The Watkins Hodge Community Memorial Race in Anguilla was held for the third consecutive year on Sunday, June 26. The starting point, as usual, was just outside the Caracasbaai Supermarket on the Stoney Ground Road, continuing around the Queen Elizabeth Avenue to The Valley Roundabout, up the Albert Lake Drive and back.
The participating schools, in the four relays, were Valley, Orealia Kelly, and Morris Vanterpool Primary Schools and a mixed team from the Orealia Kelly and Alwyn Allison Richardson Schools.
The cash prizes were announced as being EC$500, EC$300 and EC$200 for the first, second and third places. The winners respectively were Orealia Kelly, Morris Vanterpool and Valley Schools.
The event is hosted annually by the Anguilla Community Alliance. Although it is called the Watkins Hodge Community Memorial Race, it also seeks to honour other members of the Stoney Ground, Quarter and Little Dix communities who passed away over the years.
The persons to whom the memorial race pays honour are those “who have made significant impacts on these communities through their social, economic and philanthropic contributions”. This is according to a release from the Anguilla Community Alliance whose principal leaders are Dallen Connor, President, and Sherman Williams, Vice President. Both of them are originally from the Stoney Ground community.
The late Watkins Hodge was a leading businessman, an elected representative for Valley North and, in earlier life, a cricketer.