Tortola, British Virgin Islands, March 29, 2009 - Marking five years of support from FirstCaribbean International Bank, youngsters from the KATS (Kids And The Sea) Sail programme recently involved a couple of senior personnel from FirstCaribbean International Bank in their Saturday sailing lesson aboard an IC24 (a modified J/24). KATS volunteer, Phil Prevost, introduced some of the aspects of the programme to Michael Spencer, head of corporate banking and country manager, and Ken Dawson, transactional banking manager. The perennial programme provides young students with practical sailing skills. The skipper and crew of children demonstrated how to tack and jibe as they coursed along the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
FirstCaribbean has been providing funds since 2004 for the maintenance of the fleet of IC24s used to train the level three students of the KATS Sail programme. The sailors and boats participate in races at the KATS' regular sailing sessions as well as competing in several regattas that take place throughout the season in the BVI. The culminating event for the year's KATS Sail programme is the annual Premier's Cup that takes place in Tortola. The three-day event attracts teams of youths from all over the Caribbean who compete in the IC24s for the title cup.
"FirstCaribbean is very happy to be involved with this indispensable programme," said Michael Spencer. "It was a thrill to have been on board with these promising young students who obviously were delighted to be out on the water. It was a practical experience that Ken and I both enjoyed. Witnessing the pleasure and irrefutable results of the programme is an encouragement for the bank's continued efforts to enrich our community together."
Tortola, British Virgin Islands, March 23, 2009 - Visitors to the Brandywine Bay Restaurant table at the recent Food Network South Beach Food and Wine Festival 2009 in Florida got more on their plates than they expected: Chef Davide Pugliese and his team served up more than 2,500 tastings of the Italian / Caribbean fusion dish of Brasato dei Caraibi and also shared information about the British Virgin Islands, homeland of the restaurant. The fund raising culinary celebration, which took place from February 19 - 22, attracted more than 53,000 participants. The event realised approximately $2 million in profit to benefit Florida International University's School of Hospitality & Tourism Management.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, February 24, 2009 - This Saturday, the Rotary Club will host its annual Grand Affair fund raising gala dinner at Government House. In keeping with the theme, 'An Evening in Tuscany', guests will be sampling an authentic Tuscan menu created by resident Tuscan chef, Davide Pugliese.
"We approached Davide for his input and were delighted when he volunteered his time as the executive chef for our annual signature gala dinner," said Paloma Helm, event coordinator. "Tuscany is a region rich in history, culture and food and we thought it would provide the perfect backdrop for our fund raising evening."
The Grand Affair Committee has been working closely with Chef Davide to deliver a gourmet, four-course dinner representative of the Italian region. The menu includes specialties such as Peposo, a zesty beef signature dish from Impruneta near Florence, Pollo Affinocchiato, chicken with fennel seeds - one of the most utilized spices in Tuscany, and Funghi con Zucca e Carciofi al Gratin, a Tuscan vegetarian dish of mushrooms, pumpkin and artichokes baked with Parmigiano Reggiano. The entrées will be served with Broccoli di Rape and Fagioli all'Uccelletto, cannelloni beans with sage and tomato, an ode to the Tuscans' love for eating beans. Florentine appetizers to start and desserts will also be served.
The courses will be paired with wines from the Tuscan region selected for their complementary body and taste.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, January 27, 2009 - Davide Pugliese, owner and executive chef of Brandywine Bay Restaurant and Capriccio di Mare in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, will be attending the eighth annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami, Florida. Davide will be showcasing his culinary talents at the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village on February 21st, 2009. The four-day epicurean festival, which kicks off on February 19th expects to attract around 6,000 visitors, participants and celebrity chefs each day.
Davide will be at the Brandywine Bay Restaurant table located in one of the American Express Grand Tasting tents to be set up ocean side of Miami's hip and lively South Beach. Serving 3,000 tastings of a Caribbean interpretation of an Italian dish, visitors to the Brandywine table can sample Brasato dei Caraibi which uses cuts of Certified Angus Beef Eye of round braised in a spicy scotch bonnet pepper sauce and served with a cilantro aioli. The ingredients are being provided by Buckhead Beef® of Florida, a meat specialty company that distributes along the Eastern seaboard and into the Caribbean, and Merchants Market, a Leeward and Virgin Islands food distribution network originating in Florida.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, December 10, 2008 - FirstCaribbean International Bank, British Virgin Islands is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Cherise J. Archer to the position of the manager for the Local Processing Centre.
