Caribbean Company Supports Youth Sailing for 3^rd Straight Year

Monday, 27 June 2011 – Road Town, Tortola: As Kids And The Sea KATS hosted its 21^st graduation ceremony this past Saturday, the organization received a major donation from Digicel BVI in the form of a $10,000 cheque!

The cheque was presented to KATS by Digicel’s Commercial Manager Su Thomas, during a ceremony held at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s Marine Centre. “Digicel has been sponsoring the annual Premier’s Cup International Youth Regatta since 2009 and we are pleased to partner with KATS and the Rotary Clubs of the BVI once again to support this event,” she said.

According to Thomas, Digicel recognizes the importance of teaching children basic sea skills, especially on these islands, and also appreciates the camaraderie established when these children meet and compete with their peers from other countries. She pointed out that Digicel expects to continue its support of this very important programme in the coming years.

The KATS programme was started in the BVI in 1991 by volunteers Tom and Barbara Gerker and was adopted by the Rotaract Club in 2005. The programme teaches basic sea skills, boat handling and safety, swimming, scuba and sailing.

As the programme developed, the Premier’s Cup International Youth Regatta was launched in 1999 as the Chief Minister’s Cup and has attracted hundreds of young sailors from throughout the Caribbean and the USA to the territory.

This year, from July 8^th-10^th, Kids And The Sea (KATS) BVI, along with the Rotary, Rotaract and Interact Clubs of the BVI and Platinum Sponsor Digicel, will host the 13^th Annual Premier’s Cup International Youth Regatta at Nanny Cay Resort & Marina. The event is the only youth team sailing event in the Caribbean and brings together young people between the ages of 10 and 18 years for a weekend of fellowship and competition.

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Over 10 teams with more than 100 participants from countries including Anguilla, Antigua, Grenada, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Thomas and the United States, are already registered. The teams arrive Friday afternoon and will be greeted that evening by Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal at the Welcome Reception at Peg Leg Restaurant. Racing will take place all day Saturday and Sunday in the Drakes Passage outside Nanny Cay and the Awards Ceremony will take place at 3:00pm on Sunday July 10^th.

The public is invited to attend the event on Saturday and Sunday to watch the action and meet the competitors. There will be a VIP boat on both days to take spectators out on the course to see the sailing up close. Lots of fun activities will be held on shore, include a bouncy castle and a frozen t-shirt competition. Digicel staff will also be on hand with special offers on phones, Top Up and promotional giveaways.

Other major sponsors of the Premier’s Cup International Youth Regatta are Nanny Cay Resort & Marina, the BVI Tourist Board, The Moorings, LIAT and Oil Nut Bay.

For more information on the event, please contact KATS Chairman John Lewis at telephone +1 284 340 8581.

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About Digicel

After ten years of operation, Digicel Group Limited has 11.5 million customers across its 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America and the Pacific. The company is renowned for delivering best value, best service and best network.

Digicel is the lead sponsor of Caribbean, Central American and Pacific sports teams, including the Special Olympics teams throughout these regions. Digicel sponsors the West Indies cricket team and is also the title sponsor of the Digicel Caribbean Cup. In the Pacific, Digicel is the proud sponsor of several national rugby teams and also sponsors the Vanuatu cricket team.

Digicel also runs a host of community-based initiatives across its markets and has set up Digicel Foundations in Jamaica, Haiti and Papua New Guinea which focus on educational, cultural and social development programmes.

In 2004, Digicel developed Digicel Rising Stars – an annual talent show to support aspiring young music artists in the Caribbean. The show has spanned the Eastern Caribbean, Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago ranking as one of the top-rated shows.

Digicel is incorporated in Bermuda and its markets comprise: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Nauru, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos and Vanuatu. Digicel also has coverage in St. Martin and St. Barts in the Caribbean.

Visit www.digicelgroup.com  for more information.