Seafood Festival in Aid of Cornwall Regional Hospital

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Sharon Ffolkes-Abrahams, is appealing to Jamaicans to support the Rainforest Seafood Festival, noting that the event is in aid of a worthy cause.

The festival, slated for Ash Wednesday (February 13) at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre in Montego Bay, St. James, is in support of the Cornwall Regional Hospital in the parish. It is being organised by charity organisation ‘We Care Foundation,’which last year, raised some US$73,000 for the hospital.

Speaking at a media launch held on Tuesday (January 15) at Sandals Royal in Montego Bay, Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams, who is Member of Parliament for West Central St. James, said she will be giving the event her full support.

“We welcome the effort of We Care in seeking to provide improved services and better equipment at the Cornwall Regional Hospital, this is a worthwhile initiative. We look forward to the Rainforest Seafood Festival, which I am sure will be a tremendous success. I use this opportunity to urge members of the public in the region, all of Jamaica, to come out and support the festival. It is for a good cause; it is for all of us. Get involved, support the Cornwall Regional Hospital,” she said.

Commending the charity, which is headed by Chief Executive Officer of Sandals International, Adam Stewart, Mrs. Ffolkes-Abrahams, said: “you are an example of what corporate Jamaica should be”.

“The work that you are doing for the people of Jamaica is of utmost importance. Cornwall Regional Hospital is the only hospital outside of Kingston that is providing specialist services. The We Care initiative, I am sure, will greatly assist in meeting the total health needs, not only of the residents of St. James, but also those of other parishes in the County of Cornwall,” she stated.

The festival will start at 10:00 a.m. with entertainment for children during the day, while the evening session will feature a line-up of popular local artistes such as Ken Boothe and Beenie Man.

Inviting the public to come out for the event, Chairman of Rainforest Seafood and member of the We Care Foundation, Brian Jardim, stated that the “bigger the turnout the more we can contribute to We Care for Cornwall. I want to encourage all of you to join us on Ash Wednesday. I can guarantee that your support will go directly into improving Cornwall Regional Hospital.”

Mr. Stewart, for his part, said the foundation was pleased to contribute to efforts to develop Cornwall Regional into a first world facility. “We are very proud to do this…this is an opportunity where we are showing Jamaicans how they can have fun, and doing good at the very same time,” he stated.

All of the proceeds from the festival will go to the improvement of infrastructure and purchase of equipment for the hospital. Sponsors for the event are Red Stripe, Pepsi, Digicel, Scotia Bank, National Bakery and CB Chicken.