Bahamas News
Prince Edward, Countess Sophie Get Royal Send-off with 300+ GGYA Participants, Music and More at Maillis Campgrounds, Adelaide
#TheBahamas, March 7, 2023 – In a historic farm and cottage setting by the seaside, Royal visitors Their Royal Highnesses, The Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar, got a downhome taste of The Bahamas when more than 300 young people rallied round to say thank you for coming to our country and thank you for caring about our programme, the Governor General’s Youth Award.
The afternoon event packed with music, dance, laughter and moments of mingling with royals that GGYA members shall always remember, took place at the sprawling Maillis campground in the historic village of Adelaide, miles and seemingly worlds away from the bustling capitol of the city, Nassau.
There, on a tree and vegetable farm with small boats bobbing at the shoreline ready to catch the bounty of the sea, the royals were treated to an afternoon far different from the pageantry that accompanied them throughout the three days of their visit to The Bahamas in late February. With Prince Edward assuming the role his father, Prince Philip, had prior to his passing as chair of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, the two-fold visit was primarily to witness the Award in action at units that catered to young people who were deemed at risk or marginalized, and present awards to participants receiving their Gold Award through GGYA, the local version of the program.
Countess Sophie visited the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for Girls and got a firsthand look at what the girls were doing to complete their Award journey there. She also presented a Bronze Award to one participant who had recently completed that level.
On another part of the island Prince Edward was able to visit the SURE Programme and, while there, met with the volunteers and participants involved in GGYA. The Earl, as he was being briefed on the offerings for the young men
at the school, was given a full tour of the facility, and was able to chat with the boys while they engaged in cooking, baking, and boat-building.
The visits to these centres were key evidence in the programme’s aim to extend the reach of the GGYA since they were recently given a grant from the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Special Projects Fund to get programmes started at five centres that catered to young people living with special needs, and those living in juvenile detention centres on New Providence and Grand Bahama.
The awards were presented on February 23 at a ceremony at Breezes where 13 young people received the highest award in the organization, the Gold Award, signifying they had completed every rung of a ladder that includes service, skills, and physical recreation. Gold participants must also undertake a residential project interacting with people away from their homes for five days and four nights, and complete a 4-day expedition or adventure – part of their path to success.
The program is the largest non-formal education framework for young people worldwide, inspiring more than one million participants in 130 countries to become involved in their communities while finding their own purpose, passion and place in the world.
While participants at the ceremonial occasion walked away with medals recognizing the level of their achievement, they showed another side at the “Royal Rally” event, on February 24, where connecting with the royals took on a
different perspective. Participating GGYA Units from schools across New Providence, were stationed at various tents displaying an array of activities that they engage in to achieve their Award.
At the start of the afternoon event, the guests were treated to a selection of song and dance. However, to truly kick off the celebratory event was a newly formed Conchy Band led by Mr. Christian Justillien, that certainly got the entire audience on their feet – royal party included, leaning into the music, as the band showed up drumming talents and other members playing the melodious conch horns. The Earl Prince Edward and Countess Sophie then took their time visiting, chatting with, and engaging with each activity on display. While the sounds of the Royal Bahamas Police Force Pop Band permeated the air, The Earl and Countess helped a students from the different units with shell craft, junkanoo pasting, painting, and interacted with young people who did a quick turn around on their kayaks and sail boat. The Earl was particularly interested in the sailing, while Countess was delighted to show her braiding skills with some other participants. One former GGYA gold achiever, Edwin Johnson, returned to his alma mater, CC Sweeting High School, formed a GGYA unit that now has more than 70 participants, believed to be one of the largest group from any unit in The Bahamas.
“The first time we went to a family island, Eleuthera, it was shocking. We slept in tents on the campus of Preston Albury High School. It rained, water came into the tent and when we woke up, we were soaked. We had to cook that night by making a fire on the rocks, we made white rice and ground beef and then, on the second night, we cooked
fried chicken and mashed potatoes on the rock stove by the beach,” said a student from Anatol Rodgers in Nassau, mirroring a similar experience shared by a student from The Beacon School in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Both students agreed – the rain may have dampened their clothes, but not their spirits and both students said learning a bit about cooking made them stronger.
The high energy afternoon rally at the campground was capped off with a tree planting and Junkanoo rush out led by teens from Jordan Prince William High School.
Throughout their two-day visit, the royals were accompanied by the dignified Governor General of The Bahamas, Sir Cornelius A Smith who sits as patron of the GGYA.
The Royal Bahamas Police Force and Royal Bahamas Defense Force bands took turns showcasing their musical talents wherever they went in the land of sunshine and blue skies, and the royals were applauded for bringing their own genuine warmth.
Release: DPA News
Photo Captions:
Header: Prince Edward and Countess Sophie thoroughly enjoyed the Rake & Scrape sounds of the Conchy Band led by Chris Justillien with foot stopping music emanating from conch shell horns and goat skin drums
1st insert: Prince Edward along with GGYA National Director, Jacquetta Maycock, chatting at the rally with students making Junkanoo costumes
2nd insert: Hon. Zane Lightbourne, Minister of State for Education and Technical and Vocational Training (center), Mr. Pericles Maillis, and HRH Prince Edward plant a tree to commemorate their visit
3rd insert: Countess Sophie jumps right in to finish a hair braid with talented GGYA students from CC Sweeting Senior High School who demonstrated hair braiding and styling as their vocation at the Rally
4th insert: Countess Sophia with excited students showing off their Bahamas flag crafts at the rally
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products concluded their 10 weeklong Twist To Win campaign with four $5,000 Mall at Marathon shopping sprees.
The campaign which was available throughout the entire Bahamas allowed consumers to enter by purchasing a 20oz bottle with a yellow cap
from the following brands: Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite, Fanta Orange, or Fanta Grape. Each yellow-cap had a unique alpha numeric code underneath which they submitted to the Twist To Win WhatsApp number.
