Martin and Carrie Welch

Martin and Carrie Welch have been nominated for the Arts Contribution of the Year, sponsored by Moonpig, for ‘their tireless dedication to Guernsey’s music scene.’

They are fast approaching their 10th year of running The Vault, in Town, having held around 1,000 performances and 500 open mics, ‘providing a platform for new and existing talent, of which Guernsey is blessed to have more talent per square inch than anywhere else in the world,’ as Carrie said. 

‘As well as running the Vault, having live music on three days a week, giving so many musicians of all ages the platform to showcase their talent, Martin and Carrie put on some of the best shows outside the Vault in Guernsey,’ said their anonymous nominator.

‘By giving artists the opportunity to do their first gigs, they’ve given them a great platform. The effort these two put into showcasing, supporting and coaching the local music scene at their own expense is unmatched by anyone else on the island.’

‘To be honest we are a bit taken aback,’ Carrie said.

‘It’s wholly unexpected, but amazing to be recognised for what we do here.

‘It started from our own love of music, we all play and perform in bands. We were once that band that had to go out for the first time, and we hope we have created an accepting and encouraging environment for that. It’s a great feeling to watch performers grow and improve over time.

‘There’s so much here on the doorstep, you rarely have to look outside of the Bailiwick.’

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