CASH needs to be found to get Haut de la Garenne up and running again as a hostel as soon as possible, one of the trustees of the former children’s home has urged.
Ian Robinson said that even if the YHA did not want to move back to the site, it could once again become a base for the many military units that visit Jersey each year.
For the 15 years after the filming of Bergerac finished at the St Martin site the building was used as a hostel for visiting services personnel. In that time, Mr Robinson said, the military accounted for 10,000 bed nights a year. He added that the forces loved coming to Jersey so much that the hostel would be well used.
As he explains in today’s Saturday Interview, published in the Jersey Eveing Post, the Island has benefited greatly from welcoming units and ensuring that they are well looked after. Over the years, military personnel have made their specialised skills and equipment available to help with a huge array of community and charity projects.
• Picture: Ian Robinson says that using the building as a hostel for military personnel would not be an encumbrance on taxpayers. Picture by Matthew Hotton (00600873)
