In the summer of 2006, four young volleyball players from a tsunami-hit village in Sri Lanka took the trip of a lifetime to Jersey. Their visit, paid for through sponsorship, proved to be an incredible experience for all of them, in particular for three of the young men, who had never before left their country.
The trip was the result of Jersey Side by Side’s ongoing links with Sri Lanka following the tsunami. In addition to rebuilding homes there, sport was being used to offer young villagers hope and to rebuild community pride.
As an extension of this, the players participated in the annual Jersey Open Beach Volleyball Competition. Unbelievably, they left as the 2006 champions, having impressed everyone with the high standard of their play, despite receiving no formal training. In between volleyball games, the foursome was able to see for themselves the island that was helping their rural community and they were honoured with a drinks reception at Government House.