2010 BCA Festival - 11.30 am July 10th

On Saturday July 10th 2010 the Belize Church Association celebrated its annual Festival, with a Eucharist, lunch and AGM at St Anne's Parish Church, Brondesbury, London. The Association was honoured by the presence of Her Excellency Camilla Palma, High Commissioner for Belize. The BCA Chair, the Revd. John Wilkinson presided and preached at the Eucharist.

It was good to welcome not only regular attenders but also to see again John Pirie, one-time VSO volunteer in Belize City and his daughter Frances, both of whom are contributors to the Rough Guide volume on Belize.

New to the Festival were Vanda Gillett, who is soon to emigrate to Belize and David and Wendy Sealy, their daughter Katy and son David. David Snr. is the son of Fr Gordon Sealy who was Priest-in-charge of Stann Creek Distinct churches in the 1960’s. David was born in Belize and is therefore not only entitled to citizenship but also to pass citizenship onto is children.

Katy, aged 19, has decided to take up citizenship and it was exciting to witness the arrival of her brand new Belizean passport from the High Commission during lunch. Katy is a Heptathlon athlete and has since been able to represent her new country at the Caribbean at the Central American and Caribbean Games at Mayaguez in Puerto Rico and at the Commonwealth Games in India. Sadly she sustained an injury early in the Games and was therefore not able to compete.

In a brief AGM the officers and Committee were re-elected for another year. The Treasurer presented the accounts for 2009-10. He reported the good news that the value of our investments was now once again more than we paid for them, that the Association had again sent to the Diocese the promised annual sum of £2,500, and that the support of the Feeding Programmes of two diocesan schools had been maintained at the same rate as in the past. However, income from subscriptions had declined and the Festival had raised rather less than in the previous year (when Bishop Philip was present).