‘Walk to Work’ day is celebrated every year on 5 April 2024.
It is a chance to change your routine, add a little more time to it, and see how a slower start to the day that incorporates a brisk walk can lead to a more efficient life overall. We know that being sedentary has negative effects on a person’s health, and walking to work can make a huge difference to your life and your lifespan.
Not only will walking to work reduce your carbon footprint, it can also help improve your memory and mood, get your muscles moving and can help instil healthier habits into your lifestyle. People who walk to work regularly are also generally healthier and more productive at work.
We are encouraging everyone in St Helena to participate in the ‘Walk to Work’ challenge this year. To help support this initiative, SHG has granted an additional 30 minutes physical activity time on 5 April 2024 to SHG employees who would like to participate.
Tips to take advantage of ‘Walk to Work’ day:
If you can’t walk all the way, get off the bus at an earlier stop and walk the rest of the way
If you need to drive, consider parking at least a kilometre away from your destination
If you can’t fit your walk in during the morning, try a short walk at lunch time
So get ready for ‘Walk to Work’ day to enjoy personal benefits as well as helping out the planet.
On Saturday 23 March 2024, HE Governor Nigel Phillips, Chief Minister Julie Thomas and Chief Secretary Susan O’Bey returned to St Helena following an official visit to fellow Overseas Territory, Montserrat.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office facilitated the trip to promote ties between the two Overseas Territories. During their visit, the delegation met with HE Governor Sarah Tucker, Premier Easton Taylor-Farrell, members of Parliament and a wide range of officials and community representatives. These meetings enabled the two Overseas Territories to learn about the challenges and opportunities each island is facing, share approaches on how to address them and to better understand where collaboration between St Helena and Montserrat would be best implemented.
The delegation also attended a variety of events aimed at strengthening the social and cultural links between the two territories. These festivities included the annual flower show and tea party hosted by the Montserrat National Trust, and a tour of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. A visit to the Plymouth Exclusion Zone was cancelled due to bad weather. On Sunday 17 March, the delegation attended the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade, the culminating event of a 15-day festival, Montserrat’s biggest national festival.
The delegation also took the opportunity to meet with the High Commissioner to Antigua Karen-Mae Hill OBE, en route back to St Helena.
Reflecting on their trip to Montserrat, Chief Minister Julie Thomas commented:
“Concluding a highly successful week in Montserrat, I am pleased to have been able to engage in so many detailed and enlightening discussions and make so many valuable connections with the Montserratian Parliamentary leaders along with their civil service counterparts. These will be critical in further strengthening our ties with the people and government of Montserrat.”
“Discussions on topics of governance, policy and corporate leadership, fiscal policy, outcome framework and programme management of the Montserrat Capital Investment Programme for Resilient Economic Growth (similar to St Helena’s EDIP) will help our Executive Council with future decision-making approaches and best practices. Equally, I know that our counterparts in Montserrat found great value in hearing about the enormous strides that St Helena has made in our blue and green agendas, development in terms of access and the steps we are taking to strengthen our essential infrastructure; areas of which are similar in priority for both islands.”
The public are advised that tree felling in the Rupert’s Port and Cargo Facility area will take place on Wednesday 03 April 2024 from 07:00. This exercise will take place between the main yard and the contractor’s site office and laydown area below Hay Town House.
This work is a joint undertaking delivered by the Programme Management Office (PMO) and the Environment, Natural Resources and Planning (ENRP) Portfolio.
The tree to be felled currently hosts a swarm of bees, which will be removed with support from an experienced bee keeper. The public and all users of the areas are advised to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves, others and pets, should there be increased bee activity in the area during the operation.
The main road will not be closed but those accessing lower Rupert’s may experience some delays.
For further information, please contact Site Supervisor Mr Glenn Owen by mobile telephone on 51203.
The public are thanked in advance for their patience and understanding.
Following the visit by the FCDO Financial Aid Mission delegation in December 2023, discussions have been ongoing between the St Helena Government and the UK Government regarding the level of funding to be provided to St Helena for the 2024-2025 financial year. Ministers, officials and FCDO colleagues have worked hard to develop the planning for next year, and to present the evidence for a settlement in the context of a challenging economic situation in the UK.
We had anticipated that a settlement would be confirmed by end of February 2024, providing adequate time to prepare and present the Budget for 2024/25 within Legislative Council rules, and ahead of the beginning of the 2024-2025 financial year in April.
However, we are yet to receive confirmation of the 2024/25 financial aid settlement. This means that we cannot finalise the Budget for 2024/25 in order to present it to Legislative Council as planned on 25 March 2024.
Instead, a rollover budget will now be sought. Minister for Treasury and Economic Development, Mark Brooks, will table a motion at Legislative Council which seeks to empower the Financial Secretary to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund. This will allow public services to continue until such time that the Appropriation Bill is approved by Legislative Council.
The draft Budget 2024/25 will be published once the financial aid settlement from the UK Government has been confirmed.
