The Quarry – Details, episodes & analysis

The figures do not lie.
Last year just 62 units were added to the housing stock in Guernsey, none of them in the affordable sector.
The current overall target is around 300 houses a year.
They are stark numbers. And Guernsey has rarely been anywhere close.
If everything that was given the green light by planners went ahead, the island would not have the type of housing dilemma which is slowly strangling society and the economy.
You can dive into any number of high level reports for the big picture, but work instigated 18 months ago under Environment & Infrastructure and now being taken forward by the Housing Committee has gone into the reality of what is happening on the ground.
In this episode Housing Committee President Steve Williams and Infrastructure and Environment Director Claire Barrett discuss what action has been taken and what is on the horizon  to unlock housing development.

You can also read the full story:
https://www.thequarry.media/dig-this-...

Guernsey's workforce could be boosted by 4,500 more employees, its GVA increased by £410m. a year and tax revenue increased by about £89m, a report released by PwC in July argued.
But it would need to match the employment rates seen in New Zealand.
This latest episode discusses those findings, what the barriers and what the opportunities are.
PwC Chief Strategy Officer Leyla Yildirim, Alexander Daniels Recruitment Consultant Blair Howitt and Learning Consultant Korinne Le Page joined The Quarry’s editor Nick Mann.

This episode is part of a series where The Quarry has partnered with the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce People and Skills Working Group to deliver podcasts about the current workforce shortage and the future skills gap.


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Water and wastewater bills in Guernsey will be increasing by around 9% next year, so why is this needed?
Guernsey Water managing director Steve Langlois gives us a detailed insight into its plans to invest £130m. over the next 12 years, renewing pipes, upgrading treatment, improving collection from currently polluted streams, and getting ready to connect up Les Vardes Quarry.
We find out what will, and what won't happen.

Participation in climbing and bouldering has more than doubled between 2021 and 2023 in the UK and its inclusion in the Olympics raised its profile even further. 
Since 2019 Guernsey has had an indoor climbing center attracting all ages and abilities. 
To find out more about this and why it's such a good activity for physical and mental health, The Quarry spoke to  Dimi and Ellie from UP Climbing.

In this episode Simon Sebire and Andrea Nightingale from the Health Improvement Commission discuss what the evidence is showing us about alcohol consumption in Guernsey and why collective action is needed.
Alcohol related deaths remain common and it is a leading cause of ill-health that has an unequal effect on society.
HIC promote public awareness campaigns like Count 14, which uses easy to understand advice on how much it is sensible to drink and also back the use of apps like Try Dry to help people monitor how much they are consuming. Other simple acts, like starting your night with a non-alcoholic drink, can all help change behaviour.
Regulatory measures also have a role to play, with evidence from Scotland suggesting that minimum unit pricing, something resisted so far in Guernsey, has reduced drinking levels without impacting retailers.
From GPs to support services like Independence and Action for Children, support is available.
You can try The Quarry's Count 14 calculator here: https://www.thequarry.media/problem-d...

In this episode of Dig This, Warren sits down with entrepreneur Rob Jones.

Rob shares his journey from growing up in Northwich to moving to Guernsey, helping to establish Aztec Group, and later following a lifelong passion for sport by creating Aztec Soccer and supporting the development of Victoria Park.

This is a conversation about taking risks, learning from failure, and finding purpose beyond profit.

In this episode:
Rob’s early years and lessons in hard work
The leap of faith that started Aztec
Building culture and dealing with imposter syndrome
Turning success into community investment
Why football means more than just the game

If you enjoy stories about leadership, purpose, and people who make a difference where they live — this is for you.

