His Excellency, Governor Nigel Phillips CBE, is due to depart St Helena on Saturday, 21 December 2024. The Governor is taking two weeks leave before returning back to St Helena on Saturday, 4 January 2025
Stephen Thwaites, Development Attaché, will be sworn in as Acting Governor until Governor Phillips’ return.
#StHelena #GovernorDeparts
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SHG
18 December 2024
Minister for Health and Social Care, Martin Henry, will be off island during the recess period from Sunday, 15 December 2024 to Saturday, 4 January 2025.
Minister Christine Scipio will be responsible for the Health and Social Care Portfolio in Minister Henry’s absence and can be contacted by email via christine.scipio@helanta.co.sh, christine.scipio@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 23545.
#StHelena #ElectedMembers
The Royal Saint Helena Police Service would like to advise the public that an expedited service will be offered for any Vetting Certificate applications received between Monday, 16 December and Wednesday, 18 December 2024.
Applications for Vetting Certificates will not be processed between Monday, 23 December 2024 and Thursday, 2 January 2025.
Electronic applications for Vetting Certificates can still be sent via email to: vetting@sainthelena.gov.sh. These applications will be prioritised and processed in date order from Friday, 3 January 2025.
The Royal Saint Helena Police would like to thank the public for their understanding and co-operation during this time.
#StHelena #RSHP #VettingCertificate
SHG
Councillor (Cllr) Robert Midwinter departed the island on Saturday 19 October 2024 to attend a Legislative Strengthening Seminar in London. This seminar, organised by the CPA UK, aimed to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Modern-Day Slavery (MDS).
This seminar, a follow-up to the one held in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2023, provided Cllr Midwinter with an opportunity to share his experiences as a panellist. Whilst in London, Councillor Midwinter also engaged in meetings related to other matters of interest to St Helena and engaged with representatives of small islands similar to St Helena.
The seminar brought together parliamentarians from 17 Commonwealth countries, aiming to equip participants with the skills and networks to strengthen policies and legislation against GBV, particularly through connections with experts and Civil Society Organisations (CSO). Councillor Midwinter aimed to share experiences, address legislative gaps in topics such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Forced Marriage (FM), and explore future involvement of Non-governmental or Civil Society Organisation (NGO/CSO) in combating GBV.
The seminar provided valuable insights, networking opportunities with peers from across the Commonwealth, and a deep dive into topics like effective evidence gathering, stakeholder collaboration, and influencing techniques. A highlight included a visit to Newham Council to see how their Domestic Abuse Strategy was being implemented on the ground. To enhance future workshops, Councillor Midwinter suggested a more holistic approach, by also inviting relevant public servants such as domestic violence leads.
Councillor Midwinter’s attendance at the Legislative Strengthening Seminar to Address Gender-Based Violence in London was appropriately timed as the seminar aligned fittingly with the global White Ribbon awareness campaign, and the subsequent 16 Days of Activism, which is aimed at highlighting the urgent need to address these issues.
Cllr Robert Midwinter’s Conference Report on the CPA UK Legislative Strengthening Seminar to Address Gender – Based Violence can be accessed on the SHG website at https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Back-to-Office-Report-GBV-and-MDS-Seminar-2024.pdf.
Photos
Cllr Midwinter as a panellist.
Cllr Midwinter at the seminar in London.
Delegates attending the conference visit London Borough of Newham.
#StHelena #LegislativeCouncil #GenderBasedViolence
The Chief Medical Officer has confirmed hospitalisation of two individuals with cases of malaria. They are currently receiving appropriate medical care. This resulted from the individuals recently travelling to a region known for high malaria risk. Public Health officials are monitoring the situation closely for any additional cases.
Important Note: Malaria is not contagious and there is no risk to anyone who has not travelled to a malarious area. It is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito (of a type which is not found on St Helena).
The Health and Social Care Portfolio urges all travellers to consult with healthcare professionals before visiting malaria-endemic areas to receive appropriate preventative courses of action, such as medication and protective measures.
We will continue to provide updates as necessary.
#StHelena #HealthandSocialCare #AltogetherHealthier
St Helena joins the global aviation community in celebrating International Civil Aviation Day. This day highlights the critical role of international civil aviation connecting the world and driving social and economic development, especially in a geographically challenged territory such as St Helena.
To mark this special occasion on St Helena, travellers are reminded of the promotional return fares currently running until March 2025.
St Helena Government’s (SHG) Civil Aviation and Tourism Office continue to work closely with St Helena’s Air Service Provider, Airlink, and international communications and marketing firms on promoting the route and the island as a destination. A flight fare promotion is currently running through to end March 2025, for return flights starting at £640 / ZAR14, 820.00. This flight promotion is intended to stimulate more demand on flights also benefitting the island economy.
