Latest Posts

The following is a Public Announcement from the Emergency Planning Department:

The Emergency Planning Department would like to advise the public that heavy winds are forecast for St Helena on Sunday, 30 June, and Monday, 1 July, with wind speeds of 30 to 50 knots and gusts between 60 and 70 knots.

The winds are expected to subside late afternoon on Monday, 1 July.

All boat owners are advised to ensure their moorings are secured in these conditions.

SHG

28 June 2019

https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh

The final phase of the work programme – building the buttress wall near Sundale to further secure the section of rock in the upper Jamestown area – was recently completed (see photos attached).

Undertaken by the masonry crew of the Roads Section, assisted by the Rock Guards, the final work phase included:

Roads Manager, Deon Robbertse, said:

“I am very happy that this work is completed. Big thanks to all the guys that helped with this construction.”

Senior Engineering Geologist, Chad Douglas, added:

“That is an impressive job, great work from all involved!”

Notes to Editors

The Rock Guards, who carry out regular rock stability inspections, expressed concerns about a section of rock in the Upper Jamestown area on 21 June 2018. On 23 June, Senior Engineering Geologist, Chad Douglas, visited the Island to carry out an inspection of the area. His assessments indicated that there is no imminent risk of a rock fall and an appropriate work programme was put in place to further secure the area.

#StHelena #InfrastructureAndTransport #RoadsSection #RockGuards #ButtressWallConstruction #AltogetherSafer

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt
https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG
28 June 2019

 

The following is a Public Announcement from the Roads Section:

The Roads Section would like to advise the public that Church Lane will remain closed to all vehicular traffic until Friday, 5 July 2019.

This closure is to allow the Roads Section to continue with their maintenance works on the drainage system in Jamestown.

The walkway will remain open during the closure, and appropriate signage will be in place. However, the public is asked to use caution when walking or driving past this area.

The Roads Section would like to thank the public in advance for their continued understanding and cooperation.

SHG
28 June 2019

https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh

The St Helena Community College (SHCC) hosted their Learning Opportunities Fair on Wednesday, 26 June 2019.

The aim of the Learning Opportunities Fair was to educate and encourage people on St Helena to take advantage of the wide array of training courses on offer at the SHCC to further develop their current skills and qualifications.

The Fair opened with a welcome speech by the Director, Wendy Benjamin. Wendy spoke about the mission of the Education & Employment Directorate, the purpose of the Learning Opportunities Fair, SHCC affiliations and encouraged all to utilise the opportunities provided by the Directorate.

Chairperson of the Education Committee, Councillor Christine Scipio, then gave some words of encouragement. Councillor Scipio said:

“Education is important for everyone at every level. St Helena Government, through the St Helena Community College, strives to ensure that every person on the Island has the opportunity to improve their academic and practical skills which is key to ensuring sustainable economic development for St Helena. 

“I would encourage every person to be ambitious and enthusiastic about their future, challenge themselves, continue learning and make good use of the educational facilities that will allow them to follow their chosen career. We are part of a changing world and we do not know what the future holds.”

Governor Dr Philip Rushbrook, in his speech, highlighted that education is a life-long journey and that continuing the pursuit of knowledge, skills and personal capabilities is vital for our territory, to build our opportunities and to stimulate more confidence, creativity and innovation.

Governor Rushbrook concluded:

“Nelson Mandela said ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.’ I would like to paraphrase that by saying: ‘Education is the most powerful weapon we have to change the lives and prospects of St Helenians.’ This Learning Opportunities Fair illustrates the opportunities for everyone to get involved, to improve your existing abilities or better still to learn new ones. I wish everyone, trainers and prospective learners, every success.”

Throughout the Fair, information was available on the Apprenticeship Scheme, a range of ICT courses, Skills for Success, level 2 and 3 courses, higher level education and community education. The new SHCC Prospectus was also published and many of those in attendance were able to obtain a copy and seek further information.

Assistant Director of Lifelong Learning, Angie Benjamin, said:

“The Learning Opportunities Fair 2019 was another successful event. It was a very positive and productive day and I would like to personally thank everyone who contributed to its success.”

