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Changes were afoot in July with the UK Prime Minster forced to resign after a series of resignations and a new Head of the Public Service assumed permanent office in Guernsey.
Mark de Garis swept into the newly created top civil service job largely unopposed after steadying the ship for several months following the sudden sacking of Paul Whitfield as Chief Executive of the States of Guernsey.
Boris Johnson had to surrender his premiership after losing so many ministers Her Majesty's Government was unable to function. A leadership contest soon began to bring political stability and maturity to the nation.
Strong results for GCSE, A Level and IB examinations across schools, in many cases surpassing pre-pandemic attainment levels, were somewhat shadowed by the first Ofsted inspection for a Guernsey secondary school.
St. Sampson’s High School was found to be inadequate or requiring improvement in all areas assessed by the inspectorate.
But civic relief came when Team Guernsey returned from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games with two medals – a silver and a bronze - in hand, for bowls and athletics.
Pictured: Near record-breaking temperatures came to the Bailiwick this summer.
High temperatures sparked beach visits and wildfires across the Bailiwick as water reserves dropped below the 10-year average.
The sale of disposable BBQs was soon paused across the islands to prevent any further risks to the landscape. Temperatures were so high that dead fish started washing up in Saumarez Park pond which was remediated by a local company free of charge.
The weather also led to disagreements over the extent of human contribution to climate change and comparisons to a 70’s summer that was apparently much warmer.
July also saw the news that the ubiquitous weedkiller glyphosate would soon be banned for domestic use by the end of the year over fears it was entering the water supply.
The high temperatures across the world and the war in Ukraine also saw the States bail out the farming industry to the tune of £0.5m to avoid collapse.
Pictured: The field at the heart of a major political disagreement.
An attempt to safeguard against the construction of key worker housing on the valley field between the Princess Elizabeth Hospital and Duchess of Kent House was defeated by the States in July.
The requete drew support from nature groups, the Farmers Association, and large swathes of the electorate which considered greenfield development unpalatable.
But senior States figures argued the build was necessary and the site was correct, with the President of Health telling deputies to choose between nurses or cows in their voting intentions.
The States decided not to eliminate the possibility of field building, but said if it ever were to be used, a separate field must be purchased and converted for dairy farming.
Concerns over parliamentary etiquette also stemmed from this debate, with some politicians reported to have left the chamber en masse during certain members speeches.
An application to build on the field was submitted in December.
Pictured: One of Guernsey’s most iconic buildings unexpectedly entered the headlines over the summer.
August roared in with a saga that bewildered many and led to one politician saying that it reminded him of “hot dog van turf wars on Brighton Pier”.
A silversmith selling goods bearing the likeness and name of the Little Chapel was threatened with legal action by Little Chapel Foundation who by then were attempting to trademark and prevent sale of third-party goods.
It argued that customers buying these products may be unaware they were spending their money outside the charitable nexus of the Chapel’s Foundation.
But the public backlash was palpable, and within days several prominent individuals involved with the Foundation resigned, including the Chair and Fundraiser.
The status of the legal action and trademark attempt remains unclear.
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