Staff Development Day – 06 May 2024
A reminder to parents/guardians that, as per the published Term Times 2023-24, all island schools will be closed on Monday 06 May 2024. All teaching staff will be attending a Staff Development Day to facilitate the start of Term 3A.
The first teaching day will be on Tuesday 07 May 2024.
In April 2023 it was announced that access to certain areas of the Peaks National Park (PNP) would be prohibited. This was in response to the increasing concerns of the presence of plant pathogens affecting endemic trees within the PNP and the potential for these to spread,
This prohibition was initially put in place until the end of December 2023 and then extended until March 2024 when it would be reviewed on the basis of relevant information and evidence.
Since the discovery of the pathogens over a year ago, the Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Portfolio (ENRP) has been working to identify the pathogens present, confirm that these pathogens are causing the tree deaths within the PNP and monitor the spread. This has been in collaboration with the St Helena Research Institute (SHRI), the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and the Birmingham Institute for Forest Research (BIFor) primarily under the Darwin Plus DPLUS157 ‘Managing the Pathogens Affecting St Helena’s Biodiversity and Food Security’ project.
Over the past few months personnel from CABI and BIFor, supported by on-island staff from the SHRI and ENRP, have undertaken inoculation experiments on selected PNP plant species to assess vulnerability or resistance to plant pathogens. Genetic analysis to identify the presence of plant pathogens has also been done on plant material from trees that were showing symptoms of being infected. A report on the results of this work along with recommendations on how we can move forward both in terms of access to the PNP and the conservation of the Peaks’ habitats and species is now being worked on.
It is therefore regrettable but necessary for the sites within the PNP that have Environmental Protection Notices (EPNs) erected to remain closed for the next few months. Following receipt of the results and recommendations, ENRP will formulate and implement a plan for access. These recommendations could be that some areas of the PNP will remain closed for the foreseeable future or that some areas will be opened with appropriate biosecurity measures in place.
As per current procedure, those who need access to prohibited sites for essential work can apply to the Chief Environmental Officer Isabel Peters by telephone on 24724 or by email through Isabel.peters@sainthelena.gov.sh.
We will continue to provide updates to the public and would like to thank everyone for their support and patience in helping to ensure St Helena’s important species and habitats are protected as far as possible.
#StHelena #ENRP #PeaksNationalPark
The St Helena Government (SHG) is committed to protecting the privacy of its citizens and residents in the digital age. As the island embraces new technologies, SHG is working to introduce comprehensive data protection legislation.
Following a thorough initial phase of research and consultation, SHG has taken a significant step towards safeguarding data privacy. SHG has enlisted the expertise of Bruce & Butler Ltd, a UK-based data protection consultancy, to develop a robust data privacy legal framework. Alex Adams of Juju Digital Ltd has been appointed as the on-island project facilitator, acting as a local point of contact for Bruce & Butler.
The project is now at the stage of drafting policy to inform legislation.
Data protection affects everyone because it’s rooted in the basic human right to privacy. It serves to protect the individual and their information.
All organisations that collect or process personal data have a duty of care to those whose data they collect and/or process. This includes public bodies, private sector businesses, NGOs, and youth and community groups. The introduction of legislation and best practice guidelines will ensure organisations meet that obligation. That means any future data protection legislation will affect businesses and organisations that collect or process any amount of personal data.
Public information meetings will take place during May 2024 in various districts across the island. The first meeting will take place at the Half Tree Hollow Community Centre on Thursday 9 May at 19:30. The following information will be discussed:
Details of subsequent district information meetings will be announced next week. We welcome attendance and input from the public and business owners.
In addition to the public information meetings, more information on data protection will be issued on the radio and via social media.
#StHelena #DataProtection #AwarenessCampaign
www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/
A period of public engagement on the draft Sustainable Economic Development Strategy and Delivery Plan 2023-2033 (SEDS) has been launched. Once finalised, the SEDS will provide the overarching blueprint for developing the territory’s economy, and will replace the Sustainable Economic Development Plan 2018-2028 (SEDP).
The SEDS has been developed following a reassessment of the SEDP in light of the new government coming to power in 2021. This a reflection of the ambitions and focus areas outlined in the Executive Council’s Vision and Strategy 2022-25, as well as a significantly changed economic climate following the Covid-19 pandemic and introduction of higher speed, lower cost internet.
This required not only a review of the SEDP but also the general economic development policy landscape.
What is in the new SEDS?
The SEDS contain two very clear goals to deliver against:
These two priorities have been identified following a review of our economic development policies, chiefly contained in and driven by the SEDP.
