Category: Press Releases

 

The Safeguarding Directorate has signed an agreement with the United Nations for the sum of $150,000 USD to develop a ‘Safe Haven’ for women who are fleeing domestic violence on St Helena.  Project management has already commenced on the initiative – securing planning and development permission and beginning the procurement process for this long planned project.

The location for the Safe Haven will now undergo a renovation to accommodate the shelter.  Further training and development of staff on domestic issues will also occur – in addition to producing awareness campaigns for the wider community.

Policy Development Officer, Cilla McDaniel, said:

“Building a safe haven and offering solace to victims of domestic abuse is an issue that I have pursued over the last two decades and, after many hurdles, funding has finally become available.” 

“Domestic violence and violence against women happens in St Helena as it does in most communities and raised awareness over the last few years has opened up what was once a taboo community issue.  Now, more than ever, women are coming forward for assistance and it is essential to help them.  This Safe Haven will be one aspect of helping these women to reclaim their independence.”  

Under the project, the designated building will be converted to accommodate a three bedroom shelter, with some shared facilities.  In addition to providing safe accommodation for women fleeing domestic abuse, the refuge will provide training and support so that victims are better able to manage their lives and keep themselves and their dependents more safety aware . The project will also target multi-agency and community awareness and policy development to safeguard victims to maximise the sustainability of the Safe Haven.

SHG

24 August 2015

St Helena Airport’s historic Calibration Flights are scheduled for mid-September.  Prior to this, Basil Read will need to obtain approval from Air Safety Support International (ASSI) for temporary use of the runway.

ASSI’s Senior Aerodrome Inspector, Justin Rothwell, is expected to arrive on-Island on 29 August to carry out his assessment. This involves verifying the Airport infrastructure, observing a table-top exercise for the emergency services, and checking that all safety procedures are in place and adhered to.

If the temporary use of the runway is approved by ASSI and there is a suitable weather window, the calibration flight will be given the go-ahead to take-off from Africa.  The aircraft must land at St Helena Airport in ‘visual conditions’: the navigation aids cannot be used because they will not have been calibrated or approved by ASSI.  As such, a definitive date for the arrival of the flight cannot be given at present, but it is likely to be between Sunday 13 and Thursday 17 September. The calibration tests will be undertaken by Flight Calibration Services Limited (FCSL) who will travel to St Helena on the aircraft which has been leased from TAB who are based in South Africa.

Airport Project Manager Janet Lawrence explains:

“The calibration aircraft will possibly arrive in early afternoon but the actual arrival time will be dependent on the weather – we will probably have around six or seven hours’ notice before the flight arrives. The aircraft will fly from Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg, to Namibia, then Angola and on to St Helena – taking approximately four to five hours for the final leg.”

The exact number of flights that the aircraft will undertake on St Helena has yet to be confirmed, but 15 to 20 hours of flying time is anticipated to calibrate the various navigation aids and check instrument flight procedures.  The duration and frequency of flights will, to a large extent, be influenced by local weather conditions.

The Beechcraft Super King Air 200 aircraft (photo attached) used for the calibration flights will carry five occupants – three from South Africa and two from the UK.

Arriving on the RMS on 17 September will be ASSI Communication, Navigation & Surveillance Inspector, Mark Denny, to ascertain whether all navigation and communications equipment at the Airport is working correctly. DFID Project Manager, Nigel Kirby, will also arrive on this ship.

It is expected that the calibration flights will generate a great deal of public interest, especially to see the first landing.

Airport Manager Nigel Spackman commented:

“We know there will be a huge amount of public interest in the calibration flights – this is of course a very historic occasion for the Island. But I must stress that for security reasons I would urge the public not to make their way to the Airport site, where there will be no public access.

“Instead, we are working closely with the Police Service to manage the anticipated interest and traffic – and to identify a number of different public vantage points where people will get a good view of the aircraft.”

Further information on the calibration flights, vantage points and timing will be issued in due course.

SHG

24 August 2015

The public, SHG Directorates and businesses are advised that the telephone switchboard at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department (ANRD), Scotland, will be out of service on Wednesday 26 August 2015 for a period of two hours, between 10am and 12 noon.

This outage is to allow SURE SA Ltd to install a new telephone cable.

ANRD apologises in advance for any inconvenience caused and thanks the public in advance for their understanding.

