Preparations for the 60^th anniversary of Alderney Week are well under way, starting with the traditional Miss Alderney contest on Friday evening 23 May in the Island Hall.

Great prizes for the winner and the two runners-up who will be Miss Alderney’s Maids of Honour.

Miss Alderney will receive

• £350 cash plus
• £250 towards her Cavalcade Float
• a 2-night break for two at the Radisson Hotel in Jersey - courtesy of Blue Islands - where she will represent her island at the Jersey Battle of Flowers
• Elizabeth Arden cosmetics worth over £150 from Boardman’s Pharmacy
• a free hair styling, a facial treatment and a pedicure, champagne, flowers and luxury chocolates.

The two runners-up who will become her Maids of Honour, will each receive £200 cash, champagne, flowers and both will join Miss Alderney on a trip to Guernsey – where the young ladies will buy their outfits and enjoy a well-deserved lunch at the Fermain Valley Hotel, courtesy of Blue Islands.

Candidates must be 17 years of age by August 2 (the start of Alderney Week) and should be single, live on the island and be in Alderney throughout Alderney Week . Looks are important, but so is a happy, sunny personality, a positive attitude and the ability and enthusiasm to communicate with people and represent your island.

What it takes to become Miss Alderney 2008

Compared with Carnival Queen contests in Guernsey or Jersey, entering the Miss Alderney competition is very different. Alderney’s candidates are spared any possible stress or embarrassment. No interviews on stage in front of a large crowd and a scary panel of judges, no catwalk parade in different outfits or swimsuits. Instead, contestants are welcomed by familiar faces, put at ease with a glass of bubbly or a cocktail and are then invited to join the judges for an informal chat.

Due to an important island wedding on Bank Holiday Saturday – traditionally the Miss Alderney Night - this year’s Miss Alderney contest has been moved forward to Friday 23 May and candidates are invited to present themselves between 8.30pm and 9.00pm at the Anne French Room.

The four judges (2 ladies and 2 gentlemen) make their onerous decision based not just on looks, but on overall impressions, appearance and style, personality, manners, confidence and the willingness and enthusiasm to be a young ambassadress for Alderney and Alderney Week. Their advice is: look your best and dress to impress (no jeans). Relax, just be your bubbly self and enjoy the experience.

After the interviews all candidates are given free entry to the “Stars of the 60’s” live music show which this year will be full of surprises and starts at 9.30pm. Immediately afterwards the winners – two Maids of Honour and Miss Alderney – will be announced and called on stage to be crowned and presented with their fabulous prizes which are now on display in the office window of Rossborough Insurance in Victoria Street.

Then there will be a quick photo call for the trio and brief interviews with the local media and then it’s disco and party time in the Island Hall.

As to the duties of Miss Alderney and Her Maids of Honour, the winning trio will be required to attend a considerable number of Alderney Week events to present prizes, starting on Friday night 1 August with the election of Mister Alderney 2008 at the Chez Bar. On Saturday 2 August they will crown Little Miss and Master Alderney and Little Miss Holiday Princess. On Cavalcade Day, after the Cavalcade has arrived on the Butes, they will act as hosts to visiting Carnival Queens from Guernsey, Jersey, Sark and Beaumont-Hague and, on the last night of Alderney Week, they will lead the Torchlight Procession.

The following week, Miss Alderney will represent her island at the Jersey Battle of Flowers and the fantastic Moonlight Parade. And, if transport to Beaumont-Hague can be organised for the Fete de la Madeleine (20 August), Miss Alderney and her two Maids of Honour will be leading the Carnival parade in Alderney’s French twinning town.

That’s all it takes and any previous Miss Alderney is most welcome to present herself again. There have been many occasions when the same young lady has held the title in different years, as can be seen on the “Miss Alderney Walk of Fame” page of www.alderneyweek.net .

All in all, Miss Alderney and her Two Maids of Honour are guaranteed a fabulous time ahead. Any young lady wanting to know a little more should call Ilona on 824321 or visit www.alderneyweek.net .

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THE 2008 ALDERNEY WEEK LOGO IS CHOSEN.

Alderney Week 2008 is particularly important, as it marks the 60^th anniversary of Alderney Week since the end of the war and, quite appropriately, this year’s chosen theme is “Pure Magic” 'which sums up the sixty magical years of Alderney Weeks since 1948.

This year’s winner was John Adamson (13) from St Anne’s school. John’s magical logo will feature on all Alderney Week merchandise such as; T-shirts, baseball caps, the Alderney Week Programme, posters and stationery. It may also be used by Alderney Week sponsors. And this year’s Alderney Week mascot is John’s magic wand which will turn every Alderney Week event into pure magic.

Asked what inspired him to come up with the winning design, John said: “I wanted to produce a simple but striking logo. The first thing that came to my mind was a top hat and, rather than showing a bunny, I thought it would be much funnier to have its ears peaking out of the hat. Besides, I’m not very good at drawing paws or feet. The magic wand would put a spell on the number sixty to make it very special, and the Alderney lion is, well, Alderney”.

For more information on Alderney Week 2008 please visit www.alderneyweek.net

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New Alderney Tourism Website

Alderney Tourism has just launched a new tourism website www.visitalderney.com . The new website offers a great new look, style and easy navigation.  New features include the e-brochure which allows viewers to browse the brochure online or download onto their desktop.  A new and improved gallery offering great photos of the island and the facility to view the New Alderney Map (released in June 2007 in print form) online.

The website has been designed using the colour palette from the Alderney brochure and other tourism related literature, so as stay in keeping with the brand.  The new layout focuses on the special interests and tourist activities, which have proved to attract visitors year on year such as walking, history, angling, golf, private aviation, yachting, and wildlife, these being some of the main markets.   Joanna Parmentier, States of Alderney, Marketing & Public Relations Manager said “After months of hard work, finally the website has come to fruition.  I am really pleased with the new look of the website and the ease of navigation that it offers.  Submarine have done a fantastic job and provided exactly what we were looking for.”

Magazine Styled Brochure

Due to the success of the 2007 brochure, Alderney Tourism has again launched a magazine styled brochure for 2008, featuring articles on a wide variety of topics from wildlife to culinary delights.  Alderney’s Tourism Marketing and Public Relations Manager Joanna Parmentier said “Designed like a travel magazine it is a comprehensive guide to Alderney providing valuable information on all aspects of the Island.”