Weekly round-up: Stories you may have missed

9 hours ago

News image — Colin Matthews' home-built Vans RV-7 aircraft took seven years to build

BBC Matthews inside his silver Vans RV‑7. It is a small aircraft parked on a tarmac runway. — Colin Matthews' home-built Vans RV-7 aircraft took seven years to build

A man in Guernsey has built and flown his own plane, work began in Jersey on a new dedicated hub for young people and an air raid siren housed in a Victorian tower needs replacing.

Here's our round-up of some of the stories which from the Channel Islands this week.

Sark Asian hornet sightings are 'earliest ever'

Getty Images An Asian hornet close up, its large black eyes seen clearly as it hovers on what looks to be part of its nest. — Queen Asian hornets have been spotted on Sark earlier than any previous year

A Channel Islands group has trapped a record 14 Asian hornet queens unusually early this year.

The Sark Asian Hornet Team said its tracking efforts were paying off as more hornets arrive from France and Jersey.

Coordinator Peter Cunneen said warm conditions may be bringing them out of hibernation early and said: "They keep taking us by surprise."

Air raid siren reaches 'end of working life'

Guernsey's Victoria Tower is seen through the trees while the sky in the background is blue with a lot of cloud coverage — The process to replace the siren has been described as complex

An air raid siren used to mark Liberation Day at Guernsey's Victoria Tower has reached the "end of its working life", according to the States

Culture and heritage head Helen Glencross said a fix was being worked on ahead of this year's events, but warned replacing the ageing siren was a complex task.

She said the siren no longer worked despite years of repair attempts and officials shared the community's desire to see it operating reliably again.

Pilot spends seven years building his own plane

A man in a cap and hi-vis jacket standing inside a warehouse building where aeroplanes are kept. — Colin Matthews decided to build a plane as a retirement project

A former commercial pilot has spent seven years building his own plane and finally took it airborne.

Guernsey's Colin Matthews began constructing a Vans RV‑7 in his garage in 2019, with the aircraft completing its first test flight on 18 March 2026.

Matthews said building it was a "learning curve" and the plane was a birthday present to himself after retiring.

Jersey recorded as warmest place in British Isles

A picture taken from above looking down at Jersey. There is a number of large buildings running into the distance. There is also a number of cars to the right of the image. — The weather peak in Jersey came on Tuesday

Jersey was recorded as the warmest place in the British Isles on Tuesday 7 March, hitting exactly 26C (78.8F).

The temperature beat the highest recorded nationally by more than a degree and matched Jersey's second‑highest April reading on record, dating back to 1894.

The weather peak came at about 15:00 BST, equalling the second-highest April temperature since records began in 1894.

Jersey Met said the peak was recorded at Maison St Louis at about 15:00 BST.

Work begins on new purpose-built youth centre

Government of Jersey A picture of one of the planned rooms within the youth centre. There is a number of people stood around tables, including football and pool tables. There is also a small seating area to the left of the room. — The Youth Enquiry Service will move into its standalone building on the site in January 2027

Work has begun on a new purpose‑built youth centre in Jersey.

Construction has started on the former Ann Street Brewery site in St Helier, which the government called a major milestone.

The five‑storey building will include a rooftop kick pitch, climbing wall, dance studio and sports hall.

The Youth Enquiry Service is set to move in by January 2027, with the full centre due to open in 2028.

Booklet aiming to explain island culture published

Government of Jersey The front page of the brochure includes a picture of Corbiere lighthouse and is overlaid with text saying "Jersey Channel Islands" at the top and "A small island making big waves" at the bottom. It has government of Jersey and Island Identity branding. — The booklet will be available at the States Greffe bookshop

A new booklet has been launched to explain Jersey's constitution, economy, culture and environment.

Titled Jersey – a small island making big waves, it follows recommendations from the 2021 Island Identity Report and is aimed at visitors, sports teams and officials representing the island abroad.

The guide is available from the States Greffe bookshop, parish halls and the government building on Union Street.

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