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

[thelionscake]

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".

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).

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

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.

@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

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?

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.

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….

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

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

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

Know what about them? Their existence, or their history, etc.?
I know my nieces and nephew know about their existence, where they are, and that they were occupied during WW2; but not sure they'd know much more. They are 14, 15, 19 & 8 - so not 20s, but still young people!

I briefly lived in California - near Falkirk!

I hope mine do because we spent ( a very wet) fortnight on Jersey when they were young. They may not remember it, but are hopefully still aware of the Islands in general. I spent a couple of holidays on Guernsey when I was young, and visited Herm. I doubt that they could locate them on a map though - their knowledge of the geography of the UK is appalling - can barely locate neighbouring counties!

I would hope that people are aware of the awful time the Islands had during WW2.

I think Jersey may become more prominent again with the remake of Bergerac hitting our TV screens soon.

We have 13 and 16 year old DC and both of them know about the Channel Islands. However they know about them because DH and I have talked about when we have been when we were younger.

From my own experience- born and raised in Guernsey and lived for a few years on the mainland- people tend to know we exist but not much more. Most assume we're part of the UK, if not they think we're French, and they know sod all about the Occupation.

(Actually, the thing I found surprised most mainlanders is that we didn't get a vote in the Brexit referendum! That and the fact that we don't have any of the major chain restaurants, any fast food, or most of the standard supermarkets in Guernsey)

I love when people know the islands, though, it's always nice to meet someone who has been around Jersey and the Bailiwick. Sark seems to be everyone's favourite, in my experience, and I can't blame them!

I lived and worked on Herm for a number of years so am familiar with most of the Channel Islands and visited many of them, Guernsey of course, since the only way to get to Herm is via the Trident ferry from Guernsey, and including Alderney, Sark, Jethou, Lihou, Brecquou, but never got to Jersey, sadly.

When I mention Herm to people, the majority confuse it with Herne and Herne Bay in Kent, unless they have had the experience of actually visiting Herm. Most are aware of the geographic location of the larger Channel Islands though, if not their status as a Crown Dependency

An awful lot of British people think Ireland is part of the UK. Look at all the nonsense said about it around brexit!

Yes because we have had a few holidays there.

But my husband had a colleague in her 20s who'd never heard of them. Mind you he had a colleague who didn't know where Brussels was either (not the same colleague).

I went to Jersey when I was 8 and we had friends with relatives there, so I always knew about the Channel Islands, although I didn't go to Guernsey until I was an adult.

Edited: Jersey is my favourite - there isn't enough to do on Sark!

Yes Bergerac did a lot for the Jersey tourist industry I think!

I love maps so know roughly where places are even if I've not been there.

Yes whenever you do a google search you need to put Jersey CI to make sure you don't get the US hits.

Well they need to be taught history in school then.

Another interesting thing is that there is a significant Portuguese population on Jersey - from Madeira. Islands like islands :)

I’m 29, I know of them! Mainly when I worked in a shop and we would have people coming over from Jersey and getting the VAT exemption receipts!

The Channel Islands are in the British Isles. They’re not in the UK though. Jersey has over 100,000 people on it so a bit more significant than a big rock!

I lived in Jersey for quite a while and a very large number of people have no idea where it is or think it’s American. An even larger number think it’s like the Isle of Wight and part of the UK. Some people think it’s French. Explaining what a Crown Dependency is would baffle many Jersey islanders themselves.

Bergerac is the touch point for most people over 40. WW2 occupation can spark things, or Durrell. Young people very often have no idea at all. The worst is when you have to explain things like the status of a Jersey passport, or talk to HMRC, or do anything remotely official in which the other person absolutely needs to understand the political/legal position of Jersey.

Obviously my children know all about Jersey but they were met with bafflement by most of their peers when we moved back to the UK and they tried to explain where we’d been living.