BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, April 5, 2021 (MMS-SKN) — One week after the Peoples Labour Party (PLP), the fastest growing party in the Caribbean, held the hugely successful 2021 National Convention on the grounds of the Ottley’s playing field, action was back on Ottley’s this time on the hardcourts as hundreds converged there at the end of Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk on Saturday April 3.
“Today we had a fantastic turnout for the health walk, notwithstanding all the competing activities,” said Prime Minister and National Political Leader of the Peoples Labour Party Dr the Hon Timothy Harris. “To me it was a very good sight to witness the huge turnout that we had today. I thank all those who participated. We had some newcomers, and newcomers are always welcome.”
Heavy rains the previous evening did not stop health conscious walk enthusiasts who had assembled at the Bellevue Bus Stop from as early as 5:00 am. They were called to order by National Chairman of the Peoples Labour Party, Mr Warren Thompson, at 5:45 am and after a word of prayer by PLP National Women Representative, Mrs Sonia Henry, they set off for Ottley’s.
The Honourable Prime Minister commended the group from St. Paul’s and in particular Mr Shaheed Williams who organised to have a large turnout and brought a group of newcomers from Constituency Number Six. He hoped that they will be regular in their attendance and will also continue to bring new persons.
“It was good to have the youth leaders participating, Ms Katherina Davis, and Mr Jeremiah Locker, and I want to commend their involvement,” said Dr Harris of the two PLP National Youth Representatives. “I want to thank those members of the Executive who took time to be there and in particular to acknowledge Dr Bernicia Nisbett who participated.”
Other members of the National Executive of the Peoples Labour Party who were also commended by the National Political Leader included National Secretary Ms Myrtilla Williams, National Treasurer Mr Rawle Mars, Women Representatives Mrs Sonia Henry and Ms Petrona Thomas, National Legal Representative Ms Violet Williams, National Deputy Secretary Ms Desiree Huggins, and National Deputy Treasurer Mrs Patrice Ofre.
“I want to thank all the executive members and to thank the team,” said Dr Harris. “I think today they did something very special being Easter, in terms of adding more to the breakfast and a wider offering. So I want to thank all those who would have helped in any way – who would have made donations to the effort and in particular the young ladies who took the time to serve the hundreds of people who participated.”
All eight Peoples Labour Party Executive Branches were well represented by party membership while Constituency Number Five had its Chairman Mr Glenville Mills, and Deputy Chair Ms Marsha Lewis, and Constituency Number Seven had its Chairman Mr Lenworth Harris.
Regular participants of the Prime Minister Monthly Health Walk, which is now held under the umbrella of SKN Moves, included Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan His Excellency Tom Lee and embassy staff, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Mr Vincent William Hodge, Director of St. Christopher and Nevis Social Security Board Mr Antonio Maynard, and Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly Ms Trevlyn Stapleton.
Also on the walk was the visiting Trinidad-based Consultant Clinical/Forensic Psychologist, Dr Sharon-ann Gopaul-McNicol who delivered the keynote at the convention which was held on the grounds of Ottley’s playing field on March 27.
“I commend the Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan His Excellency Tom Lee for coming and being part of the whole effort to get St. Kitts and Nevis more active physically on the move,” said Dr Harris. He also commended some persons from the Ross University, for coming out and supporting the walk and by so doing adding to their own health and wellness.
Efforts by young men led by Eldon ‘Big T’ Harris in mobilising the transportation to and fro of the participants, also came in for high commendation from Prime Minister Harris.
“I would say our post-convention activities have been well attended,” he observed. “We had a successful church service the Sunday after the convention at The Temple Church in Dieppe Bay, and today we were able to follow up with a very successful health walk. Tomorrow we go to church at the House of Deliverance New Testament Church of God in Tabernacle and I basically just want to commend the efforts of all who have made the hosting of these events possible.”
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, January 28, 2021 (MMS-SKN) –– The first Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk for Year 2021 will be held on Saturday January 30 and Prime Minister, Dr the Hon Timothy Harris, is once again inviting all regular health-conscious walk enthusiasts to join him on the walk and to encourage others to come along.
The walk, which will be held under the umbrella of SKN Moves, will take the traditional route Bellevue Village to Ottley’s Village and is bound to attract many participants who are eager to shed off some of the pounds they would have gained during the festive December and New Year seasons.
Starting at 5:30 am, participants will assemble in the vicinity of the bus stop shelter on the Island Main Road in Bellevue Village in Constituency Number Seven which the Prime Minister represents in the National Assembly.
