The restoration of Beauregard Cottage, near the site of the former Beauregard Hotel, is nearing completion. (0860893)

OCTOBER is a month of change in the island, and not only because the clocks are going back at the weekend – an annual event which in many ways heralds the onset of winter.

Weather permitting, this is a nice time of the year to walk in Sark and I extended my customary ‘round the block’ amble the other morning to take a look at progress on the restoration of Beauregard Cottage.

Stonemason Terry Regan has now completed his work – it goes without saying that he is a craftsman of the old school – and the thatchers have also finished their task.

I have to say that the cottage looks a picture and in the not too distant future it is going to make a wonderful little home for someone, thanks to the time and effort those entrusted with the restoration have put in.

However, the most significant change in the island is that to Sark Shipping’s passenger schedules, which move to a timetable which – with a few exceptions for Saturday shopping trips to Guernsey – will stay with us until the end of March next year.

In short, there are day return trips to and from Sark on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and single round trips – leaving Guernsey at 9.30am and Sark at 12.30pm – on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Tuesday and Thursday trips are principally cargo voyages, which means that passenger numbers are limited to a maximum of 12 – all of which have to be pre-booked – and sailing times may vary, so it is always advisable for travellers to check with Sark Shipping in good time.

I’m told by churchwarden Wendy Adams that a bit of Sark history was made the other day when the funeral service for Margaret Richardson was conducted by lay reader Terri Archer – the first occasion on which such a service has been taken by a woman.

It’s nice to record that in the continued absence of Anglican minister the Rev. Graham Leworthy the church of St Peter continues to serve the needs of this small community.

In the absence of daily newspapers telling island residents what’s on and where, shop notice boards and, on occasions, their windows play host to a variety of snippets of information.

I looked the other morning at the board in the Post Office at the Gallery Stores and found that once again the Sark Music Society will be providing their members – and anyone else who cares to go along, I suspect – with a full autumn programme of DVDs in the Island Hall.

Additionally, coffee mornings in aid of a number of charities will become more commonplace now that the main tourism season is over and there’s a bingo night and a Halloween Treasure Hunt also promised.

In common with what’s happening in Guernsey – where the deadline for the £1m. charity draw has been extended in an effort to sell more tickets – the ‘Win a Million Pennies’ draw in Sark is also progressing slowly.

Promoter Christine Audrain tells me that it’s very much a case of peaks and troughs as far as sales are concerned, with little flurries of sales being followed by the occasional lull.

The chance of winning £10,000 for £25 is something which has tempted me and several of the family and friends who’ve visited us during this summer and Christine and her colleagues on the Carnival Committee hope this little mention might tempt others.

Christine can be contacted by email on audrain@cwgsy.net and I’m sure she’d be delighted to hear from prospective punters. In addition to the £10,000 first prize there are also prizes of £2,500, £1,000 and 10 of £100. The total number of tickets is limited to a thousand.

* The email address for comment is fallesark@sark.net.