MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falkland Islands: Weekly Penguin News Update
May Queen, Robyn Berntsen and Princess, Verity Livermore, are drawn past the Liberation Monument on Santas sleigh Headlines: Carnival brings a touch of the Caribbean to the South Atlantic; High winds wreak havoc with roofs... and holiday plans; Running to Help the Heroes; A Christmas Message from His Excellency the Governor Mr Alan Huckle
Carnival brings a touch of the Caribbean to the South AtlanticSATURDAY dawned grey and gusty, but suddenly brightened in the afternoon, not just because the sun had finally come out, but also because of the Christmas Carnival Parade winding its way through the streets of Stanley, bringing with it a touch of Caribbean sunshine. Christmas shoppers, anywhere from the far East to the far West of Stanley and back again, were stopped in their tracks by lively music and the sight of a gigantic sleigh, driven by Santa and surrounded by festive elves, which was preceded by one of the police vehicles, driven slowly by Constable Steve Dent, but in full pursuit mode, with flashing lights and siren whoops. Behind the sleigh, which bore this year's May Queen, Robyn Berntsen and May Princess, Verity Livermore, came more costumed revellers, a fire engine and a variety of other festively decorated vehicles and floats, including a real live smoke puffing dragon, mounted on a four wheeler. The results of the collections for charity made en route will be announced shortly, but meantime thanks must go to organisers Jo Ellick, Geoffrey Stevens and their helpers for brightening up our streets this Christmas. High winds wreak havoc with roofs... and holiday plansROCKING gently with each new buffet of wind and packed to capacity with Christmas presents, baking and booze, one of the saddest sights in Stanley this weekend were the vehicles of those whose planned trip to the West on the cross sound ferry had to be cancelled because of the weather. In Stanley, the wind, which had howled most of Saturday, peaked on Sunday between about half past five and half-past eight in the evening, when the water of the harbour appeared at times to be smoking and wheelie bins could be seen dancing down roads. Although there is no record of the maximum gusts in Stanley, at Mount Pleasant a gust of 62 knots was recorded at 7pm. During this time, also, the Stanley Fire and Rescue Service responded to some dozen calls for help, mainly to secure roofing, which was in danger of flying away with the wind. The military mountain top sites experience much higher wind speeds on a regular basis and some minor damage was caused to the domestic complex following the storm force winds at Byron Heights on West Falkland . "No personnel were hurt and the damage had no effect on operational capability," confirmed a military spokesperson. Running to Help the HeroesON Sunday, 100 people at Mount Pleasant reached for their running kit, braved the extreme winds, ignored the severe weather warning and ran 10 kilometres in the Christmas Charity fun run. There were some great costumes on show but, anticipating a glorious Falklands summer day, the semi-naked chef and the Hawaiian dancers apparently got a bit of a chill, while those that chose Santa and Banana Man outfits were more comfortable. Ninety-two people completed the run and received their well deserved medal at the finish line – and of course, a festive mince pie! First male to cross the line was Capt Andy Savery of the Resident Rapier Battery, whilst Flt Lt Becky Griffith of Air Traffic Control was the first female in fifth place overall. Air Commodore Gordon Moulds presented medals and congratulated all those involved with the event which raised and admirable £505 for Help for Heroes. Page 2A Christmas Message from His Excellency the Governor Mr Alan Huckle *** Merry Christmas to all our readers ***
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