Sister act needs £30K to save flumes
Friday 19th November 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Sisters Lynsey, left, and Kelly de Carteret are appealing for £30,000 to keep the Beau Sejour flumes for another two years, buying time for a bigger fund-raising campaign for one or possibly two new water slides. (Picture by Tom Tardif, 1055888)
TWO sisters fighting to save Beau Sejour’s flumes are hoping Guernsey businesses will come up with the funding to hold on to their favourite pastime.
Kelly and Lynsey de Carteret were among the first to use the flumes when they opened 20 years ago and their late mother, Gillian, even worked as a flume attendant.
Now the two are appealing to community-orientated businesses to raise the £30,000 needed to keep the water slides open for another two years while they look for a long-term solution.
‘I have written lots of letters and received lots of encouragement but we only have until Christmas to find the £30,000 if we are to keep the flumes,’ said Kelly de Carteret
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A ridiculous ’cause’ to support when we haven’t got a bowel cancer screening service in place for next year. If these two ladies really want to do something worthwhile that’s what they should be turning their attention towards. Forget the flumes. They’re an expensive pair of dead ducks.
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Their favorate passtime?? how old are they?
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Martino – I think it’s a bit unfair to criticise them as all they’re doing is what every charity does – coming up with a cause and asking for support. At the end of the day it’s our choice whether to support it or not.
In this case as I agree with you that there are more worthwhile causes, I won’t be donating however I admire anyone who takes action for something they believe in.
On a more pragmatic note though I fear any success will be nothing more than a stay of execution for the flumes.
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I don’t think it really matters how old they are, they are trying to do something good for the public, mainly the kids. the flumes are the last good thing on the islands that kids and young adults can do.
If you saw the facebook page they created you would realize why the flumes mean so much to them.
if your so hyped up about the whole bowel cancer screening, do something about it, like these two girls are doing.
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If you consider the pleasure these flumes have given a whole generation of local families (many who are unable to afford expensive trips off island to Disney and Centerparcs) this is a worthy cause. Not all kids are into skateboarding, and many have enjoyed the thrills and excitement which these rides have provided. The flumes have been a good focal point for children to interact and socialise while waiting to ride, and they provide many Mums with a welcome break on rainy days when kids have little else to occupy their time. Surely one or more local companies (or wealthy individuals) would like to play good citizen by sponsoring the flumes, and lending a helping hand, in return for the favourable advertising/publicity.
The remarks made by Martino and Stevo are childish and unjustified. Whilst I sympathise with bowel cancer sufferers (family included) there seems to be an almost irrational approach to any other form of fundraising by this increasingly intolerant “Taliban” style lobby group. Children’s interests and their continuing social development are well worth supporting. Why take such a mean and unkind attitude to Kelly and Lynsey’s well intended efforts to save a much loved facility, which is used and enjoyed by the Island’s kids?
Good luck to the de Carteret Sisters. I hope they succeed.
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Whilst I have no opinion one way or the other on whether the flumes stay or go, is every single issue that’s raised now going to have its merits debated in comparison to bowel cancer screening?
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Martino
Could you explain why these two ladies should turn their attention towards the bowel screening?
If you feel that way why dont you do the same as they are doing but for the screening?
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Fair enough criticism of my post but if (a big, big IF ) they succeed there had better not be another penny of public money wasted on these ridiculously expensive to maintain and absolutely non essential items.
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I just think its a total waste of time! a) The flumes are Boring! b) whos going to use them? c) Beau Sejour is too expensive! I went to a leisure centre in the UK a few weeks ago and paid £5 for a ticket for the swimming pool, when we got there i was suprised as there were 4 pools! 1 for adults swimming lengths, 1 shallower pool for kids to swim lengths and 2 kiddies pools with wave machines, tide machines fountains and waterfalls and 2 flumes, all of this was in the same are as beau sejour swimming pool! All we have is a big pool and a baby pool and a couple of poxy flumes!! No one is going to pay Beau sejour prices just so their kids can go down the flumes a couple of times and then say i’m bored after 2 minutes!
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@ Stevo – agree. Since the refit I’ve been once and was so shocked at the new high prices I didn’t go back, flumes or not.
The swimming pool is fine for races & swimming lengths, but offers nothing for families. You can see in from the cafe right into the kiddy pool too, which I hate.
Plus the refit did away with the old family-sized changing rooms. Try changing a baby with only an 8″ wide bench to lie it on.
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I will presume that 619 is using hyperbole when he/she says “the flumes are the last good thing on the islands that kids and young adults can do” – yes Guernsey’s not the most exciting place but surely nobody is so lacking in imagination that they would write that and really mean it!
