Timber from Storm Ciarán’s Destruction Finds New Purpose

A Jersey artist who previously won the Turner Prize has spearheaded an initiative to give trees felled by Storm Ciarán a second life.

Hundreds of trees were uprooted or severely damaged when a rare and powerful tornado swept across the east of the island in 2023.

Xanthe Hamilton, who was part of the team awarded the Turner Prize in 2015 for a regeneration project in Liverpool’s Toxteth district, has since launched Racc’moder — a scheme dedicated to repurposing timber from the storm.

The project has already transformed the salvaged wood into worktops and tables for a new island wellbeing centre set to support mental health charities. A community sawmill has also been established to support the effort.

Hamilton said the initiative is rooted in sustainability and local tradition. “We need this to become the norm in a time of limited resources and climate change,” she said. “‘Racc’moder’ means to repair or make do in Jèrriais. We don’t embrace that enough in day-to-day life, so the whole space has been created with that principle in mind.”

Organisers are continuing to encourage islanders and businesses to donate timber, aiming to reduce waste and ensure more fallen wood is reused instead of ending up in landfill.