CamTalks

This episode is proudly supported by:Alderney ElectricityPowering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.http://alderney-elec.comBell & CoTrusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.http://bellandcoalderney.comChannel SeawaysKeeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.https://www.channelseaways.ggToday I’m talking to Jeannie Cameron, newly elected Chair of Alderney’s Policy & Finance Committee — the island’s most senior decision-making role.Jeannie’s life started in Sydney. She grew up between two very different worlds: a bohemian, artistic mother and a disciplined military father. That mix shaped a career that took her into Australian parliament, international diplomacy, the United Nations and some of the most complex negotiations on the planet.Now she’s brought all of that experience to a 2,000-person island — and says it’s the hardest job she’s ever had.In this episode we talk about what the Policy & Finance Committee act

This episode is proudly supported by: Alderney Electricity Powering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving. alderney-elec.com Bell & Co Trusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney. bellandcoalderney.com Channel Seaways Keeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day. channelseaways.gg Today I’m talking to the man behind Nellie Grey’s Indian Restaurant, a place that’s fed Alderney through quiet winters, chaotic Augusts, birthdays, break-ups, reunions and those “we’ve just landed, we need a curry” moments. Matt’s story starts in Bangladesh. He moved to Lancashire at 12, learned kitchens the hard way, followed opportunity to Jersey with a small bag and a five-day plan that somehow turned into 11 years. He ran delivery businesses, cooked for thousands, made mistakes, learned business the long way round and eventually found himself walking into an empty resta

This episode is proudly supported by:Alderney ElectricityPowering our island and supporting the community that keeps Alderney moving.http://alderney-elec.comBell & CoTrusted local experts for renting, buying or relocating to Alderney.http://bellandcoalderney.comChannel SeawaysKeeping Alderney supplied, connected and running every single day.https://www.channelseaways.ggToday I’m talking to a woman who has seen more of war, medicine and human resilience than most of us could ever imagine – and still chooses to spend her mornings swimming in the freezing Alderney sea for fun.Dr Sally Simmons is a Royal Navy veteran who served as a nurse during the Falklands War, treated burned sailors on hospital ship Uganda, later became an Army doctor in Northern Ireland, and went on to help steer Alderney through COVID as Clinical Director of the Island Medical Centre.She’s also a diving medicine specialist, Isle of Man TT doctor, motorbike rider, semi-retired GP, sea swimmer and now a budding novelist.In this episode we

This episode is proudly supported byAlderney ElectricityThank you to Alderney Electricity for powering our island and supporting community stories like this one. Behind every light switch is a team of electricians, engineers and administrators quietly keeping Alderney moving.http://alderney-elec.comBell & CoThank you to Bell & Co for supporting CamTalks. If you’re looking to rent, buy or relocate to Alderney, they’re the trusted local experts who make island life possible.http://bellandcoalderney.comToday I’m talking to a man who’s lived a life that belongs in ten different films stitched together with duct tape.Colin Prescott is a ballooning pioneer, record-chaser, movie stunt coordinator and the only person I know who introduced Richard Branson to ballooning… and immediately regretted it.He’s flown around the world for 18 days straight, ditched into the Pacific Ocean, hung under helicopters for Bond films and trained as a cosmonaut to reach the edge of space. Yet somehow he also ended up here on Ald

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island. bellandcoalderney.comIn partnership with Alderney Electricity Ltd — powering our community and helping keep Alderney’s lights on. alderney-elec.comRobert McDowall has been called a Marmite character on Alderney — loved by some, disagreed with by others, but always impossible to ignore. A former States Member, a veteran of global finance, and the man who nearly launched a Royal Mint Bitcoin coin for Alderney, Robert joins me for a conversation that pulls back the curtain on money, power and the island’s future.We talk about his upbringing, his rise through London’s financial world, the birth of offshore banking, and his time in Alderney politics. Robert shares why he pushed to reform pensions, modernise company law and unbundle Alderney’s real financial contribution to Guernsey. He also tells the full story of the Bitcoin coin that made the front page of the FT — and why it was shut down.We dive into AI

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.bellandcoalderney.comIn partnership with Alderney Electricity Ltd — powering our community and helping keep Alderney’s lights on.alderney-elec.comSteve Roberts has spent a lifetime capturing Alderney’s spirit through music, friendship and laughter. A former Alderney resident, musician, and storyteller at heart, Steve returns to share tales of growing up on the island, playing in local bands, and the deep connection that’s never quite left him — even after years away.In this episode, we talk about Alderney’s music scene in its heyday, the characters who shaped the island’s culture, and the bittersweet pull of coming home. Steve opens up about finding belonging through song, his memories of island nights that turned into lifelong stories, and how Alderney still calls to him after all these years.It’s a nostalgic and uplifting conversation about roots, rhythm, and remembering where you came from — a remind

