KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, has announced that the observance of National Heritage Week this year under the theme, Celebrating a Heritage of Resilience and Pride, culminates this weekend with the national heritage week church service, the annual wreath laying salute to our national heroes and the presentation of the national honours and awards.

The presentation of the national honours and awards will depart from the traditional custom of the governor general physically conferring the awards and will instead be a specially produced virtual event which will be aired on National Heroes Day, October 19, and will be available for viewing on national television and across various social media platforms.

“The national heritage week church service which will be held at the historic William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church, on Sunday, October 18, starting at 9:30 am is one of the main events we are using to mark Trelawny’s 250th anniversary. COVID-19 has negatively affected the year-round plans that the Trelawny Municipal Corporation had to celebrate this important milestone, leaving the church service as one of the main events.

“The service will also be used to observe International Rural Women’s Day. The two women Members of Parliament from Trelawny – Marisa Dalrymple Philibert, speaker of the House of Representatives, and Tova Hamilton, new Member of Parliament, will be our special guests, representing the record number of women MPs currently serving in the Jamaican Parliament.

“The Custos of Trelawny, Paul Muschett, will represent the governor general and will read his message; the Mayor of Falmouth, Councillor Collen Gager, will also bring greetings while I will have remarks,” Grange said.

The minister said the national heritage week church service will be streamed live on national television and across social media platforms worldwide.

She said the wreath laying salute to our national heroes, which starts at 8:00 am on National Heroes Day, October 19, will be carried live on Television Jamaica, the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica and on various social media platforms.

Grange said the ceremony will be followed immediately by the presentation of national honours and awards.

“Governor General Sir Patrick Allen will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero Marcus Garvey, while Prime Minister Andrew Holness will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero Sir Alexander Bustamante,” she said.

Member of Parliament Phillip Paulwell, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Dr Peter Phillips, will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero Noman Manley, with Senator Charles Sinclair, deputy president of the Senate, representing Senate president, Thomas Tavares-Finson, laying the wreath at the shrine of national hero Paul Bogle, the minister outlined.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Marisa Dalrymple-Phillibert, will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero George William Gordon, while the Chief Justice Bryan Sykes will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero Samuel Sharpe.

Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams, will lay the wreath at the shrine of national hero Nanny of the Maroons.