Barbados Deputy High Commissioner to the UK, Mr Oral “Mackie” Holder, and representatives from the High Commission hosted the first town hall meeting since his appointment to the post at the beginning of the year.
Among those in attendance was local MP, Hon Mr Afzal Khan, and a diplomatic team that included Ms Evril ‘Betty’ Lewis, Diaspora Relations Attache, and Ms Natasha Mayers, First Secretary, ensuring a broad representation of interests, as well as other colleagues offering advice and assistance.
In the audience were representatives from surrounding districts of Oldham, Leeds, and Manchester., as well as Mr Athelston Sealey, recently appointed Special Envoy for inward Investments and Diaspora engagement, a key figure in the Birmingham Business community and an essential addition to the event.
They were passionate discussions of paramount importance, covering various topics, including Citizenship by descent, the introduction and implications of the new Electronic Authorisation Visa (ETA) Visa, an overview of the current economic situation, and the government’s prospective proposals for diversifying the economy.
In addition, presentations also included prospective avenues and initiatives geared towards investments, the proposed “We Gathering 2025,” “Carifesta 2025”, and, crucially, engaging younger members of the Diaspora to foster and solidify their connection to Barbados. On the matter of Barbadian Associations, in response to a question from the floor, the DHC suggested that he was not entirely convinced with the current NCBA template despite their long history of contribution to the local communities nationwide.
Members of the small audience expressed their appreciation for the insightful presentations and the opportunity to engage with the Counsellor officials who assisted with passport applications and distributed additional information.
The meeting was held on Saturday, November 2nd, at the West Indian Centre on Carmoor Road, Manchester, a significant hub for the Barbadian community and the home of local group Barbados Overseas Manchester under the Chairmanship of Richard Alleyne.
DHC Holder said, “I was also particularly happy to see younger Barbadians in attendance as much as it was inspiring to see Barbadians in their late seventies and early eighties among the audience and still passionate about their country.
In conclusion, the DHC indicated that he intended to visit several other communities in the North and Northwest with a significant number of Barbadians, intending to foster a sense of inclusion and community spirit.
This overwhelmingly positive feedback highlighted the event’s success and its value to the attendees. It also signals that closer involvement with government representatives and local Barbadian communities continues to be essential.
