Awards were presented by the Bermuda National Trust to recognise work that protected and promoted the island’s natural and cultural heritage.

Jaché Adams, the Minister of Public Works and Environment, and Mark Orchard, president of the BNT, presented the honours at the Verdmont Museum on Thursday.

Among the awardees was Stuart Smith, a veteran behind the Bermuda Bluebird Society.

He received the Bermudiana Award for Natural Heritage Impact for his commitment.

Mr Smith has been the “driving force” of the society, the BNT said, providing 26 years of service by advising on and installing boxes and monitoring bluebird box trails across the island.

He formerly ran Save Open Spaces, growing thousands of native and endemic plants.

Kim Dismont-Robinson received the Cedar Award for Cultural Heritage for her transformative 20-year career at the Department of Culture, where she served as folklife officer and later as director.

The BNT said that through her visionary leadership, Dr Dismont-Robinson revolutionised the island’s cultural landscape by championing underrepresented voices.

Her work helped to foster literary arts and preserved traditional knowledge through groundbreaking documentaries and publications.

The BNT’s highest honour, the Palmetto Award, was presented to past-president Alana Anderson.

She was recognised for giving more than 20 years of dedicated service to the BNT.

Ms Anderson served as president of the charity from 2017 to 2024 and the organisation said that she spent many hours of her time volunteering to keep the it on track during some “difficult periods” without an executive director at the helm, as well as through the Covid-19 years.

At the event on Thursday, Jennifer Gray received the President’s Award for leadership of Buy Back Bermuda, particularly through the acquisition and restoration of the new High Point Nature Reserve in Southampton, which opened in April.

Alfred Spearing and Eldon Trimingham were recognised for over a decade of voluntary service for the annual BNT’s auction and jumble sale, raising thousands of dollars for the organisation.

Kirk and Judy Kitson were honoured for their decades of “very generous” financial support to the BNT.

Saltus Grammar School received the Michael Darling Shield for Heritage Education for the Saltus Grove, a nature-based classroom established on the Maycot property within walking distance of the Saltus Cavendish Campus.

Lisa Greene and David Wingate were presented with the DeForest Trimingham Awareness Award for their Practical Guide to Garden Management in Bermuda.

The booklet was published last year with the support of the Bermuda Zoological Society and distributed free of charge.

It brought elements of Dr Wingate’s decades of experience of native and endemic restoration into a concise publication to help guide people who wish to promote native biodiversity in their own gardens.

Natural Heritage Certificates were presented to Ian and Jennifer Hind for planting natives and endemics at Bailey’s Bay and to Rosalind Wingate for woodland restoration at Warwick Academy.

The award was also given to the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club for sustainable practices leading to Green Key certification.

The Crystal Caves of Bermuda also received the certificate for responsible environmental stewardship of the Crystal and Fantasy Caves.

A certificate for Heritage Awareness was presented to David Chapman for inspiring appreciation of Bermuda’s natural and cultural heritage through his series of children’s books, including the Daddy and I Explore series and his most recent book Gombey - The Way of the Warrior.

Cultural Heritage Award certificates were presented to Shanna Hollis for her powerful 2024 mural Unsettled Freedom on King’s Square, St George’s and to Elaine Fox for her deeply personal book The Community of Southside, St David’s: Before, During and After WWII.

Francine Trott also received the award for her 35 years of dedicated service with the Department of Parks, especially in her role as curator of forts, as did the anniversary committee that organised yearlong celebrations in 2024 of the 175th anniversary of Portuguese settlement in Bermuda.

An award for built heritage were awarded to the National Museum of Bermuda which was honoured for phase 1 of the conservation of Casemates, a major project to restore the significant 1830s barracks for ultimate use as an education centre for Atlantic World studies.

Louise White and architect Geoff Parker also received the award for the sensitive renovation of “Tramor”, a 1904 home on Sound View Road, Sandys.

Volunteer Service certificates were awarded to Louise Roberts for dedicated volunteering at Verdmont Museum, Syrine Rajeh for co-chairing successful fundraising dinners and Florence Laino for archaeology volunteering.

The Bermuda Archives team led by Karla Ingemann also received the Volunteer Service certificate for their stewardship of the BNT’s archival holdings and assistance with research and curatorial projects.