Guernsey Cheshire Home gets fundraising boost from Havelet Regatta
infopulsetoday.com · post 97092 · 2026-06-30
Guernsey Cheshire Home needed another £500,000 in the bank before year’s end. The Havelet Regatta, moved from September to late June this year, handed the charity a boost. Barrie Duerden, the event’s organiser, said his family established the regatta with the charity in mind from the start.
“We’ve got a close association with Guernsey Cheshire Home, and decided early on that we wanted to support it,” he said. “It’s an important local charity that needs to raise £500,000 every year to run.
My wife Odette’s family have long been involved.” Duerden spoke as hundreds of local families crowded the South Esplanade and Havelet Bay. The fourth seaside event drew a mix of swimmers, sailors, and spectators. Dogs of all sizes roamed the shoreline.
Five pirate statues, restored voluntarily for a local group called Iris & Dora, stood guard on the sand. They became a backdrop for photos and a magnet for children.
Lauren and Holly Kerslake-Smith, cousins visiting Guernsey from Bournemouth for the first time, stumbled onto the regatta by chance. They had not known the island held such an event. “We’ve come over from Bournemouth, we didn’t realise there was so much going on in Guernsey,” Lauren said.
She called the regatta brilliant, with a very good cause and lots of creative activities. Her cousin Holly, 16, was busy with chalk on a board. “I’ve drawn ‘I heart Guernsey’ because I’m really enjoying this lovely little island, and definitely want to come back,” Holly said.
Traditional fete games lined the esplanade. Accessible activities ran alongside them.
Food stalls and music filled gaps between the crowds. Duerden said the regatta aims to encompass the bay’s sea-faring offerings with classic beach activities and family fun. That meant races in the water.
Swimmers and sailors competed at sea. On land, families played games and ate.
The atmosphere was loose, unhurried. The date change from September to the pre-summer holiday slot drew a different crowd. More children were off school.
The weather held. The bay was full. Duerden did not say whether the earlier date would become permanent, but the turnout suggested it worked.
Guernsey Cheshire Home relies on events like this. The £500,000 annual fundraising target is not small for a local charity.
Duerden’s wife’s family has been involved with the home for years. That personal connection shaped the regatta’s purpose. The event is not a corporate fundraiser.
It is a family-run affair that happens to raise money for a cause the organisers believe in. Visitors from off-island noticed the difference.
Lauren and Holly had not planned to spend their afternoon at a charity regatta. They simply walked down to the bay and found it. That kind of accidental discovery is what small seaside events rely on.
Word of mouth. Stumbling upon something good. A chalk drawing of a heart and a promise to come back.
The pirate statues drew attention. They had been restored by volunteers for Iris & Dora, a group whose work is not explained in the regatta’s materials.
But the statues fit the tone. Nothing was slick. Nothing felt corporate.
The event was held on a public bay, with public access, for a public charity. That is the point.