CHARLESTOWN, Nevis, April 13, 2010 - Delta Petroleum has enlisted as the Platinum Sponsor of the Winfest 2010 Community Festival scheduled to take place from May 7 to May 24 at the St. James Parish.
This was revealed at a Press Conference held yesterday (Apr. 12) at the Red Cross Building, Chapel Street and hosted by Winfest officials and members of the festival’s Organizing Committee. Winfest Executive Director Patrice Wilkin told reporters that Carib Breweries had enlisted as a Diamond Sponsor while Digicel has enlisted to support the festival as a Gold Sponsor.
Plantinum sponsorship, he said is EC$10,000 while Diamond sponsorship is over EC$7,500 to EC$10,000 and Gold sponsorship is over EC$5.000 to EC$7,500.
The Minister for Culture, Mr. Hensley Daniel, described Winfest as a high profile community festival. “The festival is elegant and as detailed as Culturama,” the Minister said and described its theme, “Peace and Love for Sure, Winfest Turns 4”, as timely when the Federation is fighting crime and violence.
“The community festival will promote and sustain harmony to avoid anti-social behaviour,” Hon. Daniel said. He said countries such as India or China held on strongly to their culture and, as a result, preservation of culture had led to sustainable development.
The Minister thanked Delta and Digicel and other sponsors that have enlisted to support the event. He called on food vendors who are some of the major economic beneficiaries of the festivals to network with the festivals’ organizing committees to give back to the community.
Hon. Daniel told reporters that Winfest had worked hard to ensure that grassroots communities were involved in the festival’s activities. He said the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) fully supports community festivals and commended the efforts of all involved in planning the envisaged Winfest Community Festival.
Antonio Liburd, Manager, Festivals Secretariat, told reporters those successful community festivals, such as Winfest, strengthen the Culturama Secretariat’s ability to link up with grassroots communities. Winfest Chairman Pealievan Wilkin said the event’s Committee would work closely with the police to ensure that St. James’s Parish was crime free, hence the theme “Peace and Love for Sure, Winfes Turns 4”.
Delta Island Manager Sharon Hobson told reporters that Winfest was an attraction, as it gives back to the community. “It is a festival with a difference,” she said.
Also present was St. Kitts and Nevis Marketing Manager Sharez Laws, who said Winfest was committed to giving back to the community. This year’s beneficiaries of money raised by Winfest will be the Flamboyant Home for the elderly located at the Alexandra Hospital, Nevis Diabetic Association and VOJN Primary School.
Listing the beneficiaries since the launching of the festival, Patrice Wilkin said in 2007 Winfest Committee donated EC$2000 to the Renal Society, in 2008 EC$5,000 was donated to the New Castle Police Station, 2008 a video camera was donated to St. James’s Primary School, 2009 12 food baskets were donated to the needy and the elderly in St. James’s Parish and a donation was made towards Brick-Kiln community’s Christmas Tree Lighting. In 2010, an EC$1,000 donation was made to Pink Lily and EC$500 to HOPE, Nevis.
