Team leader Deputy da Sousa with Angela Crowcroft, wife of the St Helier Constable

SINCE the JEP last caught up with the St Helier Battle of Flowers team, work has progressed well on their return float, called Funelier.

A few weeks ago, work had not yet begun on building the 25 ft long entry, although the wood and other materials had just arrived. In the three weeks that have passed, the float has been built and is now completely finished.

Parish Deputy Debbie De Sousa, who is leading the team, said that she has been impressed by how quickly the float has taken shape.

‘All of the carpentry is now pretty much done and we are starting building the mound for the hermitage with papier maché this week,’ she said.

‘The building work has been done very quickly by a team of Portuguese carpenters. They have done it all for free and they have been amazing. We are definitely on schedule at the moment.’
The original designs were done by Angela Crowcroft, the wife of the Constable, and she has also worked out the colour scheme. Angela and Sue du Feu will now be transferring the designs onto the float.

But how are other areas of the project coming together?

Paper flowers
Because the team is entering into the ‘semi-floral’ section of the parade, the float will feature paper flowers as well as real ones.

Around 3,000 paper flowers are going to be needed. ‘We’re busy making paper flowers at the moment,’ Deputy De Sousa said. ‘We’ve been doing them for a couple of weeks so far and we’re three quarters of the way through them already.’

Making paper flowers has been organised by mother and daughter Sarah Richardson and Daphne Bland. All of the parish’s Battle team have been making them at their meetings and members of the parish residential homes, St Ewolds and St Helier House, have been making them as well.

Not just a float
As well as their float, the parish will also be entering a trailer into next month’s parades.
‘We were going to have a junior float as well as our main one,’ explained Deputy De Sousa, ‘but because of time constraints and the work involved in growing our own flowers the parish are not going to be able to do that this year.

‘So, instead of a junior entry, we have decided to have a vehicle following the float in the parade. The farmer who has given us a piece of land to grow flowers has renovated an old truck that he has in a Portuguese style, with benches on.’

She added: ‘The truck will then be decorated and people will sit on it waving to the crowds. We’re calling it our junior entry, even though it is not a float. It is things like this that add to the atmosphere at the Battle.’

The St Helier Battle of Flowers team working on their float

Funding
Despite having had a number of materials and services given to them for free, the float is still expected to cost between £10,000 and £15,000 to complete.

Dandara has donated £1,000 and a fundraising committee has also been organising events to raise more towards the final total.

Deputy De Sousa said: ‘We have been holding bingo evenings every fortnight which have been going very well. We are going to carry them on right through.’

The team’s sponsors, Pentagon, have donated all of the materials that they need for the float – such as chicken wire, wood and nails. Nigel Biggar Architects also did all of the proportion drawings for the entries for free.

‘We are getting our costumes from BHS,’ added Deputy De Sousa. ‘They are doing a really good deal. The girls will be wearing simple dresses with flowers or sashes and the guys will be wearing white three-quarter length trousers and shirts with waistcoats.’

A community project
Deputy De Sousa said that when St Helier decided to re-enter the Battle of Flowers she was keen for people from as many different parts of the parish community as possible to be involved.
As well as getting elderly people involved in making paper flowers, children have also been doing their bit.

‘We have also got many of the parish’s Portuguese community on board,’ said Deputy De Sousa. ‘They have been doing everything from building and electrical work through to dancing.

‘We are getting very excited as there are so many people working on the project and it’s just so great to get the whole St Helier community involved in a project like this.’

Another group that the Deputy has been keen to get on board are the parish’s young people. She has recruited Miss St Helier Sarah Watson – who is also this year’s Miss Battle – to help her do this.

‘It’s really good that Sarah is involved and she has encouraged many of her friends to become involved too,’ said Deputy De Sousa. ‘If we don’t encourage young people to get involved with the Battle of Flowers then the parade will have problems in the future.

Building of the St Helier float progresses

‘It is vital to get young people on board. It is such a wonderful day and it is such an important part of Jersey life, as most of the people taking part are local. We need to get young people involved in the Battle to secure its future.

‘A lot of young people are interested in getting involved, but there could always be a lot more.’
One of the main ways in which young people have been involved is through dancing – with the routine being choreographed by Sarah.

‘The dancing is coming along,’ said Deputy De Sousa. ‘Dancers are practising every Sunday at Westmount Quarry. We are going to have 12 adults taking part in the parade as well as 30 children. There can be 15 children dancing at any one time and the other 15 will sit on the trailer and they will alternate on the arena.’