Residents of St Lucian heritage walked through the streets of St David’s as part of an inaugural event marking their country’s 47th anniversary of independence.

The event was held in the form of a traditional baton relay, which started near Double Dip and culminated at Clearwater Beach.

It ran on Sunday under the theme “Douvan Ansanm”, a French creole term which translates to “onward together”.

Simon Joseph, an organiser of the event, said the celebration matched festivities in St Lucia this week in the lead-up to that country’s anniversary of independence on February 22.

He explained: “This is a day when St Lucians take pride, they celebrate the achievements of St Lucians in the country and throughout the diaspora.

“One of the things that we do is the annual baton relay, which is carried out throughout all the constituencies in St Lucia.

“We would carry this baton and honour all those people who would have done well or represented the country well.

“Those people are then selected to carry that baton during the celebrations.”

Mr Joseph said the group decided to host a similar event in Bermuda this year to honour people who made valuable contributions to both islands.

He added: “It is unusual to have a small community like us in Bermuda to have that privilege to carry the baton. But we collaborated among ourselves and we worked with the governments of St Lucia and Bermuda.

“Once everything was approved, the Government of St Lucia sent us a baton and the apparel that we are wearing here.”

Christopher Famous, a Bermuda Government MP, attended the event to support the celebration.

Residents of St Lucian heritage were hailed for their contributions at various stops along the route.

They included Sandrina Gifford, a healthcare worker and community advocate; Caleb Jean Pierre, a police officer; Natacha Prescott, a long-serving dialysis nurse; Delroy Fred, a popular chef; and Joseph Dosserie, a former member of the Bermuda Pilot Gig Rowing Club.

Marina Jean Pierre, a police officer who was St Lucia’s first International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation-recognised professional bodybuilder, was also honoured at the event.

Zita Virgil, who organisers said was well-known in the community as “the great cook”, was singled out for her drive to host annual activities to honour her roots.

Ms Virgil moved to Bermuda in the mid-1980s and operated a daycare business for more than 30 years.

The baton was crafted to feature the St Lucian flag, the iconic volcanic Pitons and fruits found in abundance on the island — among other features.

Ms Gifford, who helped to organise the event, said: “It’s a replica representing our island, our pride and our heritage.

“Like we do back home, we identify people from various communities and their involvement in society, in culture, education and other sectors.

“They are given the baton to carry during the relay to signify our strength, our pride, our resilience.”