A delegation returned to St Helena having travelled to the UK to represent St Helena at the Blue Belt Symposium 2024 held in London. The symposium took place from 26 February to 28 February 2024 and brought together programme partners and delegates from a variety of the UK Overseas Territories (OTs).
Marine and Fisheries Conservation Officer Kirsty Jones, Marine Enforcement Officer Kelly Jonas, and Blue Belt Regional Coordinator Elizabeth Clingham travelled to the UK to attend and present at the symposium.
The theme for this year was ‘The Blue Belt Journey: Celebrating the Past, Charting the Future’. The main goal for the symposium was to connect UK Overseas Territories and partners to acknowledge, celebrate, share and strengthen how we protect and enhance ocean health globally.
St Helena was part of the first group of OTs to be members of the Blue Belt and featured strongly in discussions throughout the symposium.
Elizabeth Clingham led a presentation on the topic ‘Highlighting and celebrating key Blue Belt programme outcomes to date on St Helena’. Her presentation included a short introduction to St Helena and the journey and evolvement of marine science within the territory. This crucial work has provided the evidence base necessary for measures underpinning the management policy, legislation and enforcement. Key highlights included:
Fisheries science
Marine tourism
Marine Enforcement as a new dedicated function of SHG
Local improved infrastructure and human capacity building
On the second day, Kirsty Jones delivered a presentation on the social, cultural and economic impacts and values of St Helena’s Marine Protected Area (MPA). This showcased how a healthy marine environment adds to the quality of life and pride of the local community. The presentation used snippets from videos taken during the 2023 Marine Awareness Week presentation talks and videos that were released to mark the recent Hope Spot designation and recognition. This meant that the voice of the local community and key marine users was brought to the international ensemble of attendees.
Elizabeth Clingham also facilitated networking sessions where OTs and invited guests discussed ideas on options for better cross-OT networking and sustainable financing of MPAs.
In addition, data and examples of work undertaken in St Helena was presented by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences (CEFAS), Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Plymouth University.
The delegation also attended a number of presentations and technical discussions covering a range of topics.
Elizabeth Clingham commented on the symposium:
“The symposium was a wonderful opportunity for St Helena to reflect and see how far the island has come in doing what is necessary for local ocean protection, to acknowledge our contribution and recognise our global impact. The symposium facilitated rare face to face interaction between OT counterparts. These will help to ensure the islands can support each other based on each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“It was a comprehensive three days, with approximately 60 presentations running concurrently, and between Kirsty, Kelly and myself we managed to participate in them all. There was also networking events in the evenings held at Fishmongers Hall and a Parliamentary event held at King Charles Street. The Foreign Secretary, the Right Honourable Lord David Cameron, addressed the OT audience and expressed his pleasure at the success of the programme and the work achieved by OTs.”
After the symposium, Elizabeth participated in the Global Oceans Wildlife Analysis Network and has now been appointed as the chair of the network. This position will play an important supporting role to all OTs.
“This symposium was a brilliant experience that gave myself and my colleagues many opportunities to help enhance our knowledge and skills, which we are proud to be bringing back to St Helena. One of the highlights of this trip for me was having the opportunity to meet with Blue Belt colleagues face to face. I have had the pleasure of working with these colleagues closely over the past three years, many of which have helped us build local capacity and skills. This will now help me to build a better working relationship with them.”
“I also had the opportunity to attend talks around marine enforcement and network with other OT colleagues. This meant I could share what St Helena’s Marine Enforcement Section are currently doing and hear about what they are doing to protect their marine environment. Having the chance to hear about the tools and methods that other territories are using will be of benefit as we plan and improve our own marine enforcement. Thank you to the Blue Belt Programme for providing us with this amazing opportunity!”
Since May last year, the Environment, Natural Resources, and Planning Portfolio (ENRP) has experienced a shortage of professional veterinary provision within their Veterinary and Livestock Section. This has mainly been due to the absence of a Senior Veterinary Officer.
On 24 February 2024, Andrew Cant arrived on St Helena to take up the role of Senior Veterinary Officer on a two-year contract. As a result, full veterinary and livestock services are now once again available to the public.
We thank everyone who has assisted the veterinary and livestock section over the last year, and the public for their patience and understanding during this time.
All queries and feedback regarding veterinary services should be directed to Andrew Cant, via email through andrew.cant@sainthelena.gov.sh or by telephone on 24724.
The Veterinary and Livestock Section can be contacted out-of-hours through the on-call staff member by telephone on 26162.
The French research vessel Thalassa is scheduled to visit St Helena from Saturday 16 March 2024 to Sunday 17 March 2024.
St Helena has a longstanding relationship with the vessel. The Thalassa first visited the island in 2020 and now returns annually to St Helena’s Marine Protected Area (MPA) as part of its long term marine science programme.
While in St Helena waters, the vessel will conduct research around the island. This will include measuring meteorological and oceanographic parameters, ocean currents, temperature profiles, and sampling surface water. The data gathered will be used by the Marine and Fisheries Conservation Section to underpin evidence based management of St Helena’s MPA.
