This Is Guernsey

By Cheryl Latter

Herm youngsters perform their nativity play in St Tugual’s Chapel.

FOR many in Herm, the school nativity is the real start of the Christmas season.

For the past 50 years or so, the island children have performed an annual play in St Tugual’s Chapel to a packed house of parents and residents.

There is something very fitting about hearing the nativity story in the tiny 13th-century stone chapel with the wind howling outside the door. It somehow helps you picture the draughty stable and the vast starry night above it.A new play is written every year, always slightly different but always based on the traditional nativity story.

This year’s production was entitled Nothing Exciting Ever Happens in Bethlehem and was a fun and lively take on the Christmas story.

‘The whole point is that nothing exciting ever happened in Bethlehem, until this one night, when something very exciting happened,’ said teacher Mary Carey. ‘That’s how we get the Christmas message across.’

The day of the play had the worst possible start, with force nine gales battering the island and all boats cancelled. This meant that pianist Christine Anthony, with whom the children had been rehearsing, couldn’t make it over for the performance. Luckily, they had recorded one of their practice sessions and so were able to sing along to the tape. Along with some spirited percussion play, the keyboard was barely missed.

All the children have worked hard throughout this month learning the story and had submitted artwork to represent the nativity scene. The winning pictures were created by Eden Latter, four, and Will Knight, 10, and appeared on the printed programmes.

The nine children involved ranged in age from four to 10, so there were the usual stage nerves and a few tears. Some of the younger children were a little nervous when it came to singing or saying their lines and had to be covered for.

‘The nicest thing was how the children all worked together to help each other out,’ said one of the parents. ‘There was a real sense of teamwork.’

However, thanks to singing kings, dancing shepherdesses and a stressed-out innkeeper, it was a truly entertaining evening.