Today, 07 December, we honour the incredible achievements and advancements in aviation that have connected our world like never before. From the pioneering flights of the early 20th century to today’s cutting-edge technology, aviation has transformed how we travel, trade, and communicate. This day is a tribute to the visionaries, engineers, pilots, and all the dedicated professionals who ensure the safety and efficiency of air travel globally and to St Helena.
Let’s celebrate the spirit of innovation and the boundless possibilities that aviation brings to our global community.
#StHelena #InternationalCivilAviationDay
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SHG
A public meeting will be held on Wednesday, 11 December 2024, at Half Tree Hollow Community Centre at 19:00 to discuss the ongoing review of St Helena’s governance and ministerial system introduced in 2021.
This review, commissioned by the Legislative Council, supported by the Governor and the UK Government, aims to assess whether the effectiveness of constitutional changes made in 2021 are delivering good governance—ensuring efficiency, transparency and accountability for St Helena under a ministerial form of government.
The Review Panel consists of Dr Ronan Cormacain, Mr Steven Tweedie and Lord Robert Lisvane. Dr Cormacain and Mr Tweedie are currently visiting the island for two weeks and will be hosting the public meeting.
This public meeting will provide an opportunity for the panel to briefly state what their mission is on island and, more importantly, to hear directly from residents of St Helena. The panel wants to understand what is working well and what isn’t under the current ministerial system.
In addition to this public meeting, the panel is carrying out a range of interviews with various stakeholders during their time on St Helena. These conversations, along with input from the public, will inform a draft report to be produced in January 2025. The panel will return to St Helena to receive feedback on the draft and facilitate the preparation of the final report of findings, which will be presented to the Legislative Council. The panel is determined to consult widely and an important part of this is the opportunity for the community to speak directly to the panel.
Dr Cormacain commented that the panel did not want to hear from only those within the government structures but was keen to hear from the public generally. Mr Tweedie noted that it is also important to understand that the panel’s deliberations are focused on:
The panel will not be able to deal with matters that fall outside of this scope (for example, the merits of individual decisions taken by the government).
There is no need to confirm attendance—just come along and share your views. Should you be unable to attend or prefer to share views privately, the team can be reached by email: StHelenaGovernanceReview@gmail.com This email is only accessible to the review team themselves and comments can be made in confidence.
#StHelena #MinisterialSystem #ConstitutionalChanges
The Health and Social Care Portfolio (HSC) is excited to announce the launch of a new, advanced optometry service, marking a significant milestone in eye care for our community.
Up until now St Helena relied on annual visits from optometrists, with spectacles taking up to four months to arrive. Now, under the guidance of optometrist Stephanie van Dyk and supported by South Africa’s renowned Spectacle Warehouse, we are transitioning to a digital-driven approach that will revolutionise how eye care is delivered on the island.
An initial visit, running from 30 November to 09 December 2024, will focus on setting up the infrastructure and technical aspects of the service. During this visit, 100 consultation slots have been allocated, and future visits are planned to accommodate up to 200 patients. With three to four visits a year planned, patients can expect quicker, more frequent access to professional optometry services. The next visit is expected to take place in March 2025.
Key highlights of the service include:
This new service aims to provide high-quality, reliable eye care tailored to the needs of St Helena’s community. The partnership with Spectacle Warehouse ensures access to expertise and technology that will support the island’s long-term eye health and well-being.
The HSC and Spectacle Warehouse are committed to delivering excellent optometry services, ensuring a brighter, clearer future for all St Helena residents.
Please note that no changes have been made to the cost of individual appointments. The standard charge for an appointment is £7.70.
#StHelena #OptometryService #AltogetherHealthier
The primary schools will be hosting their annual Swimming Gala on Friday, 06 December 2024 commencing from approximately 09:45 to 14:00 at the Jamestown Swimming Pool. All parents, carers, and members of the public are invited to attend. However, as space within the pool is limited, priority will be given to parents/carers. There is also limited seating and shade available. The proprietor of the pool has kindly asked that no take-away food is brought on to the premises.
As this is a school event, the primary schools would appreciate if all spectators could kindly adhere to the following conditions in the interests of the safety of the children:
Please note, if parents/guardians wish to transport their children home after the event, they are asked to ensure that they make the respective Head Teacher of the school or the child’s class teacher aware of this 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.
SHG is pleased to announce that the technical difficulties experienced with the email domain ‘sainthelena.gov.sh’ this week have been resolved. Emails sent to or from this domain are now being delivered and received.
SHG thanks the public for their patience and understanding whilst the SHG IT Section worked to resolve the issue and restore full email functionality.
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