A Portuguese cultural and community centre was opened at the weekend.

The Casa dos Açores – House of the Azores – at Admiralty Park in Pembroke, will be a base for the non-profit organisation and charities dedicated to the preservation of Azorean culture in Bermuda.

Wayne Furbert, the acting public works minister, cut the ribbon at the centre with Jose Andrade, the Director of Regional Communities of the Azores government.

Mr Furbert said: “The charity is responsible for promoting and carrying out activities that celebrate Azorean culture and promote its history with the Bermudian community so that we all can understand who they are, where they came from, and their contributions to our society.

Mr Furbert added the history of Portuguese people living in Bermuda stretched back to the 19th century and Portuguese Rock, originally called Spanish Rock, had initials carved into it by sailors from Portugal in 1543.

He said: “In any event, since they arrived in Bermuda, the Portuguese community have made Bermuda their home while promoting and preserving the heritage and history of the Azorean culture and educating the wider community on the contributions of Azorean descendants to our country.”

Mr Furbert added at last Sunday’s ribbon cutting that the creation of the centre was part of a public-private partnership drive to bring disused buildings back into use and Casa dos Açores was given a lease in 2019.

He said: “The agreement included the complete renovation and use of this building, located in a national park, into the organisation’s resources and a community centre.

“The work included replacing the asbestos roof, structural repairs and fittings installed throughout the building.

“Since then, the organisation’s dedication and enthusiasm to complete the project and achieve its vision for Bermuda has been demonstrated by the passion and effort put towards making significant improvements.”

Mr Furbert added: “I now look forward to the contributions of the Portuguese community in Bermuda expanding even further.”