The updated bill payment area at LIME Vieux Fort

Saint Lucia’s leading telecommunications provider, LIME continues to take customer experience to new heights with the re-opening of its recently refurbished full service retail store at the Daher Mall in Vieux Fort. Some customers took to Twitter and Facebook to express how impressed they were. “It looks rather nice. Chic and modern. Me likey,” said one patron. “Wow! The redesigned Vieux Fort branch looks amazing,” opined another.

The store was officially re-opened on Wednesday after undergoing extensive renovations to provide customers with greater efficiency and comfort. The outlet offers a full suite of telecom products and services, and improved levels of quality service. As with the other stores LIME operates in Saint Lucia and throughout the Caribbean, the Vieux Fort branch is designed to make it as easy as possible for customers to browse around the product displays, sign up for the latest LIME services and technologies, TopUp and pay their bills, all from a convenient, comfortable and beautiful location.

Customers also congratulated the company for creating “a more approachable and customer friendly environment.” Following Wednesday’s opening ceremony, there was great positive feedback as to a number of the changes that had been made to the layout. “The store is more professional and offers privacy for transacting business with LIME staff; thumbs up, LIME,” was the comment from a regular visitor.

LIME Vice President for Country Operations, Chris Williams says the store is a demonstration of the company’s continuing confidence in the economic future of Vieux Fort.

“We’re thrilled to be re-launching our Vieux Fort store. Residents of Vieux Fort and neighbouring communities will now have more convenient and easy access to LIME offerings in a world class environment,” said Williams. “The south, including Vieux Fort, is an important region for us, and we’re looking forward to satisfying the needs of the many customers we already serve in these areas and to welcoming many new ones. Our goal is to help our customers choose the best mix of products and technologies that meet their needs to stay connected everywhere they live and work.”

The Vieux Fort retail team is led by Vernette Edwards, who explains that the new store is an exciting development for all concerned.

“We are redefining the sales experience by providing customers with personalized service in an innovative way,” she says. “Providing excellent customer service is a priority for us. But the refurbishment is not just good news for customers. It is great for us as colleagues, because the space is used so much more efficiently, and it’s so much more attractive. It’s really just a much more conducive working environment.”

The LIME Vieux Fort full service retail store opens from 8am Monday to Saturday. On weekdays the store closes at 4:30pm and on Saturdays it closes at 12:30pm.

The IFRSs are a set of accounting standards developed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), which are being adopted globally for the preparation of public company financial statements.

The objective of the workshop is to develop the capacity of regional financial reporting trainers to provide training in the use of the IFRSs.  The areas to be covered during the five-day workshop include: the main principles of each IFRS and the main applicable estimates and judgements; accounting for insurance contracts and financial instruments; and reporting financial performance in accordance with the IFRSs.  Mr Michael Wells and Mr Andrew Hyland of the IFRS Foundation, and Mr Darrel Scott, Member of the International Accounting Standards Board, will conduct the sessions.

The workshop, which is a partnership among the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (ICAEC), the IFRS Foundation and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), is part of a World Bank sponsored project. The first of such workshops was conducted during the period 16 – 20 May 2011.

Boys Training Centre staff playing dominoes with LIME Big Brothers & Sisters

Two years ago, over 200 colleagues from LIME descended on the Boys Training Centre to do renovations on the island’s lone juvenile facility, to erect new signage, build steps and lunch tables, repair and paint various areas, and to install cables and electrical wiring. But that renovation process was nothing compared to what LIME is undertaking in its latest collaboration with the BTC. This time, LIME employees are working with counsellors and workers to help support and rehabilitate the dozens of boys and young men who are resident at the facility.

Saint Lucia’s leading communications provider sponsored the recently held 2012 LIME & BTC 3-Hand Domino Tournament. The event gave the wards at the facility the opportunity to enjoy some exciting, wholesome entertainment while pitting their playing skills against each other. Participants were drawn from among the different sporting houses at the BTC.

The domino competition marks the formalization of LIME’s partnership with the BTC through the creation of a mentorship group called ‘The LIME Big Brothers and Sisters Group’ comprising of volunteers from the LIME staff body. Under the guidance and training of the BTC management and staff, the mentors will interact regularly with the wards and assist in providing them with various forms of support, as well as moral and spiritual encouragement.

LIME’s management team has encouraged the Big Brothers program, through which the LIME employees intend to reach out to the youths and help them improve their lives. “We are very proud of our partnership with the BTC,” said LIME VP Country Operations, Chris Williams. “Anything that can help these kids enjoy the sort of life we take for granted can be of tremendous help. Our support is a vote of confidence in the management and staff of the BTC, and a demonstration of our love and caring for the boys at the facility.