The SHCC would like to inform all members of the community who may have any questions regarding training opportunities or who would like a copy of the Prospectus and application and/or registration forms, to contact the SHCC on tel: 22607 or via email: shcc@sainthelena.gov.sh.

#StHelena #SHCC #LearningOpportunitiesFair #AGatewayToOpportunity #OpportunitiesForAll #SomethingForEveryone

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG
27 June 2019

 

The following is a Public Announcement from the Police Directorate:

St Helena Police will be holding their second Firearms Amnesty from Monday, 1 July, to Monday, 15 July 2019.

Acting Chief Inspector, Jonathan Thomas, said:

“There are times when a person or family innocently comes into possession of a firearm or ammunition and are unsure what to do with the items, thus retaining them to avoid getting into trouble. This is an opportunity to safely dispose of any of the items without any consequences.”

In addition to firearms and ammunition, the amnesty also extends to knives, other pointed bladed articles, crossbows, any ball bearing sling shots, or any imitating firearms, controlled energy devices (tasers) and pepper spray.

An amnesty bin will be placed at Police Headquarters and anyone wishing to dispose of such items can contact the Control Room Emergency Services for advice on telephone number: 22626 or email: emergencycontrol@helanta.co.sh.

Notes to Editor:

Possession of a firearm, parts of a firearm or ammunition without a certificate is an offence.

St Helena Police held their last amnesty in September 2014. A total of 34 firearms were handed into the Police and disposed of.

SHG
27 June 2019

https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh

 

The St Helena Health Directorate has today received confirmation from the local authority for North Country Quality Foods (NCQF) that the North Country branded products sourced by an importer on St Helena can now be released and once again made available for sale.

The imported North Country branded products i.e. canned pork roll and chopped pork were not handled in any way by North Country Cooked meats but are produced in Denmark and sold through NCQF.

The relevant importer has been notified that they can now release these products for sale.

Notes to Editor

The St Helena Health Directorate was last week made aware by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office that a multi-agency investigation was being carried out into cases of Listeria infection in the UK.

The Listeria outbreak is linked to the pre-packed sandwiches made from ready-to-eat meat manufactured from the company North Country Cooked Meats.

The Environmental Health Section contacted the relevant importer on St Helena who sources products originating from North Country Cooked Meats. The importer was then advised to retain their North Country branded products i.e. canned pork roll and chopped pork, until further investigations were completed in the UK.

#StHelena #Listeria #AltogetherHealthier 

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

SHG

26 June 2019

In accordance with Section 15(3) of the Immigration Ordinance, 2011, the following person has been granted St Helenian Status with effect from:

29 May 2019

#StHelena #SaintStatus #ImmigrationOrdinance

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

SHG

26 June 2019

The Environment & Natural Resources Committee has approved a formal 28-day public consultation on the draft Conservation Management Plan for Diana’s Peak National Park, as per the requirements of the Environmental Protection Ordinance.

Diana’s Peak National Park is a much-loved wildlife hotspot that lies at the heart of St Helena Island. The Peaks have been voted one of the ‘Seven Wonders of St Helena’, is home to over 250 of St Helena’s endemic species, and is vital for the Island’s water supply as almost 40% of St Helena’s water comes from the Peaks.

St Helena Government is grateful to all those who have already provided comments on the draft Plan during a participative preparation process, and is now very keen to hear further comments from Peaks stakeholders, as well as from all and any members of the public who are interested in the future of the Diana’s Peak National Park.

A hard copy of the Plan is available from the Agriculture & Natural Resources Division (ANRD), Scotland, and Essex House in Jamestown. Electronic copies are also available on the Publications page of the SHG website: https://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/publications/ or from Terrestrial Conservation Officer, Sasha Bargo, via email: sasha.bargo@sainthelena.gov.sh.

The deadline for comments is Friday, 26 July 2019, and comments should be submitted to the Acting Director Environment, Natural Resources and Planning Directorate, Darren Duncan.