Dani Barnett has been on a roller coaster ride since having her ovaries removed four years ago.
Ultimately the conversations that she was having with friends and colleagues, some of them whispered, led to setting up Unpaused.
“Nobody really knew what was going on with me, and I'd get funny looks, and I'd just be like, ‘I'm in menopause. Leave me alone’. 
“I found that my friends are coming up to that sort of age, and they're asking ‘have you been feeling this? Have you had these symptoms and this?’ And people are asking me for advice and talking about things, and it felt like people were whispering to me at work, and I thought, ‘this is so wrong, like it's so taboo and it shouldn’t be.’”
Unpaused is raising awareness, removing taboos, supporting and empowering people through events, workshops and individual mentoring.
Watch to find out more and see what support is on offer at  https://www.linkedin.com/company/unpa-used/

The Quarry has partnered with the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce People and Skills Working Group to deliver a series of podcasts about the current workforce shortage and the future skills gap. 

We will explore why action is needed and what the solutions could be as part of a collective call for change to help ensure the future success of the island.

For episode 2 we were joined by The Guernsey Institute College Principal Louise Misselke and Sixth Form Centre Principal Kieran James for a wide ranging discussion about skills, meeting the needs of learners and employers, the impact of AI,  as well why we need to work collectively to make sure young people are prepared for the future.

There are some exciting new initiatives on the horizon from The Guernsey Institute, watch to find out more...

For nearly 35 years Les Bourgs has been supporting patients and their families while staying at the forefront of the changing needs of hospice care.

Now the charity is facing fresh challenges as it looks to continue its vital work and expand it out into the community to help meet a growing wish for people to be at home when they die.

It costs £3m. a year to run Les Bourgs, all of which is funded by charitable donations, including through its very successful shop and fundraising events, with no financial backing from the States.

But its funding model will now have to change with just three years of legacy donations left which are not being replaced to the same extent that they were, potentially because of cost of living pressures families are dealing with: “in three year’s time, there is no reserve,” said Les Bourgs CEO Rob Jones.

“The next iteration is one that's already started, we're talking to the States of Guernsey, we're talking to Health and Social Care to say, ‘what would a strategy look like for the island?’

“Because if we can get a strategy right that's based on the quality of patient care and support for the family, then we can put a number to it, and then we can work out how we share that."

In this episode of Dig This we explore how hospice care has evolved and what comes next. We also hear about the passion that drives those working at the hospice. 

Care Manager, Letishia Vermeulen said: “Isn't always a very grand gesture that you need to make to change somebody's quality of life and to make such a drastic difference to people every day, in every moment. If it is the patient, if it is the family members, you go away with a sense of satisfaction that you've made that difference on so many different levels.

“If it is comfort, if it is nutrition, [they might say] ‘I feel like having ice cream for breakfast today, please?’ Yes, absolutely. Do you want sprinkles on that? You know, it's simple things, a glass of wine with your supper in the evening, or creating a special menu because your illness is creating a lot of symptoms around eating and enjoying food, and it is such an important part for that person that you go out of your way to achieve that. 

“That takes a whole team, and everybody brings a specialty to that and we work together, it's like a puzzle that fits in together and with any of those pieces out of synch it affects it, but working together, everybody bringing their speciality together to provide the best care possible for that patient and that family."

“It's not just wellbeing, it's performance, it's mental health, it's leadership, it's management, it's navigating change, transition. You need to train people how to do that. We don't do that naturally. When you do, companies get an advantage.”

Ask most people what resilience is and they will talk about bouncing back, about coping.
But, Jon Watkins (CEO of Resilience Development Co ), says it is actually about the ability to positively adapt, including to the small things that impact us in everyday life, to move forward.
“If your behaviors are coming at a cost to you or the people around you, you're probably not using resilience,” he said.
Companies, often so keen to spend on technology, need to invest much more in their people to maintain their levels of performance, he says.
He shared some skills with us, including how you react to pressure will determine whether it becomes stress or not: “If you recognize that you're feeling a little bit stressed, just ask yourself, will this matter in a week? Will it matter in a month? Will it matter in a year?” 
Another tip - take regular breaks. It takes about 20 minutes to fully focus, after 90 minutes your brain will start to switch off, so step away for five to 20 minutes to recharge.
There is much more, watch to find out.


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