GENERATIONS of islanders educated at Les Vauxbelets gathered yesterday to celebrate a special centenary. The service outside the Little Chapel marked 100 years since members of Les Freres des Ecoles Chretiennes – an order devoted to the education of boys – arrived in Guernsey from France. The de la Salle brothers acquired Les Vauxbelets and set up the college as well as building the Little Chapel.

When the last brothers left the island in 1999, they allowed Blanchelande College to lease the site. Three brothers returned for yesterday’s service.

‘They are delighted to see that it’s being used for Catholic education, although now it’s nearly all girls as opposed to boys. We are very lucky to have responsibility for such a beautiful part of Guernsey,’ said Blanchelande principal Lesley Le Page.

She said that the occasion was a chance to look back on the history as part of their heritage, remember the brothers and what they did and move forward based on that background.

The brothers joined them for lunch and met former Les Vauxbelets students who had come along for the service and to have a tour of the site.

The service included 25 Blanchelande infants, the head and deputy-head girl and gave thanks to God for the brothers’ arrival and remembered their successes. Canon Gerard Hetherington also blessed a row of beech trees planted at the end of the valley to commemorate the centenary and a plaque was unveiled opposite the chapel.

Former pupil from the class of 1951 Stephen Le Poidevin, who is a jurat, gave a Bible reading and met some classmates whom he had not seen for years.

‘It’s great to meet again. It was a fantastic school and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t enjoy it. I was heartbroken when I had to leave.’

Ron Jouhning, who was in the same class and has been working in banking locally, agreed that being at the school had been very enjoyable.

Arthur Allen, 93, known as Darby, was the oldest former pupil present, having attended from 1920 to 1926.

Mr Allen, who was born in St Andrew’s and used to work for the Great Western Railway, was keen to see how the site had changed since his time. He remembered learning shorthand and typing at the school and how one of the brothers had played football for the island.

‘We had a lovely life,’ he said.

The service was followed by tea with the college governors and trustees at the infant school, where the youngsters sang French songs for the brothers.

A reunion dinner was also held at Les Cotils last night for students from the class of 1951. Mr Le Poidevin and fellow ex-pupil Bob Wilkinson, 65, had studied a year photo of the classmates from 1951 and set about contacting them, managing to gather 17 for the dinner.

Mr Wilkinson, who now lives in Buckinghamshire, attended the school from 1949 until 1953, when it closed for good.

‘It’s been wonderful and I’ve met some of my old schoolmates – you could see the surprise on their faces.’

He also joined in the service.

‘I think, for everybody, it’s been quite a spiritual uplift today,’ he said.