St Kitts: Hundreds participated in Legacy Health Walk to celebrate PM Harris 25-years of service

Hundreds of walkers in a “Legacy Health Walk” on November 17 to celebrate 25-years of service to Constituency Number Seven and the country by Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris.

In the health walk’s 11-year history, it was the first time the participants wore similar clothing as almost all wore orange T-shirts or polo shirts that had the ‘25 years of service by Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris’ celebratory logo. They joined the prime minister as they traversed the picturesque constituency starting from Belle Vue and ending at Ottley’s. It was the largest walk in terms of numbers taking part.

“This has been our best health walk to date – the largest in terms of the numbers, the most colourful in terms of the outfit,” Prime Minister Harris said when he addressed the media at the Ottley’s hard courts where the walk ended. “I want to say a hearty thank you to all the people, not just from Constituency Seven but we had the entire country being represented today, and so I say special thank you to them all.”

Many school children, who are beneficiaries of the Dr. Harris Constituency Number Seven Help-a-Child Programme, were part of the Legacy Health Walk. They wore white T-shirts that bore the programme’s logo. The Legacy Health Walk also attracted mothers with toddlers, who walked with their young children, with some in prams.

“I want to thank the primary schools whose students were beneficiaries of the Help-a-Child Programme,” observed the Prime Minister. “We are happy for their memory of gratitude, and their desire to be a part of the walk.”

The Legacy Health Walk was to start at 6:00 a.m., but a 5:30 a.m., many participants were at the bus stop in Belle Vue, the walk’s starting point. Prime Minister Harris was among those who got there early and after people would have mingled and exchanged pleasantries, Peoples Labour Party’s National Chairman Warren Thompson called everyone to order following which PLP’s Women’s Arm Representative Mrs. Sonia Henry offered a word of prayer. The walk began at 6:12 a.m.

Many businesspersons from around the country touched over the period by Dr. Harris as an MP, government minister, and now Prime Minister, came out to take part.

They were joined by other people who have been impacted by Dr. Harris and came to show appreciation.

Also taking part were senior government officials, among them the Permanent Secretary for Education Vincent Hodge, and Permanent Secretary for Health Mrs. Delores Stapleton-Harris.

For 23 years, the Prime Minister has sponsored the longest running and best organised domino league, Constituency Number Seven Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris Domino League, which has two teams from outside the constituency. A number of domino players led by the league’s coordinator Calvin Farrell took part in the Legacy Health Walk.

As the walkers neared Mansion, a rainbow appeared in the skies, and many who feared it would rain were pleasantly relieved after they realised the rainbow was a sign that there would be no rain. For the first time the walk had a designated water-stop at Bourryeau Gate, where all participants stopped to quench their thirst. A healthy breakfast was served to all participants at the Ottley’s hard courts.

In his conclusion Prime Minister Harris noted: “For all these expressions of gratitude that we have had over the course of the celebratory events, I want to say thanks to all those people and to say how much I have been inspired by their expressions of gratitude – by their coming forward and by the massive showing that we have had at each and every event.”

A Planning Committee for the 25th Anniversary Celebrations which was put in place in September this year has so far executed a number of highly successful and well attended celebratory events since Sunday Nov. 11. The events will run for two weeks.