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I think the flumes is a good thing to keep. There is no flumes anywhere else where public swimming is allowed. I loved the flumes when I was little. Comparing Beau Sejour to other places in Guernsey to swim it is not expensive at all. I think it is fairly priced.
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As a very fit and active person i support the keep the flume campaigners,if more people in the island did some exercise we would be living in a happier and healthier enviroment,however some people just prefer to sit in the pub and spend 40 pounds on beer then expect us to pick up the bill when they have health problems
vote yes for the flumes
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Hold on a minute here, I think some of your posts are very harsh. These two young girls are not doing any harm, they are trying to keep the flumes going so we can carry on enjoying them, by asking the public for the cash, if you dont want to give any money well fine dont give, but dont criticise them for getting off their backsides and doing something about it.
The flumes to them mean a lot as their late Mum was the first flume attendant and they spent many happy hours at Beau Sejour,they are trying to do something about it and not asking the States for money, why is everyone so critical. I wish Kelly and Lindsay good luck in raising money for the flumes because they are sure gonna need it with negative attitudes like these.
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@Murph – swimming in the sea is free….if you’re brave (or mad) enough to take a winter dip of course!
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Martino, you’d be the first to rage at ‘kids’ drinking out on the street.
There’s hardly anywhere on the island that has anything that is remotely interesting for children. Ok, we have natural areas, and the burnt down Idle Rocks, but there isn’t much else for children to do here.
If you’re so worried about your bowel’s go to a private clinic.
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The point I am trying to make, Mr G, is that in this age of austerity I want to see our taxpayers’ money spent on essential services (like bowel screening) and not on luxurious fripperies like a pair of old water flumes.
If you want flumes why don’t you go to a private flume centre if you can find one?
As for kids not having anything else to do in Guernsey, what a ridiculous thing to say.
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Think every one is missing the point. they arent asking the states to give them £30,000, they are simply asking businesses to help pay for it.
way i see it no money is actually coming out your pocket.
At least these two sisters are actually doing something they believe in, for people with kids to enjoy, there is no actual harm in it.
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Ok I feel like I have to comment here because quite frankly I feel I should have a say in this. I was the person who set up the original save the flumes group on Facebook. I have over 300 members. I also attended a meeting with Kelly and Lynsey when they spoke with a member of chamber of commerce. I feel that the best thing we can do as a community is fund raise to get a brand new flume, something that our kids will actually use. At the end of the day, the flumes were only built to last ten years and they have lasted 20. My whole point to arranging the save the flumes group was that I don’t want my child growing up having nothing to do.
Since having the meeting, various press conferences/tv reports have been aired all about “the sister act needs 30k to save flumes for 2 years”.
I originally was trying to save the flumes but after doing some research realised that these flumes are becoming a hazard. For our children’s sake, I feel that fundraising for a brand new flume will be more beneficial in the long run.
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Martino – sorry if this is going to be inflammatory , but, since when is bowel cancer screening essential? Important, maybe; desirable, absolutely. But essential? No. Any decision on public funding is going to be contentious, with different people having different ideas on what is important/essential/desirable.
And the simple answer is, if you want bowel cancer screening, and the flumes, and Beaucamps to be renovated, and all the other thousand and three things that people want, charge more tax.
What society wants, society has to pay for. Trouble is, those with most money, have the greatest ability to “mitigate” their tax liability. But they can afford private bowel cancer screening, and trips to centre parks with far better entertainment than ” a pair of old water flumes”.
People think tax is a burden, something to be avoided. And that is our entire problem. If people took a pride in paying tax we’d all be smiling. Who pays the most? that should be a measure of status. If we all paid fair amounts of tax, all the desirables could be paid for – bowel cancer screening and water flumes (to amuse the “plebs” who can’t afford the off island treats) alike.
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The whole bowel screening thing won’t go away now will it?
why don’t we just ditch any form of funding apart from medical funding (for there will inevitably be something else worthwhile after the bowel screening, and if not, why does bowel screening take precedence?).
I think it’s lucky they took a stand and didn’t vote for the bowel screening otherwise it would never stop.
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Very good post Belinda.
More people should take pride in what taxation provides for society, instead of the cynical “they waste my money” attitude.
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You’re right of course Belinda and in some ways I now regret jumping on the bowel cancer screening bandwagon, but what we have all have to face up to is that we (through our States) are spending more than is coming in, so cuts have to be made. For me things like the flumes are the first that should be cut. All well and good if people are motivated to get private business to take up the cost of running them but public money should no longer be wasted on this sort of stuff. As for raising more taxes, hopefully the new regime to replace zero-10 will require companies to start paying their fair share again. We must wait and see but in the meantime austerity is the name of the game.
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Great post Belinda! spot on.
