Published 30 August 2020
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
Health walks, including PM’s health walk, will be held under SKN Moves umbrella
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.