“These children have been deeply wounded, and let down by society. The best way for them to heal is through the power of relationships. The children at the BTC need our patience and respect, and a listening ear – and some responsible adults in their lives who can say to them loud and clear: “I’m not going to let you fail.” That’s what the Big Brothers program is all about. We believe that the young men at the Boys Training Centre can all become outstanding citizens, and we want to be part of their growth and development.”

Manager of the Boys Training Centre, Mr Leonard Terrance expressed appreciation for LIME’s support for the institution and the employees’ concern for the wards. “It goes a long way to help us achieve our mission of equipping the wards with discipline and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the community,” said Mr. Terrance. “Our overriding objective is to create an environment that provides each of the boys with an opportunity to grow, learn and develop skills necessary for spiritual, social and economic development.”

The male players selected on the squad are: Jerry Charles (Captain,) Akim Herbert, Gavin Similien, Imran William, Cletus Junior Joseph, Danlin Samuel, Zayvon Augustin, Mario Chicot, Wedrel ‘Tommy’ St Clair, Cyril Marius, Henson Hunte, Arthur Joseph, Colvis Samuels, Claudius Medouze, Lenford Eugene, Roger Butcher, Uranus ‘Mal’ Denis, Lyndel Norville, Simon kelsey and Edlon Charlery. The female team will be selected from: Vonette Victor, Renetta Frederick, Senetta Vigee, Paulyn Eugene, Valerie Farrel, Crescentia Innocent, Chantel John, Anthea Butcher, Sylvia Butcher, Emily Remy, Shernell Blanchard, Yasmin Antoine and Electra Marcelle.

Both teams have an interesting blend of novices and experienced players. They are also similar in that there is speed to burn among the players which should be an asset in the encounter with the inexperienced Curacao team.

The Union would like to thank the following benefactors for their kind generosity regardless of the magnitude of the sponsorship: Windward and Leeward Brewery, St Lucia Electricity Services Limited, Le Sport Hotel, Bryden adn Partners, RJ Clarke Drug Store, Windjammer Villa Beach Resort, Du Boulay’s Bottling Company, Sandro and Susanna Bertola, Paradise Springs Water, La Place Salaizon and Rotary Club of St Lucia.

The St Lucia public is encouraged to come out and support the local team and rugby in general. Bring a flag, bring a towel, bring a whistle, make some noise and let your presence be felt.

Dr. Keith St. Aimee

BROOKLYN, New York (April 20, 2012) – The Saint Lucia House Foundation, the umbrella group of Saint Lucian organizations based in New York City, Connecticut and New Jersey, expresses its sincere thanks to Saint Lucia’s outgoing UN Ambassador, His Excellency Dr Keith St Aimee for his remarkable stewardship and unflinching  support of the organization.

The Foundation expresses its appreciation to Ambassador St Aimee for his dedicated leadership, his humble personality, his open door policy, his readiness to always listen to Saint Lucian Community and praises his remarkable work ethic.

The Foundation’s President Mr Mathias Wilkie credits Ambassador St Aimee “for the establishment of the Saint Lucia House Foundation and the improved relations between the office of the Consulate General in New York and Saint Lucians in the Diaspora, which I hope will continue to flourish with the incoming Ambassador.”

The Foundation believes Ambassador St Aimee, who also served as Saint Lucia’s Consul General in New York, will be most remembered as the representative who addressed everyone equally, and made time for everyone. He was not only a skilled diplomat, but was also someone that went to great lengths to serve and strengthen the Saint Lucian Community. He was always available at almost every Community event, always there to offer his help in resolving issues.

Ambassador St Aimee is returning to Saint Lucia after nearly five years in New York City. The Saint Lucia House Foundation takes the opportunity to once again wish His Excellency the very best in all his future endeavors and wherever duty calls him to serve.
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About The Saint Lucia House Foundation

The Saint Lucia House Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in the state of New York, devoted to the advancement of Saint Lucians within the Diaspora.

The Foundation is an umbrella for Saint Lucian organizations in the tri-state, working to strengthen member organizations and grow sustainable membership in the Diaspora, cultivate leadership and philanthropy, and foster respect for all. Through special programs and different forums, the Saint Lucia House Foundation aims to build a strong relationship amongst all St. Lucians.

Saint Lucia Travel Challenge 2012 was launched during the month and 4 events of a total 14 were held. Saint Lucia Travel Challenge 2012 is a series of quiz events across the country offering agents the opportunity to learn about Saint Lucia and the island’s hotel product. The evening ends with a detailed and interactive quiz. The winning team from each night is invited to Saint Lucia in November for the treasure hunt semi-final. The best 8 teams from the quiz and treasure hunt are then invited to present a marketing plan on how they would spend £5,000 to promote the destination.