The SEDS outlines six objectives designed to advance either one, or both, of those goals.
SHG’s Economic Development Portfolio will now only pursue or support activities that actively support the achievement of these KPIs in the short, medium, or long term. These two measures are the ultimate goals of the SEDS. The SEDS further identifies economic sectors that the island believes can contribute to the realisation of the vision and goals.
On the release of the SEDS, Minister for Economic Development, Mark Brooks, said:
“I am pleased to invite comments on the new Sustainable Economic Development Strategy. The SEDS will be the driving force of change across the economy and will guide all strategic policy decisions. We have already seen this in action with the recent changes to customs duty on heavy busses and heavy machinery, making it more favourable to import these. I am committed to continuing to transform the economic environment to ensure that St Helena’s economy flourishes and we unlock the true potential of this island.”
The SEDS can be found on the SHG website at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sustainable-Economic-Development-Strategy-2023-2033.pdf
Feedback on the SEDS can be submitted to Director of Economic Development, Damian Burns, by email through damian.burns@sainthelena.gov.sh.
The SEDS will be presented at a public engagement session. Further details will be announced in due course. A session will also be held at the next meeting of the Chamber of Commerce.
Notes to Editor
The SEDP was St Helena’s strategic plan for developing the economy, and was developed in conjunction with key stakeholders. It provided a guide for achieving the strategic ‘Altogether Wealthier’ goal. It was based on identifying the economic sectors most likely to increase money coming into the St Helena economy, primarily through the export of goods and services, as well as retaining money in the economy through import substitution.
The 2018-28 SEDP guided other key policies and strategies, including the investment strategy, agricultural strategy, and digital strategy.
Despite the wide consultation that was undertaken in developing the 2018-28 SEDP, the policies embodied in it were identified as being due for reassessment, with a view to establishing whether they remained the most appropriate for advancing St Helena’s economic welfare.
In the 2023 Budget Speech, the government announced its revised vision and strategy. That vision and strategy was focused on the following three pillars
1. A change in mind set by St Helena and by SHG;
2. Creating a business friendly enabling environment; and
3. Establishing effective infrastructure to provide economic resilience and certainty, and which lowers the cost of living.
An internal review of the existing SEDP was undertaken in light of the Executive Council’s revised vision and strategy,
That review concluded that SHG should:
The review proposed, therefore, that St Helena pursue an economic policy based around the following key principles:
The review led to the drafting of St Helena’s revised economic development strategy. The strategy, now has two clear goals and six clear objectives, by which we will measures ourselves against and focus our work towards.
Photo
#StHelena #SEDS #SustainableDevelopment
The St Helena Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) will be hosting the annual British Islands and Mediterranean Region (BIMR) Conference this year. The conference, the first of its kind to be held in St Helena, will take place with the delegates arriving on Saturday 18 May and departing on Saturday 25 May 2024.
Delegates from 10 parliaments and legislatures across the British Islands and Mediterranean Region will gather on St Helena to join the St Helena Branch for the 53rd BIMR conference. The theme of the conference is ‘Addressing Challenges to Sustainable Development in Times of Global Uncertainty’. A range of topics will be covered, developing attendees’ understanding of the challenges many parliaments face.
Topics will include:
The programme will also include the BIMR’s Annual General Meeting and a Commonwealth Women’s Parliamentarians (CWP) session to which a small group of St Helena women are invited to attend. In addition delegates will be able to participate in the St Helena Day celebrations and enjoy excursions of their choice.
On the conference, Deputy President of the CPA St Helena Branch Catherine Cranfield said:
“It is a great honour for our island to be hosting the CPA BIMR conference for the first time ever! It’s a valuable opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions with other BIMR delegates, sharing their valuable insights and knowledge in their respective fields.
“This is also a great opportunity to showcase to the BIMR delegates this remarkable island and its community.”
Announcing the visit, Minister Scipio said:
“We are honoured to welcome to St Helena delegates from the legislatures of Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Northern Ireland, Scotland, UK and Wales. This will be the first time a CPA British Islands and Mediterranean Region conference is hosted in St Helena.”
“Regional conferences such as this, is an ideal opportunity for parliamentarians and staff alike, to join together to network, to learn and to share similar issues in what is often challenging in a fast-moving global context. It is hoped that the attendees who began as delegates, will become colleagues and by the finale, will be friends which illustrates the true spirit of a regional conference.”
The BIMR Regional Secretary Sarah Dickson OBE said:
“The British Islands and Mediterranean Regional Secretary, Sarah Dickson OBE, welcomed the conference “This is a historic moment. I know all the parliamentary delegates are looking forward to coming to St Helena and meeting our hosts for the 2024 annual general meeting for the region. We are hugely grateful to the people of St Helena for what we know will be a warm welcome and to the organisers for all their work preparing for this meeting and the week of discussions and activities.”
