The charity behind the concept of a Victor Hugo Centre needs £7.5M to create a multi-purpose venue in the Tourist Information Centre along the St Peter Port seafront.
The charity announced the fundraising milestone at a party last night (26 February 2025), on the 222nd anniversary of Victor Hugo's birth.
More than half of the £2M received so far comes from private donations, and the States will match-fund that.
Chair of the Victor Hugo Centre charity, Larry Malcic, hopes the building will be ready by 2028.
He says it will benefit locals and attract tourists:
"This is a significant milestone towards the creation of the Victor Hugo Centre that demonstrates the generosity of islanders and a recognition of the benefits that the Centre will provide for Guernsey.
The Centre will celebrate not only Guernsey’s most famous resident but also the island’s vigorous creative community and talented young people."
Architects published CGI renditions of the future tourist attraction and community space in 2023.
It is set to feature a museum for visitors, a performance space and a learning hub for students.
A cake celebrates the 222nd anniversary of Victor Hugo's birth.
Larry Malcic is grateful for the donations so far and wants that to continue:
"People can contribute to the Victor Hugo Centre because it really is a place for the whole island. It's a place where we'll not only celebrate one man's life, but a whole philosophy. And Hugo referred to Guernsey as the rock of hospitality and freedom."
Laura Harrison is the operations manager for the charity and says Hugo was a vigorous social campaigner:
"Advocacy for human rights and universal education and the abolition of the death penalty.
From this tiny island, he used his voice to speak globally. That's such an important thing to realise. It doesn't matter where you are, you can still impact the world."
Several Hugo-centric anniversaries will take place in 2025.
The Centre plans to host events to celebrate 170 years since Hugo arrived in Guernsey and the 40th anniversary of Les Mis on the West End.
@islandfm Funding to create a Victor Hugo Centre in St Peter Port has reached £2M! 💰 🇫🇷 The French man (who lived in Guernsey in the 1850s) would have turned 222 this year. 🥳 #guernsey #channelislands #victorhugo #lesmis #fundraising ♬ original sound - Island FM
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