SHG

24 August 2015

A new Director of Tourism for St Helena, Christopher Pickard (photo attached), was appointed on 20 August 2015.  Chris will be on a two-year contract, and will take up his post on arrival at St Helena on 14 October 2015.

Chris will be working with Enterprise St Helena and the Tourist Office and will build on the work already started in expanding, developing and enhancing St Helena’s tourism industry to be on par with best practices globally and for the benefit of the Saint community, the tourism sector and investors alike.

Chris said of his appointment:

“The opening of the Airport and start of scheduled flights next year will mark the beginning of what should be a new and very exciting chapter for St Helena. I am honoured and delighted to have been chosen to play my small part in this developing story and will be trying to help St Helena and its residents to build and create a sustainable travel and tourism sector – a sector that should bring very real and tangible benefits to the majority of the Island’s population.

“I look forward to learning about everything that the Island currently offers to its residents and its visitors and, in conversation with Saints, I want to understand how they would like St Helena to develop.  By applying my global travel experience and contacts, I will then aim to achieve these objectives through tourism.”

Chris is former chairman of the Latin American Travel Association and is a founder and trustee of its charitable foundation. He set up the Brazilian government’s first overseas tourist office, and has been the director of communications for the World Travel & Tourism Council. In his career, he has worked very closely for and with a number of tourist boards, airlines, cruise lines, hotel companies, destinations, as well as tour and ground operators.

He has also written extensively about travel and tourism and has authored and contributed to a number of guidebooks and travel publications.

SHG

24 August 2015

 

Open to the Public from 9.30am

Executive Council will meet tomorrow morning, Tuesday 25 August 2015, in the Council Chamber.

The meeting will be open to the public from 9.30am for the following Open Agenda item:

 

• Better Life Allowance Policy

Executive Council Members are: Lawson Henry, Brian Isaac, Christine Scipio-O’Dean, Derek Thomas and Pamela Ward Pearce.

SHG

24 August 2015

Six Public Health staff were presented with certificates of achievement for completing Stages 1 and 2 of a UK-recognised course in ‘Stop Smoking Cessation and Brief Intervention’ on Wednesday 19 August 2015.

Midwife Rosemary Mittens, Community Nurses Mandy Thomas, Jackie Henry, Ruth Young, Sarah Newman and Health Promotion Trainer Marian Kanes were all presented with their certificates by the Director of Health, Darren Clarke.

Darren said:

“Congratulations to all who have taken the training – it’s a great benefit to the community. Your commitment to achieving the course has been excellent, and the skills are transferrable so you’ll be able to deliver sessions on other health topics as well as smoking cessation.

“I think it’s fantastic that you have achieved this and hopefully you will continue to take advantage of the training opportunities available.  A big ‘thank you’ to our Community Nursing Officer, Christine Laskey, for running the course.”

Christine added:

“Our aim is to encourage people to stop smoking. The nurses have worked very hard and have been very patient doing the course on a weekly basis.  They’re now at a level where they can set up a group and support people within that group to stop smoking.

“But it’s not only about stopping smoking. The course also encompassed motivational training which will also equip the nurses with the skills to help people with any particular health issue.”

The course is updated yearly so recipients can keep abreast of any changing issues. Health Promotion Trainer, Marian Kanes, will also roll out the programme to anyone requiring further training in the future.

Two photos are attached to this release.

SHG

21 August 2015

A new Health Promotion Coordinator, Marian Yon (photo attached), has been appointed. Marian took up her post on 10 August 2015 and is based at St John’s Villa.

As the Health Promotion Coordinator, Marian will work closely with the Health Promotion Trainer and Community Nurses to deliver various health promotion initiatives on St Helena.

Marian said:

“Health promotion is very wide ranging so I could be doing anything from promoting health in Schools and the workplace right up to being involved in influencing policy and legalisation.”

In her new role, Marian will also be promoting healthy living via radio shows and speaking with businesses about promoting healthy eating options.

Marian added:

“One of the most important things I would like to get across is the importance of healthy eating – as it impacts on so many things like diabetes, heart conditions and obesity.

“I am really keen to educate people on foods that are good for you and foods that are not so good.”

Marian is also available for people to drop in and chat to her if they need advice on a particular issue such as weight management or to stop smoking, for example.

Marian concluded:

“St Helena is a beautiful Island and some people do a brilliant job in keeping healthy. What I would like to say to the public is keep up the walking, keep up the exercise and remember to look at the size of your portions and the types of food you’re eating. Healthy eating and living is possible on St Helena, with a few tips and a bit of organisation.”