With each qualifying purchase, participants residing in The Bahamas were entered to win instant prizes and into a grand prize draw to win one of four $5,000 shopping sprees at the Mall at Marathon.
Participants also enjoyed exciting instant prizes such as: Airpods, JBL Speakers, premium Coca-Cola merchandise, $500 Visa gift cards and Amazon, Spotify and Apple Music digital gift cards.
Out of 76,000 plus submissions, Brian Bethel, Ashia Demeritte, Merlin Adams, and Taraceta Neely won the coveted Mall at Marathon shopping sprees at the following select stores, Kelly’s House & Home, The Sports Center, John Bull, Brass & Leather, and BTC.
Leading up to the grand finale shopping spree, Coca-Cola hosted a Trivia Showdown with the eight finalists to determine the four winners. Finalists were tested on their knowledge of World History, Pop Culture, Caribbean Bottling Company and Coca-Cola Facts!
After a few rousing rounds of trivia, the four winners were declared after each winning their spot in the shopping spree by answering their questions correctly and choosing the “Grand Prize” Coca-Cola labeled bottles at random.
The morning of the shopping spree Coca-Cola gave the winners exclusive access to the Mall at Marathon and its participating stores before
their usual operating hours. Grand prize winners were greeted with wide smiles from Coca-Cola brand representatives and morning bites before the big event.
At the start of the thirty-minute clock the grand prize winners along with each of their Coca-Cola shopping assistants ran to the various stores collecting items in their arms and carts.
Merlin Adams, a husband and father of four was proud to have executed his game-plan at the end of the shopping spree. With toys, a new phone and materials for his home from Kelly’s, Adams felt accomplished in what he gathered.
Taraceta Neely, a winner from Eleuthera collected beautiful bags for herself and relatives from Brass and Leather and Brian Bethel bought matching athletic and outdoor wear from The Sports Center for his family.
The final winner Ashia Demeritte bought linens and household items in addition to a new phone from BTC right in time for Christmas.
Caribbean Bottling Company is proud to share the real magic of Coca-Cola with the grand prize winners and the may instant prize winners across the Twist To Win campaign. For more updates on new products, promotions, and events follow www.cbcbahamas.com.
Bahamas News
The Coca-Cola Art Project Astonishes Art Lovers at The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers and distributors of Coca-Cola and Dasani products displayed
their astonishing Coca-Cola Art Project (CCAP), during Baha Mar’s five-day Culinary & Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola partnered with The University of The Bahamas’ Visual Art and Design Department for a culturally rich art competition. UB’s art students were challenged to create pieces surrounding the theme, Bahamian music.
As a result, 20 student works of art were made, with four students declared as winners at the CCAP exhibit opening in Baha Mar’s ECCHO: Art Gallery in August. To recreate the culturally stimulating magic felt at the exhibit’s premiere, the CCAP was featured at the FUZE Art Tent during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival.
Nine incredible pieces of art lined the walls of the Coca-Cola Art Project, four of which included the winning pieces from Jhanaisia Cole,
with ‘Gaulin Bride’; Alyssa Pinder, with ‘Shotgun Wedding’; Nelson Gray, with ‘Untitled’; and Jaela Bowe, with the piece ‘Whims of Obeah, a Folktail’. Additionally, an intimate listening room was built. It displayed students’ artistic processes, UB Visual Art and Design representatives, and a recap of the exhibit opening for audiences.
Art enthusiasts also enjoyed premium limited-edition CCAP keepsakes at the booth. Journals which featured a collage of all 20 student submissions on the front and back cover, postcards with an art piece on the cover along with the student’s name, title, dimension and materials on the back and pens designed with the CCAP’s dynamic logo.
Throughout the art festival diverse groups of people visited the art tent taking in the displays while enjoying the artistic insights from the
listening booth.
Community and culture are always at the forefront of Caribbean Bottling Community, and it was boldly showcased during The Bahamas Culinary & Arts Festival for the third consecutive year.
For more details on the Coca-Cola Art Project, events and new products visit www.cbcbahamas.com today!
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines & Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wines and spirits distributor delighted Jollification
attendees with bubbles from their Bottega and Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wines and Besserat de Bellefon champagne lines.
Located in the Monument Circle on The Retreat grounds, CWS transformed The Retreat Garden into a lush lounge with Besserat, Bouvet and their latest product addition, Bottega, during the two-day affair.
The festivities kicked off Friday during BNT Member’s Night. Guests enjoyed exclusive offerings from CWS’s catalogue, offered exclusively to members. Complimentary mixes or glasses on the rocks included El Tequileno tequila, Hard Truth whiskey, House of Angostura rum, Cross Keys gin, Nemiroff vodka and a slew of wines such as Fonesca Bin, Bottega and Besserat.
Guests also savored the ‘Jolly Paloma’ cocktail, an instant favorite made with El Tequileno tequila, Schweppes Grapefruit and Domaine de Paris rose wine. To end the night, guests were treated to branded limited-edition wine tumblers as keepsakes.
On Saturday and Sunday, Jollification attendees delighted in glasses or bottles of champagne and sparkling brut or rosé wines while taking
in the comfort of the chic lounge. In addition to purchasing bottles for onsite consumption, consumers were also able to purchase bottles as gifts whether for themselves or someone special.
The sophisticated “bubble lounge” lounge was decked with velvet couches, gold rimmed cocktail tables, blue and pink pillows, and a white floral branded backdrop created for capturing the perfect picture.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits, a historic partner of the Bahamas National Trust was pleased to support Jollification 2025 to kick off the festive season and share their expansive range of spirits.
To keep up to date with all CWS products and events, visit their website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
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