Category: News

The St Helena Community College (SHCC) hosted their Learning Opportunities Fair on Wednesday, 26 June 2019.

The aim of the Learning Opportunities Fair was to educate and encourage people on St Helena to take advantage of the wide array of training courses on offer at the SHCC to further develop their current skills and qualifications.

The Fair opened with a welcome speech by the Director, Wendy Benjamin. Wendy spoke about the mission of the Education & Employment Directorate, the purpose of the Learning Opportunities Fair, SHCC affiliations and encouraged all to utilise the opportunities provided by the Directorate.

Chairperson of the Education Committee, Councillor Christine Scipio, then gave some words of encouragement. Councillor Scipio said:

“Education is important for everyone at every level. St Helena Government, through the St Helena Community College, strives to ensure that every person on the Island has the opportunity to improve their academic and practical skills which is key to ensuring sustainable economic development for St Helena. 

“I would encourage every person to be ambitious and enthusiastic about their future, challenge themselves, continue learning and make good use of the educational facilities that will allow them to follow their chosen career. We are part of a changing world and we do not know what the future holds.”

Governor Dr Philip Rushbrook, in his speech, highlighted that education is a life-long journey and that continuing the pursuit of knowledge, skills and personal capabilities is vital for our territory, to build our opportunities and to stimulate more confidence, creativity and innovation.

Governor Rushbrook concluded:

“Nelson Mandela said ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ I would like to paraphrase that by saying: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon we have to change the lives and prospects of St Helenians.’ This Learning Opportunities Fair illustrates the opportunities for everyone to get involved, to improve your existing abilities or better still to learn new ones. I wish everyone, trainers and prospective learners, every success.”

Throughout the Fair, information was available on the Apprenticeship Scheme, a range of ICT courses, Skills for Success, level 2 and 3 courses, higher level education and community education. The new SHCC Prospectus was also published and many of those in attendance were able to obtain a copy and seek further information.

Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning, Angie Benjamin, said:

“The Learning Opportunities Fair 2019 was another successful event. It was a very positive and productive day and I would like to personally thank everyone who contributed to its success.”

The SHCC would like to inform all members of the community who may have any questions regarding training opportunities or who would like a copy of the Prospectus and application and/or registration forms, to contact the SHCC on tel: 22607 or via email: shcc@sainthelena.gov.sh.

#StHelena #SHCC #LearningOpportunitiesFair #AGatewayToOpportunity #OpportunitiesForAll #SomethingForEveryone

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SHG
27 June 2019

The St Helena Health Directorate has today received confirmation from the local authority for North Country Quality Foods (NCQF) that the North Country branded products sourced by an importer on St Helena can now be released and once again made available for sale.

The imported North Country branded products i.e. canned pork roll and chopped pork were not handled in any way by North Country Cooked meats but are produced in Denmark and sold through NCQF.

The relevant importer has been notified that they can now release these products for sale.

Notes to Editor

The St Helena Health Directorate was last week made aware by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office that a multi-agency investigation was being carried out into cases of Listeria infection in the UK.

The Listeria outbreak is linked to the pre-packed sandwiches made from ready-to-eat meat manufactured from the company North Country Cooked Meats.

The Environmental Health Section contacted the relevant importer on St Helena who sources products originating from North Country Cooked Meats. The importer was then advised to retain their North Country branded products i.e. canned pork roll and chopped pork, until further investigations were completed in the UK.

#StHelena #Listeria #AltogetherHealthier 

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SHG

26 June 2019

In accordance with Section 15(3) of the Immigration Ordinance, 2011, the following person has been granted St Helenian Status with effect from:

29 May 2019

• Nicolene Bonita Adams of Redan Cottage, Half Tree Hollow

#StHelena #SaintStatus #ImmigrationOrdinance

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SHG

26 June 2019

The Environment & Natural Resources Committee has approved a formal 28-day public consultation on the draft Conservation Management Plan for Diana’s Peak National Park, as per the requirements of the Environmental Protection Ordinance.

Diana’s Peak National Park is a much-loved wildlife hotspot that lies at the heart of St Helena Island. The Peaks have been voted one of the ‘Seven Wonders of St Helena’, is home to over 250 of St Helena’s endemic species, and is vital for the Island’s water supply as almost 40% of St Helena’s water comes from the Peaks.

St Helena Government is grateful to all those who have already provided comments on the draft Plan during a participative preparation process, and is now very keen to hear further comments from Peaks stakeholders, as well as from all and any members of the public who are interested in the future of the Diana’s Peak National Park.

A hard copy of the Plan is available from the Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD), Scotland, and Essex House in Jamestown. Electronic copies are also available on the Publications page of the SHG website: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/publications/ or from Terrestrial Conservation Officer, Sasha Bargo, via email: sasha.bargo@sainthelena.gov.sh.

The deadline for comments is Friday, 26 July 2019, and comments should be submitted to the Acting Director Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Directorate, Darren Duncan.

Notes to Editors

In 2018, SHG commissioned a collaborative process to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the Peaks in order to fulfil the legal requirement of Section 31 of the Environmental Protection Ordinance, 2016, that National Conservation Areas have a plan to guide their conservation.

The creation of a Conservation Management Plan is a key tool to conserve the Peaks for future generations, and is also a vital prerequisite for St Helena to be able to seek international funding to restore Peaks habitats for both their wildlife and to increase water capture. It is a separate document to that required under the Land Development Control Plan (LDCP), which mandates that National Conservation Areas develop a management plan for planning and built development purposes.