The walk will take the participants to Ottley’s hardcourts and many participants always look forward to the opportunity to walk alongside and have a chat with the Prime Minister as he encourages more people to maintain healthy lifestyles. Walking is a perfect avenue towards achieving that goal.
Prime Minister Harris, who serves as CARICOM’s lead spokesperson on human resources, health and HIV matters, has been taking the matter of healthy lifestyles seriously and has shown it by the example of having started monthly health walks in his constituency in way back in April 2007.
The event was then known as the Dr Harris Constituency Number Seven Health Walk, and one of the founding members of the health walk was Mr William Phillip. He was one of the top ten finishers during the last Prime Minister’s Health Walk, held on Saturday November 28 last year, before it took a break to accommodate the festive December and New Year seasons.
“I am greatly moved by the enthusiasm our people continue to exhibit every month when they join our Prime Minister on his Monthly Health Walk,” said Mr Phillip. “This is a clear indication that the Prime Minister’s healthy lifestyles message, which has been repeated ever since the health walks started, has fallen on fertile grounds. Many people turn up for the health benefits they derive from the exercise which on a good day takes avid walkers just about an hour, and average walkers at least one hour and a half to complete.”
Mr Phillip made an appeal: “The Prime Minister has given us another opportunity this coming Saturday – let us join him on this walk as we strive to build a healthy nation. Let us do it by example. Come out and bring a friend or two.”
]]>BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, January 27, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is once again leading the fight against non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of active and healthy lifestyles among citizens and residents of St. Kitts and Nevis.
The honourable prime minister is doing this through the staging of what has become his highly successful monthly health walks across the length of Constituency #7, Belle Vue to Ottley’s Village. The next event takes place this coming Saturday, January 30, starting at 5:30am from the Belle Vue bus stop.
As the lead spokesman in the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet with responsibility for human resources, health and HIV matters, Prime Minister Harris is hopeful that his monthly health walks will continue to promote healthy living, which in turn can lead to the overall reduction of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Prime Minister Harris stated recently in his 2021 Budget Address that NCDs are now the most serious burden on the Federation’s health system and insisted that lifestyle changes are necessary.
The prime minister said, “We have to make shifts in what we eat – eating more nutritious and healthy meals, buying, and eating local and of course we have to reduce our intake of drugs. That is why a few years ago we launched the St. Kitts Moves and the Nevis Moves initiatives to again encourage our people into the knowledge of the beneficial effect of physical activity in the fight against NCDs.”
The Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk started in 2007 as the Constituency #7 Health Walk but has over the years grown and now regularly sees participation from residents outside of Constituency #7 and from a wider cross section of society including other Members of Parliament and representatives of the diplomatic and consular corps.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 31, 2020 (MMS-SKN) — The latest edition of Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk, which was held on Saturday August 29 and attracted a large turnout, was a national effort according to Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris.
“Today we had a successful, large turnout and we are very happy to see that our first event after the period of lockdown has been as successful as it was,” said Dr Harris who walked the entire Bellevue to Ottley’s route. “It really was a national effort – we had presentation from all regions of St. Kitts.”
The health walks, initially known as Dr Harris Constituency Number Seven Health Walk, have since 2017 been rebranded as the Prime Minister’s Health Walk. Unlike in 2007 when they first started and used to mainly attract persons from the constituency, they today attract participants from around St. Kitts and occasionally from Nevis as well.
Taking part in the Saturday August 29 Prime Minister’s Health Walk included the Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan, His Excellency Tom and Mrs Lee, and embassy staffer Ms Grace Wang. On the local scene ambassadors His Excellency Kevin Williams, and His Excellency Ian Patches Liburd took part.
Also from outside Constituency Number Seven included the Minister of Health the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett, and Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett.
There were representatives from all the constituencies on St. Kitts, but Mr Glenville Mills, who is the Chairman of PLP Constituency Number Five Executive Branch, brought a large contingent from the Sandy Point area. It included Vice Chairperson Ms Marsha Lewis, and Women’s Arm Representative Ms Janice Lewis.
A first time participant in the Prime Minister’s Health Walk, Ms Sheryll Reid from the New Taylors Housing Development in Constituency Number One said that the walk was quite invigorating and that she liked the idea of it, which is to keep people fit.
