BVI LONDON OFFICE TERRITORY DAY RECEPTION A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

Friday July 9, 2010

Organisers of the BVI London Office have touted the annual Territory Day reception a success as they raised £6,117.25 (US$9,279.09) during the silent auction held at the opening of the Art and Culture Show.

Selections from local artists Carol Vanterpool, Joseph Hodge, Tai Durante, Marc Downing, Thor Downing, Gath Hewlett, Troy Christopher, Jim Schiener and BVI business, Bamboushay where auctioned in addition to gift packages from Rosewood Little Dix Bay, Bitter End Yacht Club, The Moorings and Dive BVI.

Celebrated quadriplegic sailor, Geoff Holt, MBE was the special guest of honour from the Friends of the BVI. Holt was the first quadriplegic sailor to sail across the Atlantic Ocean and was conferred as an “honorary belonger” by Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE earlier this year.

Other friends from the BVI in attendance were Olympic hopeful Mr. Eric Mathias who was accompanied by BVI attaché to the BVI Olympic team Shirley and Dave Parker, Peter and Pauline Greasby, and current host, Peter Edney.

Eric Matthias is the first of BVI athlete and Olympic hopeful to arrive in the town of Aston ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games to train at Hertfordshire’s London 2012 Olympic Games approved pre-games training venue.

The BVI Olympic pins were unveiled and featured at the reception. Friends of the BVI Chairman and past Governor of the Virgin Islands Mr. Frank Savage announced that the group will be raising funds for the athletes through the sale of pins.

Territory day has been observed since 1 July, 54 years ago, when BVI celebrated a greater degree of self-government when the constitutional status changed from presidency to that of a colony following the dissolution of the Leeward Islands Colony, of which the Virgin Islands was a part.