Prince William sends message to 'mine-free' Falkland Islands

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Cathy Jacobson, 64, is originally from Southampton but has lived on the Falkland Islands since she was 25. After meeting Falklander Alistair in her early twenties the couple wed in 1980 and migrated to Alistair’s homeland in 1984. What is life like on the Falklands?

Cathy and Alistair run a popular pub called The Victory Bar, a stone’s throw away from the sea in Stanley, the Falkland Islands’ capital.

She and her husband have been running the bar for 38 years, since they took over from Alistair’s stepfather, Cathy told Express.co.uk.

Although Covid has meant fewer tourists visiting the Islands over the last 18 months, locals still flock to The Victory Bar and Cathy said she enjoys the busyness of pub landlord life.

“I’ll talk to anyone,” she said.

There are just 3,000 inhabitants currently living on the Falkland Islands, but Cathy is happy with her life and the people in it.

She told Express.co.uk: “It’s easy-going here and the people are very friendly.

“We’re a small community and everyone knows each other’s business.”

Cathy explained the Islands’ population is “diverse as people from all over mix together”.

“There are lots of Zimbabweans here and Filipinos,” she said.

“They come here for work and everyone gets on.”

Tourists and locals alike visit The Victory Bar, including the soldiers who work at the nearby military base.

Cathy continued: “We have a good relationship with the military.

“They come in and know we’re always there to talk to them.

“We like to hear what they’ve been up to and we tend to chat for a long time.”

Cathy has three daughters and five grandchildren, one of which hopes to attend Chichester College in West Sussex, England, this year.

The further education college is popular among Falkland Islanders as the Falkland Islands Government pays the college to educate its citizens for national diplomas and NVQs.

Although Cathy likes the peaceful and slow pace of life on the Falklands, there are some disadvantages of living in an isolated, remote location.

“The one thing I miss the most about the UK is the shops,” she said.

“We have two big supermarkets here, corner shops, and a hardware store.

“But there are no clothes for bigger people – I shop online but things take ages to arrive.”

Falkland Islanders are now enjoying their summer, but strong “gale force” winds can still rock the archipelago.

“We have a real problem with wind,” Cathy said.

“But we’re used to it now – people come here and are like, ‘gosh it’s windy’, and we’re like, ‘oh, is it?’.”

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