Marian can be contacted at St John’s Villa on tel. 22500 or email marian.yon@publichealth.gov.sh

SHG

21 August 2015

Following representation by Councillors Lawson Henry and Dr Corinda Essex on behalf of Elected Members – and subsequent modification of the St Helena Airport logo in accordance with Councillors’ specifications – a revised and final version of the logo has now been endorsed and approved by Executive Council Elected Members.

Illustrated below is the primary (basic) version of the final logo, and attached are images showing this logo in a variety of potential applications.  Also attached, to give context, is an image of the St Helena Airport logo alongside a range of other airport logos.

No further changes will be made to the St Helena Airport logo, and it will now be used in various applications – principally by Basil Read.

For those who need to apply the logo, high resolution, downloadable images – together with directions on how the logo can be used – are now available as a web resource at http://sherpa.co.za/clients/airport-guidelines

AIRPORT – Final Logo in Context

AIRPORT – Final Logo Potential Applications

SHG

18 August 2015

 

The Chevening Secretariat is accepting applications for 2016/17 Chevening Scholarships via www.chevening.org/apply from 3 August until 3 November 2015.

Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals with strong academic backgrounds who also have demonstrable leadership potential. The scholarship offers financial support to study for a Master’s degree at any of the UK’s leading universities and the opportunity to become part of an influential global network of 44,000 alumni.

There are approximately 1,500 Chevening Scholarships on offer globally for the 2016/2017 academic cycle. These scholarships represent a significant investment from the UK Government to develop the next cohort of global leaders.

His Excellency Governor Capes said:

“Being a Chevening Scholar marks you out as someone with ambition, drive and ability. It offers students a unique opportunity to gain academic experience and at the same time to broaden their global and social outlooks. The Chevening Scholarship enables a student to acquire the tools to make a great contribution to St Helena’s development.”

Chevening Secretariat Director, Michael Scott-Kline, added:

“A Chevening Scholarship is a mark of honour bestowed on individuals who have been identified as having the qualities to become highly influential global leaders. Not only do award recipients receive a first-rate UK education, through Chevening they join a vibrant community of Chevening Alumni, Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff, UK universities, and partner organisations. Chevening Award recipients will draw on and contribute to this community for the rest of their lives. I am delighted to announce the opening of the 2016/17 competition for Chevening Scholarships and I strongly encourage emerging and established leaders to make an application – it may be the best decision you ever make.”

Chevening Programme Manager, Nyssa Lee-Woolf, concluded:

“As well as an unparalleled academic experience, Chevening Scholars enjoy exclusive access to a wide range of events and opportunities designed to introduce them to the UK, its history, institutions, customs, and people.  Scholars could take in breath-taking views of the Scottish Highlands, come face to face with Britain’s heritage and history in its stately homes and castles, or debate diplomacy and international policy at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”

For more information, visit www.chevening.org/faqs for details on the eligibility criteria and award specifications.

 St Helena Contact

Manager of the Governor’s Office, Sandra Sim on tel: 22308 or email: sandra.sim@sainthelena.gov.sh

Notes to Editors

 Chevening Scholarships are the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations. The scholarships support study at UK universities – mostly for one year Master’s degrees – for individuals with demonstrable potential to become future leaders, decision-makers, and opinion formers.

Chevening began in 1983 and has developed into a prestigious international awards scheme. Chevening Scholars come from over 160 countries and territories worldwide (excluding the USA and the EU), and over 1,500 scholarships were awarded in 2015/16. There are over 44,000 Chevening Alumni around the world who comprise an influential and highly regarded global network.

The name ‘Chevening’ comes from Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent – currently the joint official residence of the UK’s Foreign Secretary.

More information is available at www.chevening.org

SHG

18 August 2015

 

 

Chief Secretary Roy Burke departs the Island today, Tuesday 18 August 2015, on overseas leave.

During the period he is off-Island, Assistant Chief Secretary (Support) Gillian Francis will take on the duties of Acting Chief Secretary. Gillian this morning took the prescribed Oaths of Office in the presence of HE Governor Capes at the Castle.

While Gillian is Acting Chief Secretary, Corporate Services Executive Manager, Carol George, will be appointed as Acting Assistant Chief Secretary (Support).

Roy Burke, will return to the Island on Thursday 8 October 2015.

SHG

18 August 2015