist Guides Association
National Trust for Jersey
Wild Days Wilderness
Ocean Culture Life
Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society
Le Tacheron Heritage Farm
Jersey Trees for Life
Jersey Sea Cadets
Honorary Police in various parishes.
Carmella said a full programme of ‘Discovery Days’ was being planned for 2025 and it would once again share knowledge about the Island’s heritage environment and be open for everyone to enjoy. The sessions will restart in March and the 2025 themes will cover landscapes, flowers, beaches and Christmas. As well as Jersey Museum and Hamptonne, there will be two new locations: the Frances Le Sueur Centre in St Ouen and Ouaisné in St Brelade.