Curtly Richards - page 38

The roadmap for the improvement of Main Street continues apace as the Minister for Business met with the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses and international specialists, The Mosaic Partnership as part of the ongoing progress and implementation of a Business Improvement District (BID).

It’s envisaged that the implementation of a BID will enhance the trading relationship between businesses and customers as well add further aesthetic improvements to Gibraltar’s world-famous trading district.

The Minister for Business, the Hon. Vijay Daryanani said, “The Government fully supports this initiative by the GFSB to enhance and fulfil the potential that we all believe Main Street can enjoy as an international shopping area for locals and visitors. As we have previously mentioned, the Government is financially committed to supporting this project on a pound for pound basis.”

Julian Byrne, Chairperson of the GFSB added, “We are very excited to see the positive progress that is being made towards creating the Main Street BID. The GFSB are very grateful to the Government for their support from day one, both financially, plus also in the time and effort dedicated to it. Having a Minister of Business who has a great deal of experience in Main Street has been incredibly beneficial to this whole project. This meeting is one of many as we push forward to make the Main Street BID a reality, which will be beneficial for business owners, the Government, tourists and locals too.”

The Gibraltar Honours Board (GHB), under the Chairmanship of the Interim Governor, will be meeting in the Spring to consider nominations for The Queen’s New Year Honours List 2021; and The Gibraltar Award. The latter is awarded by the GHB and announced coincident with The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020.

Nominations are sought to recognise those people, from any section of the Gibraltarian Community, that have made an exceptional contribution or given exceptional service in the progression of either the well-being, achievement or reputation of Gibraltar.

Nominations should be submitted no later than Monday 6th April 2020 on a GHB Nomination Proforma and addressed to:

GHB Secretary
Office of the Governor
The Convent, Main Street
Gibraltar GX11 1AA

A copy of the necessary form can be obtained at The Convent Rear Gate Reception or from the GHB Secretary at enquiry.gibraltar@fco.gov.uk

Nominations can be supported by up to two letters of endorsement from people with a personal knowledge of the nominees’ contribution or service.

The following Honours are up for consideration:

• Companion of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) and Commander of the British Empire (CBE)
• Officer of the British Empire (OBE)
• Member of the British Empire (MBE)
• British Empire Medal (BEM)
• Gibraltar Award (GA)

Full details of the nuances of each Honour can be found online.

A co-ordinating group has been established to monitor Coronavirus in Gibraltar.

A recent meeting involved Government departments, the Royal Gibraltar Police and Gibraltar’s Essential Services.

During the meeting, the Director of Public Health, Dr Sohail Bhatti, briefed the group on the current state of the virus.

The Acting Chief Minister the Hon Prof John Cortes who has responsibility for Public Health, chaired the meeting, which was also attended by Minister for Civil Contingencies, Samantha Sacramento and Minister for Health, Paul Balban.

The risk – identified at the time of publication – centres on people who have been to mainland China from mid-January.

If you have cold-like or flu symptoms, it is advised to stay at home, drink plenty fluids and keep warm. You can also call the PCC 20072266 where infection control nurses are on hand to give advice.

In the meantime, current medical thinking is that Coronavirus could be spread by droplets, so good hygiene with frequent hand washing will help stop its spread.

The Ministry of Business, Tourism and Transport, has teamed up with GibSams, to rollout a new awareness campaign.

Using a combination of bush shelters, bus signposts and external advertising on buses themselves the campaign aims to further enhance the reach of the services GibSams offers. This ties in with a concerning rise in mental health issues in Gibraltar.

The charity’s Freephone helpline, 116123, is open every day from 6:00pm to midnight. 

The Minister for Business, Tourism and Transport, the Hon Vijay Daryanani, commented, “I am pleased to see the positive collaboration amongst my Ministry, GibSams and the Gibraltar Bus Company for a truly worthy cause. The roll out of this awareness campaign throughout our public transport vehicles as well on bus shelters and signposts provides useful information to the public on many frequented routes and thoroughfares throughout Gibraltar”.

The Chairperson of GibSams, Ms Marielou Guerrero also added, “We are really grateful to Minister Vijay Daryanani for immediately agreeing to support GibSams in a joint public awareness campaign. We are trying to reach all sectors of the community to inform them that there is help available to them when they need it. They do not have to suffer alone or in silence.

“Our sincere thanks to the team at the Ministry of Business, Tourism and Transport for their swift action, our graphic designers for producing the artworks for us, the team at the Gibraltar Bus Company who installed the posters for all their hard work, and to the gentleman who placed these on the buses and shelters, despite the stormy weather! Everyone worked at full speed to make sure the campaign was up and running before Christmas, which for many, can be a very bad time of the year”.