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.comJo Corder (ex Woodnutt) grew up on Alderney — the daughter of one of the island’s most recognisable families — and has now returned to raise her own. A vet, mother, and nature lover, Jo shares her story of leaving Alderney to study, building a career in animal care, and eventually coming home to rediscover what community really means.In this episode, we talk about growing up on the island, the pressures of living up to family expectations, the challenges of being a vet, and how motherhood reshapes your sense of purpose. Jo also shares the unlikely story of meeting her husband Ian online, getting married on Arch, and building a life filled with family, laughter, and home-grown vegetables.It’s a heartfelt conversation about identity, family legacy, and the quiet power of island life — where community is everything, and happiness comes from the simplest things.LET’S CONNECT

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island. http://bellandcoalderney.comIan Taylor has lived a life few could imagine. From global travel and high-stakes export deals to surviving cancer, losing everything, and rebuilding it all — his story is a masterclass in resilience and humour.Now semi-retired and based on Alderney, Ian is a breakfast presenter on Riduna Radio and one of the driving forces behind Riduna Fest, the island’s new music festival. In this conversation, he opens up about growing up on Alderney, his father’s legacy, near-death experiences, the magic of community life, and why “semi-retired” really means busier than ever.We talk about surviving terminal illness, building a business from scratch, meeting his wife V online, the birth of Riduna Radio, and his mission to bring big-stage energy to Alderney with Riduna Fest.It’s a conversation about laughter, legacy, and living every day as if it’s borrowed time.LET’S CONNECT

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.comTess Woodnutt might just be Alderney’s busiest woman. She first arrived on the island by accident as a child, fell in love through her family’s sailing adventures, and somehow never left. Today she’s a picture framer, pig farmer, sailor, radiographer, and one of those people who keeps the island quietly turning — whether it’s through the Sailing Club, the Alderney Theatre Group, or just lending a hand where it’s needed.In this episode, Tess shares her story of raising two children born and bred on Alderney, and what it’s really like to live a full, creative, hands-on life on an island barely three miles long.We talk about her approach to DIY, her belief in healthy, sustainable living, and the unspoken magic of a community where everyone wears ten hats — sometimes all at once.It’s a conversation about independence, belonging, and finding joy in the small, beautiful rhythms of

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.comAt 27, Alex Purdie is one of the youngest “old legends” to sit down on CamTalks. A marine biologist and ecological scientist, he arrived in Alderney in 2021 on a Wildlife Trust internship and never left — trading mainland internships that make you fetch coffee for real responsibility surveying Ramsar sites, tagging ormers and counting seabirds on the edge of the Atlantic.Alex’s passion began with Jurassic Park and snorkelling trips on the south coast. That fascination has grown into a career spent among ganets, puffins and plankton — a reminder that life on Alderney is lived between two worlds: the land under our feet and the seas that surround us. In this episode he explains how everything connects, from blonde hedgehogs and slow worms to puffins and tuna, why Ganet Rock is one of the most extraordinary seabird colonies in the world, and how apps like iNaturalist are helping

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.http://bellandcoalderney.comAlex Flewitt first came to CamTalks five years ago in a North London warehouse; today she’s back in Alderney, running Anchors on Victoria Street, teaching music, and helping launch RidunaFest — a two-day, community-driven festival in the quarry. What began as a pandemic pivot to a bedroom studio became a whole new toolkit: finishing a performance degree online, building a home recording setup, and rediscovering why small-island life is fertile ground for big creative projects.Nearly two years into co-owning Anchors, Alex has learned retail from scratch — buying, styling and keeping the island effortlessly well-dressed — while doubling down on community: Alderney Theatre Group’s hit "Vicar of Dibley", the Fireman Mole gala ads, and a plan to make RidunaFest feel like “the best of the big gigs, done the Alderney way.” Along the way she’s reversed type 2 diabetes throu

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.Andrew Eggleston first came to Alderney in the 1970s after his father spotted an article about the island while working at The Times. What started as a family move soon became a lifelong home, and by 1978 Andrew was helping to run Bell & Co — the business that still carries his name today.Nearly fifty years on, Bell & Co remains a true family firm with Andrew’s daughter Beth, his wife Janet, and a loyal team who’ve stayed for decades. Alongside it, Andrew has spent twenty years as President of the Chamber of Commerce, helping to shape the island’s economy and support local business.In this episode we talk about growing up between London and Alderney, why Bell & Co “sells the island first and the house second”, the quirks of small-island life from cobbles to bunker parties, what really draws people to relocate here, and the Chamber’s push for change — from leasehold lending to a new marina. W

Sponsored by Bell & Co — Alderney’s leading estate agent, helping people find their place on the island.Stuart Clark has been coming to Alderney since he was a child. Summers spent exploring bunkers, working in the First and Last, and drinking in gardens shaped him as much as his time in London, Sandhurst, and later, Iraq.He’s a former British Army officer and helicopter pilot who flew missions in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Today he serves as a States Member and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, helping to steer Alderney’s future.In this episode we get into his family’s history on Alderney, what it takes to survive Sandhurst on four hours’ sleep, learning to fly with the Army Air Corps, desert landings in 50° heat, convoy protection in Basra, and the mix of pride and pressure that comes with wearing the uniform. We also talk about legacy media, podcasts, and how AI is quietly reshaping government even here on our rock.It’s a conversation about service, sacrifice, and choosing to come hom

