Deputy Sally Rochester

Pack up the garden furniture all and enjoy an evening at home….

Tomorrow evening Storm Goretti is expected to hit the Bailiwick, with the potential of extremely high winds, with gusts up to force 12, and heavy rainfall.

Officers from across the public sector met today to put plans in place, and while we are awaiting a final forecast which will be issued tomorrow morning, current projections are that the island could experience serious storm weather.

On that basis, we are expecting to ask islanders to stay at home tomorrow evening and overnight for their safety.

Winds are projected to peak at 9pm tomorrow (Thursday), and continue into the early hours of Friday. Wind speeds are not expected to significantly pick up until around 6pm.

If you currently have plans, it is worth considering rearranging them. Events taking place on States of Guernsey sites are likely to be cancelled, and that will be confirmed tomorrow morning.

We’d also ask people to secure their properties; check their gardens for anything that needs to be secured to reduce the risk of flying debris.

Islanders with boats are asked to check and secure their moorings ahead of the storm. It is likely that bus services will finish early on Thursday and be suspended until wind speeds drop. Kerbside recycling collection could also be cancelled.

We have sought to give islanders early notification of the likely actions that will be taken, however these will be confirmed tomorrow, and we will provide regular updates throughout the storm. Please follow States of Guernsey and Bailiwick Law Enforcement social media for these updates.

Thanks to the Guernsey Press for covering my proposal for a nation youth strategy in the GWP. A critical part of this strategy to support our children and young people should be, in my opinion, a package of actions to enable beneficial use of technology throughout childhood whilst protecting our young people from harms arising from dangerous and distressing content as well as addiction and overuse.

The other side of the coin must also be giving our young people great spaces to socialise and activities to enjoy in person.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback!

A great article from SFC Guernsey on the need for action……what do you want to see happen?

Looking forward to working with young people in my deputy role and ensuring the voice of young people is heard in Guernsey!

We welcome all applications for these non voting member roles. The committee has a huge workload this term and so we welcome the additional support, wisdom and diversity of thinking such members will inevitably bring.

The Committee for Health & Social Care is looking for up to two people to join the Committee as non-voting members.

Non-voting members can participate fully in the work of the Committee, but do not have a vote.

There are no specific qualifications required for the role, but the Committee is particularly interested in hearing from anyone with an analytical mind and who can provide scrutiny to decision-making processes.

Applications close at 5pm on 13 October.

For more information, go to: gov.gg/hsc-non-voting-member-2025

This morning’s event is expected to be the beginning of community wide action to protect our young people from the negative effects of the “attention economy” on their physical and mental wellbeing.

I will do everything I can to support this impressive island wide movement.

It’s not too late to join us! Beaucamp at 10am ……..

Thank you to the many supporters that have put this issue front and centre as it deserves to be.