Diamond Jubilee Trust Contribution Book re-opened

Country Representative of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust René Baptiste returned to the State earlier this month, following her week’s visits to London as the special envoy of the Jubilee Trust.{{more}}

During her visit, Baptiste held a separate meeting with the chief executive of the Jubilee Trust and her top manager Dr Astrid Bonfield at the Trust’s Headquarters Offices in 25 Eccleston Place, London. They discussed the fund-raising efforts, the challenges as well as the outcomes throughout the Commonwealth.

Baptiste also tabled the St Vincent and the Grenadines Report and looked at the plans for reaching her national target of EC$20,000.00.

According to Baptiste, there are still sources in St Vincent and the Grenadines that have not yet been tapped, and the Contribution Book was re-opened yesterday, November 11, at Government House, for any member of the public to sign and make their donations.

A special appeal is being made to those persons who have been honoured by the Queen to make use of this opportunity to make their contributions.

In the meantime, the Jubilee Trust is getting ready to make its first distribution of funds to countries with programmes to combat blindness and India appears to be the first recipient.

The other recipients will be organizations that promote youth involvement programmes including leadership and community action. Baptiste said she made an early case for St Vincent and the Grenadines in this regard to the Trust Executives.

The second meeting was held with the chair of the Board of the Jubilee Trust, the Rt. Hon Sir John Major. Baptiste met with Sir John, as well as the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Secretariat Mr Sharma and the Chancellor of the Order of St Michael and St George that handles the grants of Knighthoods and Commanders. Other personalities present included two Caribbean country representatives, from St Lucia Eleanor Fuller, former president of the Senate and Dr Trevor Carmichael of Barbados, and the former president of Nigeria.

The last meeting on this mission was with Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace, where about 150 persons who led fund-raising for the Trust, including bankers, lawyers and UK big business, were gathered. The Trust has met its first target of £50,000,000.00.