During the final week of Saint Lucia Month, Lorne Theophilus, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and the Creative Industries, and members of the Board attended a series of meetings with key stakeholders including British Airways, Virgin Holidays, Caribtours and six luxury tour operators based in the north of England. “The overall feedback is that Saint Lucia is poised for growth. There is a lot of interest and the island is performing ahead of her competitors in the region thanks to strategic advertising and partnerships” says Nerdin St. Rose, VP Marketing and Sales.

Louis Lewis, Director of Tourism hosted a morning of down-the-line radio interviews with a variety of regional BBC radio stations promoting the wedding and honeymoon experiences available on island as well as the new, specially designed SLTB online Wedding Gift Converter (www.saintlucianow.co.uk/weddinggifts).  The Converter profiles the romantic experiences that can be bought on island for the same price as standard wedding gifts in the UK.

The delegation celebrated the culmination of Saint Lucia Month with the 19^th Annual Gala Awards Dinner which was held on Thursday 29^th March, to thank airline and tour operator partners, UK journalists and the Saint Lucian community who have supported the island in the past year. It was an all Saint Lucian affair – the compere was Brenda Emanus, BBC Arts Correspondent, the entertainment was by saxophonist Barbara Cadet and dancing music was provided by DJ’s Active Force.

The Awards were presented by Lorne Theophilus, Minister of Tourism, Heritage and the Creative Industries; Matthew Beaubrun, Chairman Saint Lucia Tourist Board; Louis Lewis, Director of Tourism, Saint Lucia Tourist Board and Nerdin St. Rose, VP Marketing and Sales, Saint Lucia Tourist Board.

• Best Saint Lucia travel writer – Arifa Akbar, The Independent
• Best supporter of Saint Lucia in 2011 – Coctraie Publications
• Luxury tour operator with the largest growth to Saint Lucia 2011 compared to 2010 – BA Holidays
• Large tour operator with the largest growth in family holidays to Saint Lucia 2011 compared to 2010 – Kuoni
• Best website featuring Saint Lucia 2011 – Kuoni
• Best producing tour operator to Saint Lucia 2011 – Virgin Holidays
• Large tour operator with the largest growth in Saint Lucia Weddings 2011 compared to 2010 – Virgin Holidays
• Highest individual seller Saint Lucia 2011 – Gretchen Kibbler – Tropic Breeze
• Tour operator with best representation of Saint Lucia in their brochure 2011 – Caribtours 
• Luxury tour operator with the largest growth to Saint Lucia 2011 compared to 2010 – Azure
• Mid size tour operator with the largest growth in Saint Lucia Weddings 2011 compared to 2010 – Simply St Lucia
• Specialist tour operator with the largest growth  in FIT to Saint Lucia 2011 compared to 2010 – Travelbrands
• Tour operator with the most productive joint marketing activity 2011 – Tropical Sky
• Most supportive airline to Saint Lucia 2011 – British Airways

Micoud students with alumnus Valentina Aubert of LIME

April is Youth Month, and May is Reading Month in Saint Lucia, but one LIME employee found a way to bridge the two with a recent activity at the Micoud Infant School. Valentina Aubert, Regional Major Incident Manager at LIME, helps manage crises including loss of service and the passage of serious weather systems across the Caribbean. But on this occasion, she was helping a situation long before it could achieve crisis status.

Reading aloud to children is proven as one of the most effective ways to encourage children to love books and reading. With that in mind, Val paid a visit to a group of Grade 2 students at Micoud Infant to help emphasize the importance of reading.

The visit took place April 5 and was initiated by Val with support from LIME. Its theme was “Reading; the Catalyst for Success.” The school welcomed the initiative, especially given that Val, who is a strong advocate for education, is a former student at Micoud Infant.

“It was a privilege to return to the school that gave me a foundation in learning, to help encourage the children to read,” said Val. “At LIME we pride ourselves on supporting our staff and we are constantly creating avenues that allow us to give back to the communities, especially through initiatives that help to further the education and advancement of Saint Lucia’s children. The students were receptive, and it was really fun for me,” she added.

During her visit, Val read a story to the class and engaged the youngsters in a quiz. She then gave a short lecture highlighting the importance of reading, stressing that it is children who love to read who are more likely to succeed in school and in the workplace.

Each student was presented with a token from LIME for their participation in the program. They were also treated to ice cream, of which they were naturally quite appreciative! The teachers too were very glad of the visit and thanked LIME for its support, extending an invitation to Val to return to the school in May for Reading Month.

