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Original poster

Does your adult DC in their 20's know about the Channel Islands?

86 replies

thelionscake · 27/11/2024 22:40

I'm from Jersey and just wondered how much visibility the Islands have in the UK from younger people now. I was speaking to a young person recently from the UK who instantly thought about the state of New Jersey in the USA when I said the word "Jersey".

OP posts:
Nolegusta · 28/11/2024 09:46

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 09:23

@Nolegusta gosh I'm so ignorant. I've only been to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

I do Globle a lot so I'm slightly better with countries now

Ignorant is probably a bit harsh.
I used to fo Globle but got fed up with it.

HideousKinky · 28/11/2024 09:40

My DC in their 20s is marrying someone from Guernsey so I can safely say yes!

BitterAndTwistedClub · 28/11/2024 09:33

We took our children to your beautiful islands several times on holiday. They loved it.

Berlinlover · 28/11/2024 09:32

How on earth would a British person not know about the Channel Islands? Mind you last night on I’m a Celeb Tulisa thought Dublin was part of the UK….

Tophelleborine · 28/11/2024 09:31

EBearhug · 28/11/2024 09:29

Aren't there something like 600 Islands that make up the British Isles? (Which does not include the Channel Islands.) Some of them are basically big rocks, though. It's not all the IoW and the Hebrides.

Quite, and I'm not sure that learning about the Channel Islands is more important than the rest of them.

EBearhug · 28/11/2024 09:29

Aren't there something like 600 Islands that make up the British Isles? (Which does not include the Channel Islands.) Some of them are basically big rocks, though. It's not all the IoW and the Hebrides.

ByHardyRubyEagle · 28/11/2024 09:28

I think I knew of Jersey because of Jersey cream when I was younger. I still don’t know a great deal about it though to be fair. Are there tax breaks?

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 09:23

@Nolegusta gosh I'm so ignorant. I've only been to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

I do Globle a lot so I'm slightly better with countries now

EBearhug · 28/11/2024 08:53

I think a lot of middle-aged people will know of Jwrsey through Bergerac. I grew up in Dorset, and we knew because the ferries used to go out of Weymouth, and the tomatoes came in on the train that used to run beside the harbour there.

Clearinguptheclutter · 28/11/2024 08:47

And I agree that at some point they should be taught about the crown dependencies also just about where stuff is generally. I def never was, but as I said I was obsessed with maps

I remember being flabbergasted when my cousin who wooden have been about 15 at the time, I mentioned we were driving to Germany and she said “will you drive through Spain?”. People these days rely on says at nav to get about yet have no concept of where stuff actually is in relation to each other which really does my head in

Tophelleborine · 28/11/2024 08:44

I know they exist but don't know precisely where they are or what they're all called. I could tell you about the Hebrides though. It probably depends a lot on where you are in the country and where you tend to visit (we always go north).

Clearinguptheclutter · 28/11/2024 08:42

I think in all honesty it’s not on most kids radar. We just don’t hear about anything that goes on there.

That said my kids have been to guernsey once so they do know about the Channel Islands and very roughly where they are (I.e in the sea before you get to France is probably about as accurate as they could come up with)

as a child I def knew about them but I was slightly obsessed with maps.

Deliaskis · 28/11/2024 08:40

Yes we've holidayed a couple of times on Guernsey and visited Sark and Herme. I feel like Jersey gets quite a bit of mainstream TV advertising so I'm sure DD (13) would know it wasn't NJ. We also sail in the channel occasionally though so that probably leads to a bit more awareness.

I don't think they would think about the CI much from one day to the next though!

Motomum23 · 28/11/2024 08:39

My 17 year old does but he's interested in geography not sure my 13 year old knows or cares. I definitely did in my early adulthood.

user1494050295 · 28/11/2024 08:35

I recently went to jersey for work and loved it so took my daughter there for a mini break. I am keen to go to guernsey next

Nolegusta · 28/11/2024 08:16

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 06:26

I'm in my forties and terrible at geography! I'll google after but
Channel Islands-
Jersey
Guernsey
Isle of Wight

Are there more?

Isle of Man
Isle of Skye
Orkney isles

I'm Scottish and we have loads of islands, you'll be surprised how many when you Google! 😬

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 28/11/2024 07:50

I do a lot of work on Jersey (unfortunately delivered from London!) I was googling for some images the other day and the first run of hits were all New Jersey and jersey shore so it wouldn't surprise me if some people don't have much knowledge.

TickingAlongNicely · 28/11/2024 07:46

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 06:26

I'm in my forties and terrible at geography! I'll google after but
Channel Islands-
Jersey
Guernsey
Isle of Wight

Are there more?

Isle of Man
Isle of Skye
Orkney isles

The Isle of Wight isn't A Channel Island... the Channel Islands are a Crown Dependency rather than part of the UK. Isle of Wight is an island in the English Channel that is part of England.

GutsyBiscuit · 28/11/2024 06:52

To be honest when I moved from Scotland to England for university I was fairly amazed by how little people knew about Scotland so I can imagine it many know nothing about the Channel Islands.

DreamW3aver · 28/11/2024 06:39

BeatriceAndLottie · 28/11/2024 06:27

No knowledge is a universal requirement. In reality though your children should be able to look at a map and identify the different parts of the nation..

Show quote history

That's an interesting question though, why ahould anyone be able to do that?

Other than knowledge for knowledge's sake why is that important? That's a genuine question as one could live a whole life without ever having heard of the Channel Islands, would that be somehow a bad thing?

Joiedepotato · 28/11/2024 06:38

TickingAlongNicely · 27/11/2024 22:55

In random conversation people associate the more well known location...

For example my friend lives in Wales... as in the village in South Yorkshire. No one tends to think that if you mention Wales!

I live near St Ives... Cambridgeshire. Pain in the arse on the Met Office weather app.

GiraffesAtThePark · 28/11/2024 06:34

I’m Scottish so I don’t know about the education system in England but I was never taught much about the basic make up of the UK, crown dependencies etc. I know it eventually comes basic facts for a lot of people just from living here but I do think children should be taught these things. I worked as a nanny in France and had to sit through lots of homework and their children are taught a lot about the French state that I never got the equivalent to here.

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 06:28

severyyhv · 28/11/2024 06:26

I'm in my forties and terrible at geography! I'll google after but
Channel Islands-
Jersey
Guernsey
Isle of Wight

Are there more?

Isle of Man
Isle of Skye
Orkney isles

Ok so I'd heard of Alderney but not sark or helm

BeatriceAndLottie · 28/11/2024 06:27

DreamW3aver · 28/11/2024 06:12

My children are fat from idiots but I'm not sure they'd know anything about the Channel Islands. Why would that be a marker of an idiot? It's not knowledge that is any kind of universal requirement

Show quote history

No knowledge is a universal requirement. In reality though your children should be able to look at a map and identify the different parts of the nation..

CrispyK · 28/11/2024 06:26

My early teen DS does but he takes an interest in geography