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co. Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?http://bellandcoalderney.comCharmaine Johnson moved to Alderney and found exactly what she’d been chasing her whole life — community. She’s a physio, a heptathlete, and at 62 she just represented the island at the Island Games. People know her as “Sporty Gran,” but that barely covers it.In this episode we get into the feeling of belonging the moment you step off the plane, building Alderney Athletics from almost nothing, why discipline beats motivation, how faith and joy fuel performance, growing up in Kingston with Jamaican roots, dyslexia as a superpower, and the practical magic of keeping an ageing community moving.It’s a conversation about community, resilience, and choosing to be useful — on a small island that rewards anyone who shows up.“The best is still to come.”LET’S CONNECT

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co. Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?http://bellandcoalderney.com](http://bellandcoalderney.comSarah Kelly has lived on Alderney since 1999. She came for “two years of career experience” and never left. From working in the courts to becoming Alderney’s first female Greffier, Sarah’s story is full of twists, humour, and deep island insight.In this episode we dive into how Alderney’s unusual legal system really works, what makes island life both safer and stranger than the city, the challenge of regulating online gambling from a tiny rock in the Channel, the story of setting up a rugby club during lockdown, and of course the gossip, ghost stories, and pubs that so often double as Alderney’s real courtroom.It’s a conversation about community, law, and what it means to choose a small island as home.“People always say: we’re so lucky. And on Alderney, you really do feel it.”LET’S CONNECT

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co — Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?http://bellandcoalderney.comOur next guest on CamTalks is Ronnie Cairnduff — folk singer, filmmaker, pub landlord, theatre organiser, and my dad.In this episode, Ronnie shares his wild journey from hitchhiking with a guitar towards Australia, to running London’s biggest folk clubs, to discovering Alderney by accident and helping to shape its cultural heart.We talk about his early days growing up in post-war Northern Ireland, the madness of Alderney Week with safaris and SAS abseilers, building the Georgian into the island’s pub of pubs, and how he accidentally nearly got sued by The Beatles.He also opens up about family, legacy, and why he believes Alderney’s future will depend on the optimism and creativity of the next generation.It’s not just a father–son chat. It’s a love letter to a life well lived and an island that keeps pulling us back.LET’

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co — Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?bellandcoalderney.comOur next guest on CamTalks is Edward Hill — real estate mogul, States Member, paddle club pioneer, and one of Alderney’s most experienced characters.In this episode, Edward shares his remarkable journey from selling apartments off-plan in the Egyptian desert to breathing new life into Alderney’s tennis and paddle scene.We talk about his early days as Iberia’s first British cabin crew, how to sell without selling, and the secret to building trust, teams and entire towns from scratch.He also opens up about the challenges of island politics, his vision for Alderney’s future, and why community matters more now than ever.It’s not just about selling dreams. It’s about making them happen.LET’S CONNECT

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co — Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?bellandcoalderney.comOur next guest on CamTalks is Reverend Samantha Martell — Alderney’s vicar, former pig farmer, and one of the island’s most unexpected characters.In this episode, Samantha shares her journey from breaking her back on a pig farm to finding purpose in the priesthood, and why she believes churches should feel more like living rooms than institutions.We talk about grief, belief, puppet ministry, and why she bought a sausage truck to bring the community together.She opens up about the joy and challenge of leading St Anne’s, the future of faith on the island, and what it really means to serve others in a place as small as Alderney.It’s not just about religion. It’s about resilience.LET’S CONNECT

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co — Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?bellandcoalderney.comOur next guest on CamTalks is Ellis Downes — a world-class obstetrician, gynaecologist and former Harley Street consultant who now calls Alderney home.In this episode, Ellis shares his thoughts on why laughter might be more important than medicine, how loneliness impacts physical health, and the surprising lessons he’s learned from Alderney’s tight-knit community.We talk about generational habits, parenting, parish councils, and the politics of small islands.He opens up about his journey in medicine — from delivering babies to delivering public service — and what it really means to be useful later in life.And yes, we also hear the story of the couple who wanted to name their baby after him… until they heard the name Ellis

This podcast is proudly supported by Bell & Co — Alderney’s go-to for homes, holidays, and a proper sense of place. Looking to move, stay, or invest in Alderney?bellandcoalderney.comOur next guest on CamTalks is Bennt Bengtsson — artist, former creative director, and founder of BB’s Wine Bar on Alderney.Bennt’s story begins with his father’s success in business and spans a rich career in the early days of advertising, when ideas mattered more than algorithms. After years in the creative world, he made a bold move to Alderney, chasing peace, purpose and maybe a glass of wine or two.But Bennt hasn’t slowed down. In this episode, we talked about his frustrations with the island’s lack of innovation, the danger of standing still, and why sometimes the only option is to get mad as hell and say something.It’s not just about wine. It’s about wake-up calls.LET’S CONNECT