There’s more on offer in Montserrat

Whether looking for soft adventure or a relaxing villa holiday, Montserrat is a great destination for a summer escape this year. Read on to find out more about special events taking place in the coming months.

Photography projects in conjunction with Turtle Bay Apartments to take place in Montserrat

Turtle Bay Apartments in Montserrat will be running two residential photographic workshops over the coming months. The workshops will focus on landscape and travel photography as well as classes in camera use and techniques.

The first workshop, from 30 June – 6 July 2008, will be run by Canadian photographer Tony Hadley, whilst the second, from 6-12 October 2008, will be run by up-and-coming American photographer Matthew Murray, both in conjunction with Carolyn Coleby of Turtle Bay.

Montserrat has a unique landscape, much of which is dominated by the Soufrière Hills Volcano, which provides a stunning subject for photographers. The workshops are suitable for keen amateur and experienced photographers, offering opportunities to explore and hike through the rainforests and photograph unusual flora and fauna, plus the chance to network with other photographers from around the world.

Each workshop costs US $600.00 per person, excluding travel and accommodation expenses. Rooms can be booked at Turtle Bay for a reduced rate of US $150.00 per person for the week.

For more information visit Turtelbayapartments.com.

Third annual Calabash Festival to take place in July 2008

Montserrat’s third annual Calabash Festival is taking place from 13th – 20th July 2008 to attract visitors to the island and provide entertainment for the local people.

The eight-day festival will include a range of events such as a roundislandsightseeing bus tour, a let’s go liming tour of local rum shops, (‘liming’ is a term used in Montserrat to describe chilling out) a rainforest hike in the Centre Hills and a 20 – 20 cricket match. The festival will conclude with a musical concert at the Montserrat Cultural Centre featuring ‘African King of Jazz’ Paul Lunga

The festival is named for the green produce of the calabash tree which has for centuries been an indispensable multi-purpose item in the homes of Montserratians. After being cut open and scooped out, the calabash can be used as a dish, a storage container, a lantern, musical instrument or even a handbag and it has long been identified as one of Montserrat’s cultural items.

For more information, see Visitmontserrat.com.

Proposal to make the Centre Hills area Montserrat’s first National Park

A proposal has been made to designate the Centre Hills protected forest and forest reserve of Montserrat a National Park. This is due to the efforts of the Centre Hills Project, which, through a series of island-wide consultations with stakeholders, has created a framework for the management of this park to become a reality.

As the project draws near to completion. mechanisms such as the conservation and environment management have been put in place so that when the Act is passed, it will in essence give the green light for the existing 4.28 square miles of lush green and biologically diverse habitat to become a National Park.

The project was launched in June 2005 to enable the people of Montserrat to conserve the Centre Hills area. Since volcanic activity has devastated two thirds of the island and most of the southern forests and mountains, the Centre Hills have become the last remaining habitat for numerous threatened species, including the Montserrat oriole (the national bird); the ‘mountain chicken’ (actually a large variety of frog); the galliwasp (a rare lizard); and the endemic Montserrat orchid.

The Centre Hills is a popular location for hikers visiting Montserrat and nine trails in the area have been upgraded as part of the initiative. A small trail map was also produced, giving basic information on each trail.

Partners in the Centre Hills Project include the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, the RSPB and the Jersey-based Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

For more information about Montserrat, see Visitmontserrat.com.