A native of Nassau, The Bahamas, Ms Archer's banking career spans more than eighteen years within the industry. Her new assignment includes responsibilities for the management of the loan review / controls and custodial services, domestic and international payment processing, service delivery and performance, and internal controls.
Ms Archer joined FirstCaribbean International Bank in 1990 and has held various positions including personal banking manager and most recently, branch manager. Both positions were held at the bank in Nasssau, The Bahamas.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, December 5, 2008 - The fourth annual FirstCaribbean International Bank BVI Tennis Championships was formally opened at the Tortola Sports Club (TSC) Wednesday by Mr Owen Francis, acting director, Wealth Management, FirstCaribbean. The tournament kicked off with the first round of matches in the ladies division and the men's 'A' and 'B' divisions. Two of the four ladies' quarterfinals matches were also played.
The first round of the mixed doubles and the quarterfinals of the men's 'A' and 'B' division were played on Thursday. A series of exciting evenings is promised for the rest of the week with more quarter- and semifinals slated for Friday and Saturday. The tournament will culminate on Sunday, December 7th with the finals for the Plates and Championships. Matches, with the exception of some weekend games, will start at 5.00pm.
The Junior division, which welcomed twelve registered participants from ages 9 - 13, started earlier on with good performances from all the players. Remaining matches in this division will be played Friday at 4.00pm. All Junior division players will receive a certificate of participation on Sunday. Results for the Junior division will be published at the end of the tournament.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, November 17, 2008 - At the fourth annual Nanny Cay Nations Cup held this weekend (Nov 15/16) in the British Virgin Islands, 'bmobile/ LIME' brought the perpetual trophy back to the BVI after a one year stay in the US Virgin Islands. BVI Olympic hopeful Alec Anderson steered his 'bmobile/LIME' team to a convincing victory after a very tough two-day event held in 18-20 knots of breeze with a total of 22 points. Last year's defending champions, John and Peter Holmberg of 'Ondeck Ocean Racing' (USVI), were second with 29 points and 'Team BVI' with Robbie and Mike Hirst, and 15-year old Don Tae Hodge on the helm, were third with 34 points.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, November 12, 2008 - Principal Hodge welcomed the recent delivery of seven large desks and seven armchairs donated by FirstCaribbean International Bank.
"We really are appreciative of this furniture," said Principal Hodge. "Our classrooms are equipped but some of the teachers requested additional desks to enhance the special activity stations set up in their classrooms."
The chairs will be placed in the staff room. Principal Hodge explained that she was particularly pleased with these since the room was lacking adequate seating to accommodate all the teachers during their breaks or staff meetings.
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, October 31, 2008 - Mr Ernest "Chinko" Evans was honoured as the BVI's FirstCaribbean Unsung Hero 2008 at a luncheon hosted by the bank Wednesday. Mr Evans was one of six selfless individuals nominated by members of the public for consideration as the 2008 BVI finalist.
Currently in its fifth year, the FirstCaribbean Unsung Heroes programme launched its local 2008 drive in May. The region wide community partnership initiative promoted in all seventeen countries in which FirstCaribbean International Bank operates, is designed to recognize and raise the profiles of deserving projects and benevolent deeds carried out by people in the community for the betterment of others and not for personal gain.
"Mr Evans was nominated by Father Branche of the St George's Anglican Church as a perfect example of a person who lives to serve his community simply for the reward of knowing that his efforts benefit others," commented Geraldeen Johnson, local programme coordinator, FirstCaribbean International Bank. "From the time he qualified as an electrical engineer and returned to Tortola forty years ago, Mr Evans has gone out of his way to apply his skills and knowledge free of charge and, often times, facilitated through personal sacrifice."
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Tortola, British Virgin Islands, October 28, 2008 - With the fourth annual Nanny Cay Nations Cup just over two weeks away, a strong field of teams are lining up to attempt to dethrone US Virgin Islanders Peter and John Holmberg, last year’s winners. An estimated 16-18 teams are currently expected representing the British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, England, Ireland, Holland, USA, Canada, Antigua, Barbados and Puerto Rico.
“Peter Holmberg and his USVI team will definitely be defending their title. This is great news for all concerned, there’s nothing like having a world-class helmsman to set your sights on,” said Richard Wooldridge of Racing In Paradise, the event organisers.