For the sixth consecutive year the people of Anguilla have been advised on the importance of safety. This was undertaken by a number of public and private sector departments and other organisations involved in an All Hazard Risk Reduction & Safety Fair.
The event, in which there were fourteen booths, was held on the Agricultural Department’s grounds on Friday, June 20. The theme of the fair was “Preventing the Worst by Putting Safety First.” The booths included displays by the Department of Health Protection, the Health and Nutrition Unit of the Health Department, Department of Disaster Management, ANGLEC, LIME, Caribbean Cable Communications, Sol, the HIV/AIDS Programme, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources and the Anguilla Fire and Rescue Service.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Bancroft Battick, Chief Engineer at the Department of Infrastructure, Utilities and Communication, and the welcome remarks were delivered by Janice Isomura of the Anguilla Red Cross.
Governor Christina Scott welcomed the holding of the fair, saying it was an important occasion which demonstrated a continuous need for everyone to practice safety in their daily lives. She was favourably impressed with the many displays and urged the spectators to take advantage of the useful information available to them. The Governor commended the organisers of the event, mainly the Department of Disaster Management, as well as the participating departments and other organisations.
Minister of Home Affairs, Jerome Roberts, was particularly pleased with the large number of schoolchildren at the fair. He advised them to convey the importance of safety to their parents, not just in relation to hurricanes but other disasters as well.
Mr David Gumbs, General Manager of the Anguilla Electricity Company, also emphasised the significance of safety and pointed especially to the high-risk work of his company. He was happy that ANGLEC was the platinum sponsor of the fair. Other sponsors were DIGICEL, Anguilla Electric Protective, Sol, Safety Alliance, LIME and Delta Petroleum.
The various displays were of much interest and attraction to the spectators, particularly the children. A number of them participated in demonstrations by the Fire and Rescue Service under the direction of Fire Officer, Shondell Hodge.
The safety fair continued well into the afternoon, with a large crowd in attendance.
