Mr and Mrs Pimblett were taken to the churh blessing in a rather unusual car - a 2CV. Lesley's first car was a 2CV so her father, Colin, placed an advert in the local paper asking if anyone had one that could be used as a wedding car. The owner was delighted to offer her vehicle for the big day.
Herm's new year newlyweds
by Kirsten Parker-George
HERM builder Chris Pimblett and self-catering manageress Lesley gave residents and guests a New Year's Eve to remember when they renewed their wedding vows at a blessing held in St Tugual's Church.
The Rev. Richard Bellinger conducted the 40-minute ceremony, which included three hymns and two readings by friends and fellow Herm residents Mel Brown and Jane Scarre.
Mr and Mrs Pimblett met in Nottingham in 2003 when attending stag and hen weekends respectively.
'It was fate, really. Although we got on, we hadn't arranged to meet again, but bumped into each other the following night. Lesley gave me her details but I didn't write them down,' explained Chris.
Nevertheless, a few days later he remembered Lesley's phone number and called her and the rest is history. The couple spent 12 months having a long-distance relationship, with Chris in Wigan working as an ambulance technician for the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service and Lesley as a management accountant in East Yorkshire.
'Chris working shifts made it slightly easier to meet, but we were more than 120 miles apart and he was unable to get a transfer to be closer to me,' said Lesley.
It was then that fate intervened again on a short holiday together in Guernsey and Herm. Lesley had spent four years working on Herm, starting in 1994 as a receptionist for one season. She stayed on in the accounts department until 1998.
'Chris had never been to the Channel Islands, so I arranged for us to stay for three nights in Guernsey and one to catch up with my friends in Herm.
'What I hadn't expected was Adrian telling us he was looking for a self-catering manageress and builder for the island and jokingly asking us if we were interested,' said Lesley.
It was only on their return 'to the mundane' that Chris and Lesley seriously considered the offer. Knowing they could at last be together and relishing the challenge, the pair returned to Herm for an interview in August 2004.
With a background in structural engineering and hands-on building experience, Chris was appointed to the post and he and Lesley started their new life in Herm just a few weeks later. The following year the couple got engaged and started planning their wedding for December in the Lake District.
'Because of working in the tourist industry, we obviously had to plan for the ceremony out of season, but I wanted a winter wedding so it wasn't a problem,' said Lesley.
With the help of family in England, the couple were able to plan a civil ceremony at the Fayrer Garden House Hotel in Windermere and a church blessing followed by a boat trip on Lake Windermere. The newly-weds returned to Herm ready for the Christmas self-catering changeover and their new year celebration.
'It would've been impossible to invite everyone to the wedding back in the UK and we wanted to involve all of our friends in Herm, especially the children. We decided to make the blessing a real island affair and thought incorporating the new year celebrations would make sense,' said Lesley.
Self-caterers staying on the island were invited to enjoy the disco and buffet at the Mermaid Tavern and watch the couple arrive on a decorated tractor complete with 'Just Married' sign and a string of empty tin cans.
With extensive refurbishment taking place at the Mermaid this winter, Chris and Lesley have postponed their honeymoon until the end of the season.