2024 Convention

 

Our next Convention will be held in Jersey between 2nd and 6th October 2024.

The venue is the Ambassadeur Hotel. The hotel is opposite a very sandy beach known as La Greve D'Azette which provides ever changing views out to sea, as the tides ebb and flow. Some of our 'spring tides' can be the second highest (and lowest) in the world behind the Bay of Fundy. It is also on a bus route to and from St. Helier, so independent travel is readily available to those who wish to explore some of the island. More details on the hotel can be found on their website.

The President has been able to obtain preferential package rates for 4 nights, on a half board basis, including the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening at the following ROOM  RATES.

Double or twin bedded room                                                                  £799
Single room (limited number available)                                                 £450
Large single room                                                                                   £530
Sea view supplement    £15  per night (all single rooms are inland facing)

Extra nights are available on a bed and breakfast basis prior to and after the convention at:-

Double/ twin bedded room                                                                     £150 per night
Single room                                                                                               £86 per night
Large single room                                                                                   £105 per night

Booking forms will be sent out with the April issue of Maple Leaves but please note that you will need to make your hotel reservations direct with the hotel. When booking please make sure that you let them know you are attending the Canadian Philatelic event.

Booking with the hotel can be made by phone, e mail or online at their website. Once your booking is ocnfimred by the hotel please send the 'booking form' to the President so he has a record of your booking and can deal with any queries that may arise.

The 'booking form' and also the Convention Competition form can be downloaded here if required.

Some general infomration on Jersey and initial details on travel options to and from the island are given below.

FIRSTLY A FEW WORDS ABOUT JERSEY ITSELF:-

Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is not, contrary to popular belief, part of the UK. Nor has it ever been part of the EU. (Its current relationship with the EU is the same as that applying to the UK)

It is a self-governing British Crown Dependency situated some 14 miles from the shores of north west France. Although it is the largest of the Channel Islands, it is not large – just 9 miles from east to west and 5 miles from north to south. As a Crown Dependency, the relationship is with the British Crown and not with the British Parliament. It is a self- governing democracy with its own financial, legal and judicial systems.

Jersey is part of the CTA (Common Travel Area) which covers the UK, Ireland and Crown Dependencies. As such you do not require a passport to travel from the UK to Jersey or vice versa although a form of photo ID is required by all travel operators.

That said, it can seem a bit like Britain with a touch of France.  English is the main language, the pound sterling is the primary currency, people drive on the left, you will see British newspaper and TV stations and they even play cricket! They do, however, issue their own stamps (like most countries lots of them) and their own banknotes (not legal tender outside of the Channel Islands though accepted for exchange in UK banks) and don’t be surprised if you see most road signs in French; the ties with Normandy are very strong.

Taxes such as income tax and GST (VAT) are set at lower rates than in the UK but as ever there is a catch; GST at 5% is levied across everything and average property prices in Jersey are higher than any part of the UK – even London. Visitors need not worry about this last point as you are not allowed to buy property anyway.

On a purely practical Convention note, the different financial and tax regimes between the UK and Jersey make it exceedingly complex for the Society to hold a room auction as part of the programme. The Convention auction will, therefore, be held as a postal/internet sale close to the Convention dates. There will, however, be no problems with members bringing displays of their own material to Convention.

TRAVEL TO AND FROM AND ON JERSEY

BY AIR:-
Most members will probably seek to travel to and from the island by air. If travelling from overseas or some of the more remote UK locations the best option is to fly with British Airways from Heathrow. BA currently operate four round trip flights daily from Heathrow. Details and prices can be found at www.britishairways.com Note that if you are flying into Heathrow from overseas on any airline other than BA you will need to change terminals as BA operate exclusively from Terminal 5. Terminal connections are good but make sure you allow sufficient time for the transfer.

Those travelling within the UK have a number of other flight options. Easyjet operate flights to Jersey from London Gatwick, Luton, East Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast. Check at www.easyjet.com for details and prices. Note that few if any of these services run daily 7 days a week.

Our regional airline BlueIslands also operate flights into Jersey from Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Southampton and Norwich. Details and prices can be found at www.blueislands.com

Jet2.com is another option. However, flights are less frequent and the airline operates mostly in the peak holiday months.

If you wish to have the use of a car for all or part of your stay in Jersey, most of the major car hire companies operate from Jersey airport (e.g. Hertz, Avis etc) If you are just attending the Convention you are unlikely to need a car and transfer from the airport to hotel is an approx. 30 minute taxi ride subject to traffic (expect cost of £25). The more adventurous can use the local bus service which will take you around 45 mins with a change required in St Helier. Full details can be supplied by the President on request.

BY FERRY:-

It is also possible to reach Jersey by Ferry either from the UK mainland or from France. Condor ferries (www.condorferries.co.uk ) run services to and from Jersey from Portsmouth, Poole in Dorset, St Malo in France and Guernsey. All routes can handle passengers and cars. Note, however, that weather can disrupt sailings at times.

Typical journey times are as follows:-
Portsmouth     8½ to 10½ hours (some overnight sailing options are possible)
Poole   4½ hours
St Malo  1½ hours
Guernsey  1 to 2 hours
Full details and prices etc can be found at the Condor website.

GETTING AROUND ON JERSEY:-

Jersey has a fairly comprehensive network of bus services covering all the main sites on the island. There is even a bus stop right outside the Convention hotel with a service running into St Helier’s main bus station in one direction and to Gorey in the other. Multi day tourist tickets are available for any members who wish to explore the island at their leisure. If you are planning to extend your stay for this purpose note that the summer bus timetables now run to the end of October so it makes no difference if you chose to extend either before or after Convention. Note however that buses tend to be less frequent on Sundays.

 
 

Last updated on 27 March, 2024  
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