A three-day multi-stakeholder workshop therefore took place at ANRD, Scotland, in December 2018 to start developing the plan with input from all involved in the Peaks. As well as representation from multiple sections of SHG, there were also representatives from local conservationists, landowners, businesses and Non-Government Organisations. International experts in attendance included staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, University of British Columbia, as well as international environmental consultants Ben Sansom and Dr Roger Key.

Following this successful workshop, local consultant, Andrew Darlow, was commissioned to write up the workshop conclusions and produce a first draft of a Conservation Management Plan on behalf of SHG. He conducted three separate rounds of informal consultation on the draft Plan between February and May 2019, working alongside SHG staff and circulating it to the workshop participants in order to ensure as participative a process as possible. The draft has now been completed and was formally submitted to the Environment & Natural Resources Committee for consideration on 20 June 2019.

#StHelena #DianasPeak #Consultation #ANRD #AltogetherGreener

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SHG

26 June 2019

As part of St Helena Government’s (SHG) continuous improvement drive, Corporate Finance with the support of directorates undertook to explore introducing the local debit card service in specific frontline areas to make it easier for the public to pay for services provided by SHG.

This resulted in the local debit card service being made available at HM Customs at the Wharf in Jamestown and at St Helena Airport from June 2018, followed by at the Post & Customer Services Centre from November 2018 for all transactions there including customer accounts, licensing and postal services.  And, now since May 2019, the Pharmacy at the Hospital accepts payments via local debit card for most health fees and charges including laboratory and dental fees.

Deputy Financial Secretary, Nicholas Yon, said:

“We hope that with the introduction of the local debit card service at these key cash points in SHG it will make it easier for the public to access services and to do business with government.  We continue to explore ways that will streamline our processes and we hope to implement further improvements that will benefit the public in the future. 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the different teams involved in implementing this service, specifically, the service areas themselves, Corporate Finance, Corporate IT and the Bank of St Helena Ltd.” 

#StHelena #LocalDebitCard #ContinuousImprovement

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SHG

26 June 2019

The management at HM Prison Jamestown is delighted to welcome two trainers – Colin Moore and Martin Hamilton (see photo attached) – from the UK Prison Service to develop and deliver a type of self-defence and safe restraint training programme for local Prison staff. The training will continue up until Friday, 28 June 2019.

Prison Manager, Heidi Murray, said:

“Whilst violent incidents are extremely low within the Prison here on St Helena, in such a confined and restricted area, things can sometimes occur without warning, and can escalate extremely quickly.  As a responsible employer, SHG has a duty of care to its staff, and to prisoners in our care. It is a requirement for those trained as instructors to renew their training annually, and having this expertise on-Island will allow them to sustainably train all prison service staff, police officers and other SHG frontline departments.”

Martin added:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for both myself and Colin to assist in the development of the skills of the dedicated staff of HMP Jamestown.”

The programme was agreed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office through the Conflict Stability and Security Fund.

Heidi would like to express her sincere thanks to Colin, Martin and their managers in the UK for giving up their time to help in delivering this training programme.

Notes to Editors

Colin Moore has been working in the UK Prison Service for 30 years.  For 25 of these years he has been a Use of Force (the system adopted by the UK for dealing with non-compliant and refractory prisoners) Instructor, delivering training and support all over the UK and overseas.  For the past 13 years he has been part of the National Tactical Response Group, who is the Prison Service’s advanced team specialising in all aspects of Use of Force. Colin has worked in numerous Prisons within the UK.

Martin Hamilton has 17 years’ experience working within the UK Prison Service and has worked in numerous establishments.  He has been teaching Use of Force for 13 years, and for the last 10 years, has been involved in delivering all aspects of Use of Force to the UK Prison Service, and other Justice Sector Agencies. 

#StHelena #HMPJamestown #Training #AltogetherSafer #CSSF #FCO

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SHG

25 June 2019

Members of the St Helena team competing in the 2019 NatWest Island Games in Gibraltar departed the Island on Saturday, 22 June 2019.

Team St Helena competitors – Duwaine Yon, Colby Thomas and Brooke Yon – were accompanied from St Helena by Larry Thomas of the National Sports Association of St Helena (NSASH). They have now joined remaining team member Aiden Yon-Stevens and Team Managers, Nick Stevens and Tina Yon-Stevens, in the UK for a week’s training before departing for Gibraltar on 3 July, in time for the opening of the Games on Saturday, 6 July.

The swimming events will see Colby compete in the 100m and 50m breaststroke and 100m and 50m freestyle, Brooke competing in the 50m, 200m and 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 100m individual medley and Duwaine competing in the 50m breaststroke, 20m freestyle and 100m and 50m freestyle. Aiden will compete in the 800m, 400m and 200m Athletics events.

Good luck Team St Helena!

Readers should note the following amendments to last Friday’s press release on the Island Games team:

Larry Thomas is accompanying the team along with Team Managers, Nick Stevens and Tina Yon-Stevens, and not Jeremy Roberts as reported.

The swimming competitors are also taking part in additional events such as the butterfly and individual medley.

#StHelena #Gibraltar #NatWestIslandGames #TeamStHelena

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SHG

25 June 2019