Mont Orgueil turns purple - and Gorey resident wins a camera

Friday 10 October 2014

Gorey resident Colin Pallot took advantage of Mont Orgueil being bathed in a purple light last month to enter - and win - a photographic competition to win a GoPro camera.

The floodlights that illuminate the Island's most iconic monument turned purple for one night, taking on the brand colours of Skipton International brand as it celebrated the fifth anniversary as a Channel Islands bank.

Mr Pallot said: “I have been into photography since I was young and it has only been in the past couple of years that I have taken it more seriously. Living at the top of Gorey Hill and driving past Mont Orgueil Castle several times a day, I have previously taken shots of this local iconic landmark. But, I was intrigued to hear that it would be having a makeover for a few hours courtesy of Skipton International, so I decided to head down and take some photographs and enter the competition. I have been looking at Go Pro cameras for a while now and I am delighted to have won. I am hoping that I can try some different techniques with the Go Pro camera as film and movie editing is something I have always wanted to try and this will be the perfect piece of kit to help me achieve this.”

Skipton International was launched in 2009 following an amalgamation of Skipton Guernsey and Scarborough Channel Islands when their parent building societies merged in the UK. The bank has grown its mortgage book from £388 million in 2009 to £3/4 of a billion this year, and rising.  They have been the largest provider of new mortgages in Guernsey for the past four years, and in Jersey have now surpassed the Guernsey lending book.

The Managing Director of Skipton International, Jim Coupe, said everyone enjoyed the spectacle.

"We’ve had some wonderful feedback and it’s not hard to see why. The castle looked stunning and we were lucky to have the perfect weather and a high tide which meant Mont Orguiel was the perfect backdrop to the pretty harbour. Colin did a fantastic job in capturing the colours and lights of the occasion and was a worthy winner. We’d also like to thank all the other photographers who took the time to record the spectacle, there were some beautiful shots.’

Skipton International today employs 34 staff across the islands. It regularly receives industry recognition for its mortgage and savings products, including in each of the past five years either winning or being commended in the Moneyfacts awards. The Bank’s commitment to the Channel Islands and its mutual heritage is evident through its sponsorships and community activities, including its headline sponsorship in Jersey of the annual Skipton Open Studios.