26 November 2013
The Treasury and Resources Minister approved three allocations from Central Contingency to support a range of activities that will benefit the community. The allocations are:
- £147,000 in the next two years to fund the expansion of the Prince’s Trust.
- £738,000, to support the restoration and purchase of the Island of the world’s largest Celtic coin hoard.
- £750,000 to fund the Sport Strategy, ‘Fit for the Future’, and help Jersey to prepare for the NatWest Island Games in 2015.
Prince’s Trust
The Council of Ministers have supported an expansion of the Prince’s Trust programme to enable it to meet additional demand for its services. There are approximately 480 16-24 year olds registered as unemployed in Jersey and the Prince’s Trust, which has been operating in the Island since 2006 through its delivery partner – the Jersey Youth Service – will support 208 young people in Jersey in 2013.
Coin Hoard
Comprising around 70,000 silver alloy coins with gold and silver jewellery, the hoard discovered in Grouville last year will go on public display as part of a major exhibition at the Jersey Museum next year with exhibits from Guernsey, Brittany and Normandy. The Council of Ministers approved funding from Central Contingency to allow Jersey Heritage to restore the hoard, currently fused as a single object, and enable the States to meet the cost of a provisional valuation established by experts from the UK.
According to Jersey legal precedent, the Crown has claimed ownership of the hoard but has written to the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to confirm that it will offer the Coin Hoard for sale to the States, mirroring the approach that would be adopted in the UK under the Treasure Act. This Act provides a framework to protect finds which are of historic and cultural value for the benefit of the public as a whole. A provisional valuation for the Jersey hoard has been determined by a committee of experts, the Treasure Valuation Committee, which is based at the British Museum and advises the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but the final value will be reassessed once the individual coins have been separated.
Sport Strategy
‘Fit For The Future’ was published following a three-month consultation from February to May 2013 and includes several initiatives that resulted directly from respondents’ comments. These projects are designed to promote sport and physical activity and help Jersey to prepare for the NatWest Island Games in 2015 and the Council of Ministers approved contingency funding for them.
Initiatives include support for schools to deliver high quality physical education and after school sport, support for primary schools to deliver a coordinated programme of swimming, work with the One Foundation to deliver the high performance programme that helps teams and individuals to reach their full potential, financial support for teams and individuals who are selected for international competitions off Island and support for clubs to meet the requirements of ‘Jersey Clubmark’ a new accreditation scheme.
The Education, Sport and Culture Minister, Deputy Patrick Ryan added: “These are all important projects which support Education, Sport and Culture in the Island. I am very pleased that funding has been made available to support these positive initiatives.”
Minister for Treasury and Resources Senator Philip Ozouf said: "We have set very strict rules for applications for allocations from the Central Contingencies, which exists for unforeseen expenditure. These are three exceptional cases.
“I have seen how the work of the Prince’s Trust transforms lives of young people, and together with the significant charitable money that the Trust raises, this funding will make a huge impact on young people's lives.
“The Coin Hoard is also an exceptional opportunity and it would be unimaginable not to secure this treasure that is now such an important part of Jersey’s heritage.
“Finally, the Chief Minister and the Education, Sport and Culture Minister are rightly determined that we secure the maximum benefit from the 2015 NatWest Island Games. We want to encourage Islanders to engage in sport activity in advance of the Games, and also to support our athletes, giving them the chance to reach their potential and to create a lasting legacy for sporting endeavour and participation. This funding, together with the parallel funding for sports infrastructure, will deliver that.”
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