WESLEY Methodist Chapel was reduced to a charred shell after being gutted by fire late at night. Nearly 30 firefighters battled to control the blaze and protect neighbouring buildings as the four floors inside the building collapsed. The roof also fell in, leaving just the four walls of the building standing, but nobody was hurt during the fire. Wesley Chapel had been declared a site of special interest in May 2007, which meant that both the interior and exterior had been protected. After a joint investigation between police and the Fire Service, suspicious circumstances were ruled out.

JERSEY charity workers volunteering in Kenya described their terror at being caught up in the riots following the re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. The African country was engulfed in a frenzy of looting, violence and civil unrest as opponents to Kibaki’s regime shown their displeasure at what they thought was an unfair and illegally won election. Jerseywoman Sue Deans was forced to hide in a mosque in Kisumu while violence raged outside. Mrs Deans described gangs of protesters roaming the streets, shooting and burning cars and buildings.

THE Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust announced plans for a £47 million project to develop their Trinity site over the next five years. Members of the trust said that the plans, which included a world-class £20-million gorilla complex and a four-star eco-lodge for tourists, would revitalise the wildlife park and turn it into an attraction like the Eden project, enabling them to draw much bigger crowds. Other plans included the development of the international training centre and the construction of a room for hire in the Princess Royal Pavilion. Commercial director Mar Powell asked the States to give their financial and moral support to the project, which would help guarantee the future of Durrell for the next 50 years.

THE first arrest in the child abuse inquiry was made as a pensioner was placed in custody in connection with historical indecent assaults on children in Jersey. It came in the same month that police announced that they had identified 21 suspects in the case after hearing from more than 100 witnesses. Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper described it as the most significant child abuse investigation that the police had ever undertaken.

THE Constable of St Helier described the plans for the new incinerator as ‘lunacy’ and vowed to fight against them. Simon Crowcroft spoke out against the £80-million project at a Chamber of Commerce lunch and described it as an example of States profligacy and unsustainability, warning that Jersey should be doing more to recycle instead. Mr Crowcroft said that people living at Havre des Pas were already suffering and that it was a crass decision to house an incinerator on St Helier’s foreshore. He suggested that La Colette would benefit more from a role in the maritime leisure industry instead.

Pictured: Wesley Methodist Chapel was reduced to a charred ruin by fire