#StHelena #CPA #BIMR
Dr Drew Whitworth a researcher from the Manchester Institute of Education, a part of the University of Manchester in the UK, will again be visiting St Helena from Saturday 27 April to Saturday 18 May 2024. This is to continue gathering data for the research project ‘Mapping the Information Landscapes of St Helena’, which Dr Whitworth is undertaking in partnership with Gareth Drabble.
The research will assist St Helena in assessing changes resulting from, and understanding the impact of, the introduction of high-speed internet in St Helena. The research will primarily be focusing on the social objectives of the European Development Fund (11th Round) project to deliver fibre optic connectivity to St Helena through the Equiano cable. These are:
Funding for the project was granted in March 2021 by the St Helena Research Institute (SHRI). This was after Gareth and Drew won first prize in the ‘Bridging the Digital Divide Research’ competition, sponsored by SHG’s Fibre Optic Cable and Satellite Ground Station Board.
Drew previously visited the island in November 2021 and January 2023, ahead of the island accessing the Equiano cable. This stage of the research project was concerned with finding out how residents used online resources for education, business, or health, what they thought were the main barriers faced in accessing and making the best use of these resources, and what their hopes and concerns were for the future high-speed environment.
At this midway stage of the project, Drew’s upcoming visit will again attempt to ascertain if any of these variables have changed or have remained the same.
Drew commented:
“When we began this project in 2021, with the help of grant funding from the St Helena Research Institute, it was expected that by this point the island would have secured full access to high-speed broadband through the cable. Obviously, that has not fully happened yet. Nevertheless my third trip will give me the chance to follow-up with some past interviewees, and repeat the mapping sessions to find out what I can about developments since internet packages were upgraded in October last year. I’m also hoping to work with the SHRI on developing some new teaching and learning resources, aimed both at learners on-island and off. We hope this can be used to give islanders some experience in multimedia development.”
As well as interviews, Drew and Gareth will be conducting concept mapping sessions with school children, teachers, local business owners and local health and social care workers. Other groups and organisations are also being pursued to take part in these sessions.
For further information about this project, or to get involved, please contact Gareth Drabble by mobile phone on 62388 or by email through gardrab@live.co.uk, or Drew Whitworth by email through drew.whitworth@manchester.ac.uk.
Note to Editor
A concept map is a diagram that shows the relationships between different ideas and how they are connected. The concept mapping tool used for this research project is called a ‘Ketso’ kit. This comprises of a central workspace (a felt mat), split into four different quadrants.
Using the imagery of a tree, a standard Ketso workshop has a main focus written on the tree ‘trunk’ using washable marker pens and, using Velcro fasteners, stuck in the middle of the workspace. Various felt ‘branches’ can be attached to this trunk to represent different themes associated with the main focus. These branches are then populated with ‘leaves’ which are also written on using the washable markers. The leaves come in four different colours which are green, yellow, brown and grey and can be coded as per the needs of the research study.
Photos
Dr Drew Whitworth presenting at Rosie’s Taste 4 Life during his last visit in January 2023 (Photo credit: St Helena Chevening Alumni)
Ketso Session in progress showing central trunk, branches and leaves (Photo credit: Gareth Drabble)
#StHelena #EquianoCable #MappingInformationLandscapes
Director of Economic Development, Damian Burns, travelled to Cape Town last week to represent St Helena at the Tourism Investment Forum Africa (TIFA).
The investment forum, which formed part of the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, took place from 10 April to 12 April 2024.
Damian delivered a presentation on the first day of the forum. His presentation included a locally-produced ‘Invest in St Helena’ video, followed by a talk on the investment and commercial opportunities available in St Helena.
The talk also saw the official launch of the St Helena Investment Prospectus 2024. The prospectus provides potential investors with details on the opportunities available in St Helena, and the government’s vision to make St Helena a great place to live, work, visit and invest.
On the launch of the new Investment Prospectus at the TIFA, Director of Economic Development, Damian Burns, said:
“Our island is an emerging destination with significant tourism potential and untapped investment opportunities. We are seeking investors who are looking for responsible, sustainable, and equitable opportunities, with adventurous spirits who wish to foster strong relationships with our community. TIFA provided the ideal platform to speak to such investors, and I was impressed with the level and range of interest shown in the opportunities our island offers.”
“Participation in events such as these not only enhance St Helena’s visibility but also confirm its status as a globally important destination, ready to welcome increased visitor numbers and international investors.”