“As you know we have joined the Caribbean Moves and we now have SKN Moves, and so in keeping with that I think it is a good idea for the Prime Minister to have this monthly health walk,” said Ms Reid. “I find that it was well attended this morning – very, very much well attended and the people are excited so that we would be back again for another Health Walk. We are looking forward to that.”
Ms Verna Lewis from Cayon in Constituency Number Eight pointed out that she would have taken part in the Prime Minister’s Health Walks on numerous occasions. She noted: “This morning, it was really refreshing. It was long, but being somebody who is always exercising, I enjoyed it very much.”
According to Ms Lewis, the Prime Minister’s Health Walk gives people a lot of health benefits and she noted that at the end of the walk, participants were served fruits which she noted was a very healthy way of feeding the walkers. She termed it a good idea and while saying she will be back, she challenged others to follow suit and take part when the dates for the next health walk are advertised.
“So to have a wide cross-section as we have had, people of all walks of life, people from all regions, to me it was very encouraging this morning, including the representatives of the Spanish community, because our message ‘health wellness’ must in fact resonate through all alleyways and byways of St. Kitts and Nevis,” observed Prime Minister Harris.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 30, 2020 (MMS-SKN) — Prime Minister’s Monthly Health Walk which traditionally takes participants from Bellevue to Ottley’s hard courts, in Constituency Number Seven, was back with a bang on Saturday August 29 with Prime Minister Dr the Hon Timothy Harris among participants who donned SKN Moves T-shirts.
“Part of the effort of promoting the St. Kitts and Nevis (SKN) Moves, which we launched last year, is to bring greater consciousness as to the individual ability to impact positively at their health,” said Prime Minister Harris at the end of the walk.
Also taking part in the walk which had started at 6:00 am from the bus stop on the Island Main Road in Bellevue Village included the Minister of Health the Hon Akilah Byron-Nisbett, and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Delores Stapleton-Harris.
“We had asked that every activity people were doing, to try to bring it to the extent possible under the branding of the SKN Moves – in other words demonstrating that St. Kitts and Nevis is at work, and has brought into the CARICOM initiative of getting our people into great physical activity as a way of their having greater control over their health,” commented Dr Harris.
The Honourable Prime Minister, who has lead responsibility for Human Resource Development, Health and HIV/AIDS issues in the CARICOM’s quasi-cabinet, explained that since part of the mandate is to bring everything under the national umbrella of SKN Moves, it was okay to promote it by donning the SKN Moves paraphernalia.
“Of course physical activity was a critical aspect of it, as it improves the chances of overcoming obesity and other non-communicable diseases, and so this is one aspect of it,” observed Dr Harris. “Dieting is also a critical element but the physical activity is what we are encouraging throughout the length and breadth of the country.”
The turnout was very impressive as persons who are accustomed to accompanying Prime Minister Harris, who is also the Area Parliamentary Representative for St. Christopher Seven, traversing the entire constituency from Bellevue bordering Constituency Number Six to Ottley’s which borders Constituency Number Eight, had been eager to take part in the walk.
“Today we had a successful, large turnout and we are very happy to see that our first event after the period of lockdown has been as successful as it was,” said Dr Harris. “It really was a national effort – we had presentation from all regions of St. Kitts. I was delighted to have Ambassador Kevin Williams, one of our new ambassadors, our Ambassador Ian Patches Liburd, the Taiwanese Ambassador His Excellency Tom Lee, and our Deputy Speaker Senator the Hon Dr Bernicia Nisbett.”
The Peoples Labour Party (PLP) assumed the role of promoting and organising the Prime Minister’s Health Walk since 2018. Master of ceremonies at the start of the walk on Saturday was PLP’s National Chairman Mr Warren Thompson. Other party officials included National Secretary Ms Myrtilla Williams, Party National Organiser Mr Alexis Nisbett, National Women Representative Mrs Sonia Henry, and Deputy National Chairman Mr Craig Tuckett.
At the Peoples Labour Party Constituency Branch Executive level, present were Chairman of Number Seven Branch Mr Lenworth Harris, Chairman of Number Five Branch Mr Glenville Mills, Deputy Chairperson Number Five Branch Ms Marsha Lewis, and general membership from all the branches.
“So to have a wide cross-section as we have had, people of all walks of life, people from all regions, to me it was very encouraging this morning, including the representatives of the Spanish community, because our message ‘health wellness’ must in fact resonate through all alleyways and byways of St. Kitts and Nevis,” concluded Prime Minister Harris.
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