The Musical Originals (00882155)

OVERSEAS aid charity Jersey Side by Side pledged support for the survivors of the Haiti earthquake at a concert marking five years since its birth.

The musical event at St Helier Methodist Centre marked the fifth anniversary of the event which saw 5,000 Islanders spell out the words ‘Side by Side’ as an act of solidarity with the survivors of the Asian tsunami.

Speakers at last night’s event, including the charity’s co-founder, Gowri Pincombe, committee member Jean Le Maistre and Jersey Side by Side patron Sir Philip Bailhache, praised not just the people behind Jersey Side by Side, but also the thousands of Islanders who have supported its projects.

As well as raising more than £2 million for the tsunami victims – about £25 for every man, woman and child in Jersey – the charity has also built a
vocational training centre in Sri Lanka and has rebuilt a girls’ school devastated by earthquake in Pakistan in 2005.

Speaking at last night’s concert, Mr Le Maistre said that the work of the charity would continue. ‘Jersey Side by Side will be seeking your continuing support as soon as we identify a rebuilding project with which we can be associated’, he said.

Sir Philip, whose message was pre-recorded and displayed on projector screens, said that there was a ‘natural affinity’ between island communities. ‘The Asian tsunami was something that struck a particular chord with our emotions,’ he said, adding that there was a link between the Red Cross delivering aid to Sri Lanka and the aid which they delivered to Jersey during the Occupation in 1944.

And he praised Islanders for their ‘incredible response’ to the appeals of Jersey Side By Side, singling out those who arranged events, made collections and who worked for free in the Treasury department and in banks to get the money through quickly.

Last night’s concert, billed as An Evening of Reflection, Thanksgiving and Promise, featured performances by tenor Nicky Spence, baritone Timothy Connor, harpist Sarah Goss, cellist Emmanuelle Dumas, pianist Chris George, soprano Gitte-Maj Donoghue and the Jersey youth choir Musical Originals.

It also involved pictures and video of the devastation wreaked by the tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake, and eye-witness accounts of the disasters and the effects of Jersey Side by Side projects in rebuilding communities were also read out.

The audience of around 130 gave the performers a sustained round of applause at the end. Mrs Pincombe said that it had been an honour to address the audience at the anniversary concert, and praised the work and dedication of former States Deputy Mike Wavell, whom she described as the driving force behind Jersey Side by Side, as well as former JEP assistant editor Anthony Lewis, who conceived and arranged the St Ouen’s Bay event from which Jersey Side by Side took its name and inspiration.

And she said that the work of rebuilding communities and lives would continue. ‘Today we remember thousands of victims affected by disasters all over the world,’ she said.

‘Today we reflect on how people in Jersey have acted to help people in need. And today we reaffirm our commitment to support people in need, and to give them hope.’

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