Court gets active at end of EPIC week

Friday 15 September 2023

As the Bailiff began his fourth lap around the Royal Court building on a micro scooter he felt as though he had hit a wall.

This ordinarily unusual activity for the island’s civic head was part of wider efforts to raise money for 'Just Get Active' week, with the proceeds raised going towards the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation and This is Epic.

Sir Richard McMahon took part, along with other court staff completing laps of Guernsey's legal and judicial centre. 

Clerks, security guards, law officers, Greffiers, jurats and even judges spent several hours continuously traversing the perimeter of the Royal Court across St James Street, Court Row, and Rue Marguerite relay style between 9:00 and 16:00 on Friday.

There was always at least one person on the 0.25km course over that period, with a wooden gavel used as a make-shift baton throughout.

Pictured: The lunchtime lap tally. The courts' staff chose to participate as the Deputy Bailiff, Jessica Roland, is patron of the Priaulx's foundation, with one colleague having to use its services this year.

Staff had smashed the 100-lap mark just under an hour into the event, with the tally climbing past 450 by lunchtime. 1,200 laps was the final score on the door at 16:00 on Friday – equivalent to seven-and-a-half marathons.

The Bailiff, Sir Richard McMahon, found his outing on the scooter particularly challenging.

“Coming up, the hill is surprisingly hard work, particularly when you do the 4th and 5th lap,” he said.

“It's surprising how much the muscles start crying out, and one can understand all these people that do marathon events and hit a wall at some point when I did it for about 10 minutes and hit a wall at that point.”

Pictured: Parliamentary Officer Emma Atkinson spent one hour continuously cycling around the perimeter.

“I haven't been on a scooter for many years, which may have become apparent.But I said that of all the things I wasn't going to run, I wasn't going to get on a push bike, I would potentially get on a scooter, and I would be happy to walk,” he added.

“I'm a coward at heart, and therefore I want to do things that are safe!

“Although, going along Court Row was actually fantastic because it was flat and you could get past everyone else.”

Sir Richard was particularly impressed with his colleagues putting in a shift by running laps periodically throughout the day: “The people who are spending their time running, because of the hills, both up and down, they know that they've got to put in that bit more effort.

“Walking slowly, which is my speciality, is something that we can all do without too much difficulty.

“It's great that we've got so many people from within the court building - whether they be the judiciary, the jurats, the staff - who are keen to come out and support the good causes."

A donation bucket alongside various baked goods positioned outside the main entrance was brimming with cash early into the day's event. The final tally raised by the court has not been counted yet. 

EPIC week was sponsored by JGA, with the strapline ‘Just Get Active’.

Pictured top: Sir Richard McMahon scooting up St James Street in the heat.

You can view a gallery of image from the event below: