For the second year in a row the Victor Hugo Centre team took a stall at Arts Sunday, right outside the building where the Centre will be located.

This lively event showcases the best of the island’s creative talent, with artists, musicians and crafters coming together to celebrate in the sunshine.

For us, it was an opportunity to chat to both locals and tourists about the Victor Hugo Centre, and our recently launched Victor Hugo Trails. We had some great and wide-ranging conversations, with locals, visitors, even with a Skeksis – a mythical creature from the Dark Crystal cult movie.

The most frequently asked question this year was “When are you going to open?”, which was very encouraging, as last year the most frequently asked question was “What is the Victor Hugo Centre?” People are now far more aware of the Centre and the value it will bring to the island.

Because of the new sea links between St Malo and Guernsey and the publicity campaign between Brittany Ferries and Visit Guernsey, there were a great number of French tourists at Arts Sunday enjoying and exploring our beautiful town centre. Many of them, assuming that we were connected to Hauteville House, expressed to us their disappointment at not being able to visit the house, as one has to book in advance. There is a clear need for more capacity in this area, which the proposed Victor Hugo Centre seeks to meet.

We are in the middle of our fund-raising campaign to make our dream a reality. If you feel you can help we would love to hear from you. You can find out more about donating to make the Centre a reality by going to vhc.gg/donate

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