JEP columnist Alan Le Breton, who has been appointed as chairman of Jersey Arts Trust, this week considers the ‘impressive menu’ that Jersey has to offer and how that is achieved.

‘In an island such as ours, which prides itself on a unique cultural identity and heritage, the value is both commercial and spiritual. While there is obviously an appetite for promoting our local image and way of life, culture isn’t just a luxury, nor is it simply a cash register for Tourism. Tourists are drawn here precisely in order to experience our special way of life. And that’s a whole lot more than the image of old castles and empty beaches, however attractive these are portrayed in expensive TV ads and glossy magazines. Who goes to Edinburgh in August just to watch the lunchtime gun salute on the castle walls?

At the same time, the cultural enriching aspects such as the Branchage international film festival and Jersey Live have brought more than intangible benefits to these shores. Yet it is in the efforts of bodies such as the Jersey Arts Trust – you’d expect me to say that – Jersey Music Academy and other active facilitators which are invested huge efforts to bring practising and professional expertise to the Island to perform and nurture local talent, alongside the formal teaching community, that we see some of the greatest dividends.’

• Read the full column in today’s JEP