LIME VP of Marketing Grace Silvera with NACAC President Neville Teddy McCook

LIME, title sponsor for the 2012 LIME CARIFTA Games has put plans in place to ensure that fans around the region and those in the Caribbean Diaspora catch every moment of the region’s  most prestigious junior athletics meet, scheduled for April 7-9 in Hamilton, Bermuda.

As it did last year the company will offer free live internet streaming of all three days of competition via www.lime.com/carifta to fans in the region. However, viewers outside the Caribbean will pay a nominal fee for the full weekend package or per day.

“We are always using our technology to connect people to the things they love and we know that these Games are perfect for this type of connection. Last year thousands of viewers from scores of countries around the world were tuned into these Games on our site. We anticipate even greater numbers this year, particularly as the global Olympics fever continues to spread” says Grace Silvera – Regional Vice President, Marketing & Corporate Communications at LIME.

“The Caribbean is dictating the athletic pulse for the rest of the world and we are very proud to be able to provide a window for the rest of the World to witness the making of the region’s next generation of champions” she adds.

During the stream fans will be able to tweet their comments about the games, and chat with friends using our interactive blog. In case they missed an event they can view it on our Video on Demand service for a nominal fee of $5.99 per day.

LIME will also co-opt the services of Terry Finisterre, LIME Saint Lucia’s corporate communications executive and sports journalist to provide ongoing commentary for the duration of the Games.

The LIME CARIFTA Games is an annual athletics competition consisting of track and field events including sprint races, hurdles, middle distance track events, jumping and throwing events, and relays. The Games has two age categories: under-17 and under-20. Only countries associated with CARIFTA may compete.

LIME has been the lead sponsor for the Games for the past two years.

January and February preliminary figures point to significant increases.

Saint Lucia’s vital tourism product is benefiting from double digit increases in stay over arrivals in several key markets based on early figure indicators.

For the months of January and February 2012, the island recorded a twenty percent increase in stay over arrivals which totaled 63,868. In the largest source market, the United States, arrivals to Saint Lucia grew by 13% over the same period last year, recording a total of 22,636.

Arrivals from the island’s second largest market, the United Kingdom, totaled 16,549; 4513 more visitors than the same period in 2011 (a 38% increase). The Canadian market also recorded an increase in visitor arrivals from 10,611 to 13,853 in 2012, which resulted in a 31% increase.

Commenting on the increases, Tourism Director Louis Lewis says they were the results of well thought out and targeted market intervention strategies designed to boost Saint Lucia’s visibility in major source markets. These increases he says, “come in spite of the many challenges faced in the tourism industry, and underscores the fact that as a destination we are holding our own as we continue to promote Saint Lucia as a preferred destination of choice amidst the global competition.”

The Caribbean market captured the fourth largest (8%) share of the stay over arrivals between January and February 2012, with a total of 5,308 visitors. This represented a 6% increase over the same period last year.

The German market recorded 1,022 stay over arrivals, 120 more arrivals than the same period last year. France however, experienced a decline in tourist arrivals from 2,040 in 2011to 1,487 in 2012 owing largely to the absence of the direct service from France which was available this time last year.

Cruise calls increased from 99 by the end of February 2011 to 117 for the same period in 2012, which was reflective in an 11% increase in arrivals over the same period.

Arrivals at the IGY Rodney Bay Marina however, totaled 5,736; 202 visitors less than in 2011, representing a 3% decline in arrivals despite the similar number of calls for the same period. Arrivals by yacht at Marigot Bay for this time period also experienced a decline, (19%) which can be attributed to the 21% decrease in yacht calls; from 268 in 2011 to 199 in 2012.

The meeting served to introduce the organisation, articulate its vision and mission and seek areas of mutual interest with the Ministry. The executive also presented concerns expressed by media workers, management and owners gleaned in consultations before, during and after the formation of the MASL.

MASL is a new body constituted on February 12, 2012 to represent media workers on Saint Lucia. The executive elected on that day comprised Clinton Reynolds as President, Delia Dolor as Vice President, Richmond Felix as Secretary, Glen Simon as Treasurer, Maria Fontenelle as Communications Officer, and Floor Members Jerry George and Alisha Ally.

MASL has already made significant strides thus far, securing membership from across the spectrum of media in Saint Lucia, becoming an affiliate of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACM) and staging a three week workshop in collaboration with the ACM and the Government of Saint Lucia.

The meeting with the Minister for Public Service, Information and Broadcasting began at 9:00a.m. at the Training Room, 1^st Floor, Sir Stanislaus James Building, Waterfront, Castries.