May: carrying on regardless
Torrential rain doesn’t dampen the spirits of some Bermuda residents who help raise money for worthy charities by participating in the XL Catlin Bermuda End-to-End event.
Embracing the “good cause, great fun” ethos of the event, they brave the stormy elements to complete the 29th annual fundraiser – and raise money for this year’s beneficiaries: Family Centre, PALS, The Coalition for the Protection of Children, Pride, and Open Airways.
Since the End-to-End was launched, more than $5 million has been raised for Bermuda charities, with all money staying on the island.
Predicted stormy conditions lead to Friday’s swim event being cancelled, and Saturday’s cycle portion of the event is cancelled due to safety concerns. And, while Saturday’s inclement weather deters some who had planned on participating but demurred on the day, End-to-End chair Anne Mello is in an appreciative mood.
“People were so upbeat, spirited and determined to finish,” she tells The Royal Gazette. “It was a joy. I am thrilled at seeing that kind of outcome. After 29 years, I can say I didn’t hear one complaint.
“I think we can be praising everybody that turned up. It was just an incredible, fulsome, spirited community event. The whole community came together to make that happen. I really felt Bermuda was pulling together for this unique experience.”
She praises the “extraordinary” race marshals who remained “so good-humoured” and also thanks those manning the water stops “in such a kind-hearted way”.
“I don’t think we can thank Bermuda enough and all our fabulous sponsors,” she says.
Platinum sponsors for the End-to-End are The Royal Gazette and CellOne. More than 40 sponsors support the annual event, including title sponsors XL Catlin.
May 1: More than 2,500 people attend the first-ever Marine Expo in St George’s.
May 2: Air arrivals for the first quarter of 2016 hit their highest level (18,189) for seven years.
May 2: The largest cruise ship to ever visit Bermuda arrives at Royal Naval Dockyard. The Anthem of the Seas carries 4,500 passengers and 1,600 crew.
May 4: Government continues to pursue the trustees of failed sports facility Sandys 360 for a duplicate payment of $807,000.
May 5: Eugene Eversley and Jevon Darrell are hailed as heroes after coming to the aid of moped crash victim Kuiana Daniels, 16.
May 6: A lone gunman demands cash from staff at Continental Motors on North Shore Road, Pembroke. The armed robbery is the third in eight days.
May 12: JetBlue Airways and its former employee, Progressive Labour Party MP Lawrence Scott, engage in a public disagreement about the reason for his departure from the company.
May 16: An island-wide initiative to make nutritious food more affordable launches in supermarkets.
May 18: Bermuda Police report four deaths, 19 serious accidents, 174 slight injury collisions and 232 damage-only crashes on the island’s roads during the first four months of 2016.
May 18: More than 100 people gather outside City Hall to protest Government’s airport redevelopment plan.
May 19: The Immigration Working Group holds its first public meeting.
May 20: Government has spent more than $3 million on school maintenance and repairs, and expects to spend another $3m in the current fiscal year.
May 21: Patrick Dill, 27, is shot dead outside his Crossland Lane, Pembroke home as he is getting into a vehicle to attend a party. Police say the father-of-three has no Bermuda gang ties.
May 21: Seventeen-year-old motorcyclist Judah Burchall of Sandys suffers fatal injuries as the result of a three-vehicle collision on Collector’s Hill in Smith’s Parish.
May 23: Bermuda Police Service are treating the disappearance of Jevon Daniels, 35, as “suspicious”.
May 24: Thousands of people line the streets of Hamilton to enjoy the Bermuda Day Parade.
May 28: Some 4,865 participants raise more than $652,000 for cancer research and prevention in the 24-hour Relay for Life fundraiser.
May 28: The Development Applications Board approves plans for a new restaurant at Shelly Bay.
May 31: For the first time in maritime history, the old naval pier at Morgan’s Point welcomes a commercial shipment.
Notable deaths this month included: Maisie Ible, trailblazing taxi driver, 88; Reg Grundy OBE, television producer, 92; Gladwyn “Moe” Ming, Spinning Wheel co-founder, 79; Henry Talbot Jr, businessman, 84; George Thomas, physician and MP, 79; Colin Benbow, historian and teacher, 85; Joyce Pearman, lifelong St George’s resident, 95; Mary Huseman, former resident, 88; Reverend Thomas Andersen, former pastor at Peace Lutheran Church, 71; Ann Proctor, businesswoman and artist, 81; Morley Safer, journalist and former Bermuda resident, 84; Alan Young, Mr Ed actor, 96.
