Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Oct 13, 2025

Tree lighting rings in holiday season

Tree lighting rings in holiday season

In a year that has been anything but normal, Christmas 2020 will feel a little different as well, Deputy Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said Sunday at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony hosted by the Lions Club of Tortola at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused immense hardship for the people of the Virgin Islands, which is why residents should make an extra effort to foster a spirit of togetherness and help out other community members this holiday season, said Dr. Wheatley, who is also a Lions Club member.

“In my view, the Christmas season takes on a different complexion,” he added. “Based on the difficulties we’ve had over the past few years, … I implore you make this Christmas season more about giving to the needy.”

The ceremony, which marks the start of the Christmas season in the territory, brought throngs of people to the pier park, where onlookers lined the edges of the grassy area in front of Mac’s Café to take in all of the evening’s spectacles.

After a group of elected representatives and Lions Club members flicked the switch illuminating the brightly decorated tree, eliciting applause and cheers from the crowd, people danced to the rhythm of the Shooting Stars Steel Orchestra and to live music from the Three G’s, among other musicians who performed throughout the night.

While addressing the crowd, Lions Club Vice President Nichola Dunkley seconded Dr. Wheatley’s message of community support during a tough year.

“Many of us are experiencing hardships never imagined in the Virgin Islands,” Ms. Dunkley said. “But as we did after Hurricane Irma, we shall rise at the end. However, we will only rise if we work together and continue to be our brother’s keeper.”

As Christmas approaches, the Lions have organised several initiatives aimed at helping the needy, Ms. Dunkley said.

The organisation is working with the Tree of Hands community group to collect toys through Dec. 16, before distributing them in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Lions Club members will also be leading a food drive at Bobby’s Marketplace this weekend and another at Rite Way Pasea from Dec. 12-13.

All food collected during these drives will be donated to the Family Support Network and other food pantries in the territory.

“On behalf of the Lions Club of Tortola, we wish you a happy holiday,” Ms. Dunkley said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
×