Lihou House Residents Briefing Notes

The points below should be emphasised to the resident group on arrival. Failure to do so may result in the harm or even failure of one of the house systems. Lihou House is not in any way similar to a normal house due to its isolation and autonomy from Guernsey.

·          Welcome – Quick explanation about the Lihou Charitable Trust and why it took on the house etc.

·          Water – The water comes from a 280 foot deep borehole. Please do not waste it and please do not wash-up under a running tap or leave showers running for no reason.

·          Drinking Water – The water from the taps is drinkable as it passes through a water treatment plant after being extracted from the borehole.

·          Sleeping Arrangements – There are 9 bedrooms with various bed arrangements in them. They just have a mattress cover and pillow on them. Please use your own bedding/sleeping bags and do not sleep directly on the mattress cover or use an unprotected pillow. You can use whatever room you like.

·          Stove in the Lounge – Must be left clean and free of ash. Nails need to be sorted and binned from cold ash. Ash can be disposed of on the beach below the high water mark. The door of the fire MUST be kept close when in use.

·          Carpeted Areas – We ask that there is no outside footwear worn on any carpeted areas.

·          Cleaning – Please leave the house as clean, if not cleaner than you found it. The Trust does not employ cleaners.

·          Chemicals etc. Down Drains – The sewage system is very sensitive to disinfectants and bleaches. Please do not use any. Washing up liquid and normal personal hygiene products are fine. Water used for mopping floors etc should be tipped on the ground outside rather than down the drains.

·          Female Sanitary Products – Please bag and remove. Do not flush them down the toilets and do not place in bins in the bathrooms as they often get left!

·          Electricity and Gas – Lihou House generates its own power. Please turn lights off when leaving a room. This saves power and as result, diesel for the generator. Please do not waste gas either as both diesel and gas has to be transported to the island.

·          Recycling – The Trust positively encourages you to separate and recycle your rubbish. The nearest bins are in the main car park behind L’Eree beach.

·          Rubbish – You are responsible for all your own rubbish. The bin men do not collect from Lihou! Please do not leave rubbish in the car park shore side as this attracts gulls and vermin that then rip open the bags.

·          Waste Food – Please do not throw waste food on the ground outside the house or anywhere else on the Island. This attracts gulls and vermin and upsets the delicate balance of this very important ecosystem.

·          Central Heating – The switch to turn it on and off is in the boiler room. Labelled ‘Heating’.

·          Swimming – It is only recommended to swim off the beach immediately to the south of the house (in front of the conservatory) at high water and Venus Pool at low water.

·          First Aid Facilities – In the kitchen. First aid kit, eye wash and defibrillator. There is also a throw line for use with struggling swimmers.

·          In Case of an Emergency – Call 999 or 112 as you would normally. The emergency services have trained for working on Lihou. Their response times are inevitably longer than on mainland Guernsey. Please also call the warden on either 07781 120421 or 266299.

·          In the Event of a Breakdown/Problem – Call the warden and do not try to fix it yourselves. Even with the best intentions, this can sometimes exasperate a problem due to the complex systems of the house.