The St Helena Investment Prospectus 2024 can be viewed online at www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena/invest-in-st-helena.
The ‘Invest in St Helena’ video can be viewed on the St Helena Government YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@sthelenagovernment1638.
Photos
#StHelena #WTM #TIFA #CapeTown #InvestmentProspectus
The primary schools will be hosting their annual swimming gala on Wednesday 24 April 2024. All parents, carers, and members of the public are invited to attend. However, space within the pool complex is limited and priority will be given to parents/carers. Those attending are also reminded that there is limited seating and shade available.
The gala will start at approximately 10:00 and will end at approximately 14:30.
As this is a school event we would appreciate if all spectators could adhere to the following conditions in the interests of the safety of our students:
Please note, if parents/carers wish to transport their children home after the event they are asked to ensure that they send in a note, or see a staff member on the day so that all children can be accounted for.
We look forward to your support in making this a successful day for our children.
An increase in littering incidents have been reported to, and observed by, Waste Management Services. These have a significant detrimental impact on our environment. We are issuing an urgent call to action to raise awareness and encourage responsible waste disposal behaviour among individuals and communities.
Littering has become a pressing environmental issue as it not only spoils the beauty of our surroundings but also poses serious threats to wildlife, human health, and our overall quality of life.
It is imperative for each one of us to take responsibility for our actions and make a conscious effort to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Doing so minimises the amount of waste that ends up as litter in our environment.
As Earth Day approaches on 22 April 2024, let us remember the importance of environmental stewardship and the role we all play in protecting our local environment, as well as the planet. Simple actions such as properly disposing of your waste at the designated recycling hubs across the island, using reusable products, and participating in local clean-up efforts, can make a significant difference in preserving our environment and natural resources for future generations.
We urge everyone to educate themselves and others about the consequences of littering and to actively participate in efforts to keep our island clean and green. By working together, we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful environment for all to enjoy.
Recycling
There are a total of 12 Communal Recycling Hubs in addition to the Public Recycling Facility at Horse Point Landfill Site (HPLS). Recyclable waste can be disposed of at the following locations for collection and processing:
There are four bins at each location which are colour coded for each type of waste:
| Red | Glass | |
| Grey | Plastics | |
| Blue | Cans/Tins | |
| Brown | Card/Paper |
Once collected, the waste will then be recycled or reused. Baled aluminium drink cans are exported to South Africa. Plastic and card bales are used as infrastructure within the HPLS as gabions to support earthworks. We are currently seeking funding to procure a glass crusher which will produce an end product suitable for construction aggregate.
Household waste
We are aware that the recyclable bins also sometimes contain household waste, such as fish and kitchen scraps. It is crucial that these bins are used strictly for the type of waste they are designated for based on their colour-coding. When recyclable waste is contaminated with household waste, it becomes unprocessable and ends up in the landfill, hindering efforts to maximise the remaining lifespan of HPLS.
Certain types of waste should not be disposed of in domestic or commercial black waste bins. This includes garden waste, construction debris, electrical appliances, scrap metal, vehicle batteries, motor oil, lubricants, paints, solvents, and agricultural chemicals. These waste materials must be kept separate, and can be properly disposed of at HPLS. The HPLS facility is accessible 24 hours a day, but if there is uncertainty about waste disposal procedures at this site and guidance is required, we recommend that you visit the facility between Monday and Friday, 08:30 to 16:00.
Residents who have been allocated a black 240L domestic bin are reminded to use it appropriately and are discouraged from using the communal skips. Communal skips have been located across the island for residents in areas that are not accessible by the Refuse Collection Vehicle. The number of skips at each location is determined by the number of users. Unfortunately there are currently no black 240L domestic bins available for distribution to the community, although residents are encouraged to source these privately if needed.
Litter picking
Waste Management Services provides a complimentary litter picker loan service for individuals interested in volunteering for litter picking activities. For more details on this service or any WMS operations, such as landfill and recycling, please contact Environmental Officer Risk Management, Terri Clingham, on telephone 24724 or via email through terri.clingham@sainthelena.gov.sh.
#StHelena #WMS #Recycle #AltogetherGreener
SHG
18 April 2024
The Central Support Service will be closed tomorrow, Friday 19 April 2024, to allow staff to participate in their Away Day.
These office closures will include the IT Section, Transport Section, Communications Hub, Statistics Office, Central Human Resources & Organisational Development office, Legislative Council Office staff, and the Archives.
The Castle Reception will not be affected by this closure. Normal business will resume on Monday 22 April 2024 at 08:30.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
SHG
18 April 2024