First International Business Week Fun Walk
Monday November 29 2010 | 01:57 PM

Over 450 men, women and children heeded the call to: “Get moving, Get giving” and registered for the inaugural International Business Week Fun Walk/Run, which took to the streets of greater Bridgetown on November 14 in aid of raising funds for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

Originally scheduled for October 24 as the first major public event for the week of activities, the health-centred activity was postponed due to the untimely passing of Prime Minister David Thompson the day before. However, for the over 300 participants who still took part in the re-scheduled four kilometre walk/run it was an opportunity to keep fit, have fun, and still make a meaningful contribution to a worthy cause. The brisk walk/run started from the headquarters of the Barbados International Business Association (BIBA) at #19 Belleville, St Michael and ended at the Boatyard on Bay Street after travelling across Collymore Rock, along Culloden Road and Dalkeith Road and then on to Bay Street via Bush Hill by the Garrison Savannah.

From the shot of the starter’s gun at 4:05 pm the serious runners set the pace with the first runner, Derrick Jones storming through the Boatyard’s gates in 15.16 minutes, soon to be followed by his female counterpart Carlie Pipe with a time of 16.15 minutes. While most walkers were content to make their way between points chatting with friends or pushing strollers while enjoying a fun family day, veteran race walkers Dudley Harewood and Lydia Albert took the top prizes with times of 19.37 minutes and Lydia Albert 22.38 minutes respectively. In the under age-12 category, nine-year-old Rebecca Nurse and eight-year-old Joston Bovell were the top walkers; while 10-year-old Megan Gilkes and eight-year-old Jordan Austin were the top runners. PriceWaterhouseCoopers took home the prize for the largest corporate group having registered 50 participants.

BIBA President Mohammed Patel, an avid runner himself who clocked in at just over 17 minutes, described the day as “great fun” and expressed pleasure at the overwhelming response not only from BIBA’s member companies, but the general Barbadian public who turned out in support. Patel said such public events raised the awareness among the general public of the diversity that exists in the international business sector and the contributions that it makes to Barbados’ social and economic fortunes.

The QEH is this year’s beneficiary of choice for the BIBA Charity. The Charity was established in March this year with the objective of pooling individual donations made by BIBA members and the wider public and channelling them towards deserving local social causes.