Bermuda will participate in the 30th anniversary celebrations of Caricom even though it does not yet have associate status in the Caribbean organization.

A `Torch of Unity' run will begin tomorrow with teams of school children from primary, middle and secondary schools, members of track and running clubs and Special Olympians who will carry the Caricom torch throughout the Island.

The torch was lit at the opening ceremony of the International Sessions Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government held in Trinidad and Tobago on February 14.

The torch has travelled to Suriname, Guyana, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, Dominica and the Bahamas. It will arrive in Bermuda from the Bahamas on the late American Airlines flight tonight.

"The Government of Bermuda is pleased to be associated with these celebrations and we look forward to receiving the torch and guiding it onto its next destination," Minister of Cultural Affairs Randy Horton said at a press conference yesterday.

"Bermuda exists in an interdependent world and it is important for us to develop and continue to develop relationships with other countries."

Government will focus most of its efforts on the torch run but other programmes have been planned including the Youth Parliament which will be held at the House of Assembly on June 19.

Representatives from the Bermuda Debate Society and the Bermuda Youth Council will participate and discuss violence and its impact on the community.

Also, Government has agreed to issue an official first day cover stamp to commemorate the event.

Premier Jennifer Smith will present the stamp at the regular meeting of the conference of heads of government of the Caribbean Community scheduled to take place in Jamaica this July.

The Premier said last month that Bermuda will become an official associate member of Caricom in July when all the paperwork is expected to be completed.

The next stop for the torch is Belize.