Matino
Why do you keep going on about tax funding this? it has been pointed out enough times they are not asking it to be funded by tax.
Basically its got nothing to do with you as its not your money their asking for.
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I don’t see how this campaign is any different to the skate park project, which is asking for a lot more money but for the same reason – to keep kids amused and give families somewhere to go together.
Yes it may not be the highest priority if we were an island that was completely cash strapped, and yes States funding is stretched, but corporate support is not. There is a lot of potential for raising money in Guernsey – and yes, I know there are lots of other causes which people may thing of as being more deserving and appropriate, but if you don’t ask you don’t get!
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Well Belinda, the more we earn, the more tax we have to pay and I don’t think its fair I have to pay more tax because I earn more. i don’t use any public services, all private (where possible) but yet I still have to pay for the Plebs!
If the plebs want a flume over bowel cancer screening then let them, i will have my private screen and my private swim, its up to the plebs to decide what they want more! But they should pay for it themselves.
Tax discriminates against the hgher earners anyway….
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Sanguine
More patent nonsense.
The more you earn the less important the tax expense becomes. You will still have more expendable income than those who spend every penny they have on basic existence.
God, it must be hard being rich and feeling so picked on!
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Hello Sanguine
You use plenty of public services which your tax money goes to without probably realising it. To name two you get your bins collected and you use the roads(I should imagine). Your argument is about as good as the ones who complain that they are paying for education of the islands youth but they haven’t got any kids themselves. The only aspect of going private is medically which the majority of islanders do anyway, either through their work or they get a scheme themselves so I don’t see how you are doing anything different to the other few thousand who have this.
And as far as calling them Plebs ?! how disrespectful are you?! These “plebs” are sometimes not in a position to climb the corporate ladder for various reasons. These “plebs” are your grandparents who when they retired claimed their States pension and used States services.
Have a bit of respect.
You pay a higher amount of tax but the percentage of tax paid is the same for everyone. 20%. How are you personally being penalised?
Your take home pay is still greater than someone paying a lower amount of tax therefore the process (in my mind) favours the higher earners more than it does the lower earners.
I presume you know how the UK tax works? It very much penalises the higher earners.
Anyway the States aren’t funding the fumes. The women aren’t asking for States funding they’re asking for local sponsorship and are fundraising themselves.
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Flash; hmmm, seems that you cannot spot a parody, continue with your moral outrage at my comment, but look who I was speaking to first :)
Belinda (paraphrased)- “Tax should be a measure of status”,
hence the more you pay the higher regard you are held in….. 20% of 50k is still more than 20% of 20k at the end of the day so higher tax sufferers deserve more respect according to Belinda? AKA the higher earners……
You know nothing about me, so don’t assume you know my background, not that I am offended of course!
Besides, Pleb is a perfectly accpetable word and is an apt description of many people on this island. Would Proletarian be more acceptable? Perhaps I am one who has just read 1984 and knows what I am??
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@Sanguine I think most people on here read your post the same way as Flash. 20% of £50K is more than 20% of 20K but what is the alternative? Everyone given a blanket bill? As Flash points out, not everyone is able to earn what they would like to earn. Really the UK have the fairest scheme as the percentage increases depending on how much you earn. Hence a lot of high earners high tailing it to the tax haven channel islands. High earners have a very good deal indeed here.
You’re correct Pleb is short for plebeians meaning common people. It’s also quiet a derogatory term which means unintelligent. As far as I’m aware intelligence is not measured by wealth. I know plenty of “plebs” earning very high salaries and some of the most intelligent people I will ever meet are earning far less.
Your tax money goes towards services you do use as well as services you don’t use. Perhaps you’re not aware of these but they cover more than just private health care and private gym membership.
I don’t think any assumptions of your background were made. If you post in that context and don’t explain that you’re trying to be ironic then how are people to know? The usual body language and speech tones are lost in this forum therefore it’s not always as easy to come across as how you wish, therefore I would advise choosing your words (and Belinda too) and your debates very carefully.
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Sanguine
Flumes over bowel cancer screening, what are you on about, these two young ladies are asking for private sponsorship,if you are so highly paid like you say you are dig a little deeper into your 3 holidays a year fund and help them out, and no one should be called a pleb. There is too much of that in this island.
Have you ever seen a coffin with suitcases? We come into this world with nothing and we leave the same way, so stop being such a snob.
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Sanguine, if you’re so upset about some tax why not do what I do and print my own disability benefits? Or you could move to the UK, where taxes are far higher than here.
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Mr G
I dont know if your intention is to give readers a bit of a chuckle? but you really havent got what it takes, unlike some on here with some well written good humour.
Give it up your neither funny or clever.
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