The Marine and Fisheries Conservation Section, along with the Saint Helena National Trust, will have the chance to go on board the vessel and liaise with the scientific team. This will provide an opportunity to tour the laboratories and facilities on board and see some of the science taking place in real time.
A delegation consisting of HE Governor Nigel Phillips, Chief Minister Julie Thomas and Chief Secretary Susan O’Bey arrived at Montserrat on Wednesday 13 March 2024 to begin a six-day official visit to the island. This trip marks the first time that Chief Minister Thomas has made an official visit to another Overseas Territory.
The trip, facilitated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aims to strengthen ties between the two Overseas Territories. Whilst there they will meet with the Governor, Premier, members of Parliament and officials. These meetings will help the delegation understand the challenges and opportunities Montserrat is facing, approaches being taken to address these and to better understand where there are synergies with St Helena. Similarly, it will allow for colleagues in Montserrat to hear about the approaches being deployed in St Helena, facilitating experience sharing and cross-territorial learning.
The delegation will also be attending a number of events to build social and cultural ties between the two territories. These events will include a flower show and tea party, hosted by the Montserrat National Trust, a visit to the Montserrat Volcano Observatory and the Plymouth Exclusion Zone, and the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade, which celebrates the main national holiday of Montserrat.
The delegation is due to arrive back in St Helena on Saturday 23 March 2024.
In November 2022 the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) allocated up to £1,800,000 for the purchase of equipment of critical importance to St Helena. This was focused on areas including healthcare, emergency services, port operations, road maintenance and the airport.
£267,687.70 was allocated to what was then the Treasury, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Portfolio. This was used to purchase a Minimac Slurry Paver from VSS Macropaver. The paver arrived at the end of last year, and training for the operators and maintenance staff of the roads section and vehicle fleet section took place.
Since the arrival of the Minimac Slurry Paver, the roads section has carried out successful slurry work trials at the following locations:
on the road at White Gate, opposite the bus shelter
the road from Phillip John’s Shop to Scotland roundabout
at the car park, located behind the museum in Jamestown
on the access road to the public works yard
The latest works took place on Friday 01 March 2024 in Jamestown on the seafront, from the road through the arch to the concrete benches near the swimming pool entrance. This demonstration took place to provide the public and Legislative Council elected members, as well as representatives of the FCDO, with a visual demonstration of the capabilities of the slurry machine.
The slurry machine is also available for hire to do private work. A long term program of where around the island the machine will be working throughout the year is being compiled and will be published. This schedule will include opportunities for private hire of the machine. The public living in the areas where the machine will be working are encouraged to contact the roads section for a quote for service. The machine can be used for various paving jobs, including private roads, car parks or driveways.
For further details on this service, please contact Roads Manager Deon Robbertse by telephone on 23765.
On Wednesday 13 March 2024, students, parents and invited guests gathered at Prince Andrew School (PAS) Hall to celebrate the annual Certificate and Awards Ceremony.
The ceremony, to award students their certificates for exams that were taken in May and June 2023, began with a welcome speech by Acting Governor Stephen Thwaites.
In an address to the students, the Acting Governor said:
“This awards ceremony is a celebration of your achievements, so I want to begin by congratulating all of those collecting certificates or awards on your successes. You should be proud of what you have accomplished. These achievements take a lot of hard work, and you have had a disrupted education due to Covid. Successes in easy times should be celebrated, but when you persevere through tough times those successes are magnified and you should all be very proud.”
The first round of presentations were to award former year 9, 11, 12 and 13 students their certificates in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), Vocationally Recognised Qualifications (VRQ), International Computer Driving License (IDCL), AS-Levels and A-Levels.
Shortly after, presentations were made for individual awards which recognised achievements in a range of areas:
Award
Awardee
Jean Beadon Art Award
Sadie Herne
Governor’s Award for Excellence at Key Stage 3
Dionne Muranganwa and Asa Bushuru
PTA Student of the Year Award
Maria Dachraoui and Brooke Yon
SURE Sponsorship Awards
Maria Dachraoui and Kalem Henry
Jeanette Williams Maths Awards
Maria Dachraoui and Jaede Benjamin
English Language Awards
Maria Dachraoui and Amy Thomas
Eliza Mary Lloyd Trust Agriculture Award
Joey Harris-Henry
Bishop Houghton Award
Mitchell Crowie
Joy George Award
Kyle Benjamin and Anna-Lucia Roberts
Certificates were also presented to Joshua Midwinter, Taye Peters and Stefan O’dean who completed their Skills for Justice Level 2 Award with St Helena Airport.
The ceremony concluded with a vote of thanks from Student Council President, Maria Dachraoui and Student Council Vice President, Erik Robbertse, with closing remarks delivered by Assistant Director of Schools, Kerry Lawrence.
Acting Head Teacher for PAS, Isabel Andrews, concluded:
“We would like to congratulate all of our awardees on their achievements. They have had to be committed to their studies both in school and spend time at home working hard as well. A big thank you to everyone who supported the students in any way to reach their goals – teachers, mentors and also parents and family members – your input is invaluable! We trust that you will use these achievements to help you make positive next steps in your journey.”