Notes to Editors

In 2018, SHG commissioned a collaborative process to develop a Conservation Management Plan for the Peaks in order to fulfil the legal requirement of Section 31 of the Environmental Protection Ordinance, 2016, that National Conservation Areas have a plan to guide their conservation.

The creation of a Conservation Management Plan is a key tool to conserve the Peaks for future generations, and is also a vital prerequisite for St Helena to be able to seek international funding to restore Peaks habitats for both their wildlife and to increase water capture. It is a separate document to that required under the Land Development Control Plan (LDCP), which mandates that National Conservation Areas develop a management plan for planning and built development purposes.

A three-day multi-stakeholder workshop therefore took place at ANRD, Scotland, in December 2018 to start developing the plan with input from all involved in the Peaks. As well as representation from multiple sections of SHG, there were also representatives from local conservationists, landowners, businesses and Non-Government Organisations. International experts in attendance included staff from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, University of British Columbia, as well as international environmental consultants Ben Sansom and Dr Roger Key.

Following this successful workshop, local consultant, Andrew Darlow, was commissioned to write up the workshop conclusions and produce a first draft of a Conservation Management Plan on behalf of SHG. He conducted three separate rounds of informal consultation on the draft Plan between February and May 2019, working alongside SHG staff and circulating it to the workshop participants in order to ensure as participative a process as possible. The draft has now been completed and was formally submitted to the Environment & Natural Resources Committee for consideration on 20 June 2019.

#StHelena #DianasPeak #Consultation #ANRD #AltogetherGreener

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

SHG

26 June 2019

As part of St Helena Government’s (SHG) continuous improvement drive, Corporate Finance with the support of directorates undertook to explore introducing the local debit card service in specific frontline areas to make it easier for the public to pay for services provided by SHG.

This resulted in the local debit card service being made available at HM Customs at the Wharf in Jamestown and at St Helena Airport from June 2018, followed by at the Post & Customer Services Centre from November 2018 for all transactions there including customer accounts, licensing and postal services.  And, now since May 2019, the Pharmacy at the Hospital accepts payments via local debit card for most health fees and charges including laboratory and dental fees.

Deputy Financial Secretary, Nicholas Yon, said:

“We hope that with the introduction of the local debit card service at these key cash points in SHG it will make it easier for the public to access services and to do business with government.  We continue to explore ways that will streamline our processes and we hope to implement further improvements that will benefit the public in the future. 

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the different teams involved in implementing this service, specifically, the service areas themselves, Corporate Finance, Corporate IT and the Bank of St Helena Ltd.” 

#StHelena #LocalDebitCard #ContinuousImprovement

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt /  

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

SHG

26 June 2019

The Learning Opportunities Fair 2019 will be held at the St Helena Community College (SHCC) from 10am to 6pm tomorrow, Wednesday 26 June.

The Fair will comprise a busy programme with short presentations, taster sessions and opportunities to engage with staff, tutors and training providers both here and overseas.

The SHCC would also like to remind all Year 11 school leavers, together with their parents and others contemplating enrolling into the Apprenticeship Scheme, that there will be an Apprenticeship stall at the Fair which will provide an ideal opportunity to gain first-hand information on this scheme.

For further information, contact the SHCC on tel: 22607 or show up on the day.

Click here for the Learning Opportunities Fair 2019 Programme.

Notes to Editor

The Learning Opportunities Fair will promote training opportunities which are available through the St Helena Community College (SHCC). The event will provide an opportunity to network and share experiences and will promote the importance of continuous education in developing the Island.

The Learning Opportunities Fair is different to the Careers Fair which is a biennial event, that aims to provide a host of information ‘under one roof’ on careers, to deliver guidance in career choice and progression, and to inspire people to learn and encourage personal development. The next Careers Fair will take place in October 2019.

#StHelena #Education #SHCC #OpportunitiesForAll #LearningOpportunitiesFair

https://twitter.com/StHelenaGovt

https://www.facebook.com/StHelenaGovt/

SHG
25 June 2019