These homes were built in the days before electric tools, cranes and concrete. They don’t have neat right angles or straight walls. They were built primarily using limestone and cedar. Their chimneys stand thick, strong and high above their white stepped roofs and their wooden shutters protect them from storms.

Whether large or small, built by rich or poor, all of these houses tell stories of our past and have histories we can learn from. To those who appreciate traditional houses, they have charm and character.

But what are they actually like to live in today? Can they be modernised without losing their character? And, are they worth preserving?

As researchers for the Bermuda National Trust, Margie Lloyd and Linda Abend have seen more historical homes than most and they care deeply about Bermuda’s unique architectural vernacular.

They agreed that, in order to appreciate the features of an old house however, it helps to have an interest in its history; and, while they can be expensive to maintain, all homes in Bermuda, old or new, require regular maintenance.

“They always say damp,” Ms Lloyd said. “But an awful lot of damp is caused by closing it all up, putting in air conditioning, never opening the windows.”

Another common problem is bubbling walls.

“The core of my house is old, it’s an old barn, and we have so much trouble with efflorescence. It’s where the wall starts to bubble and you get this white powder,” Ms Abend said.

“They say that older houses are costly to maintain but really, every house in Bermuda, it’s the weather, it’s the climate.”

If you live in an old home, when you renovate, it’s vital to respect the original features of the house, otherwise you risk ruining it.

Examples include a home where the owners removed the opening arms staircase from the front of the house, and another where they added a concrete plate to raise the roof.

“In an old house, the windows are up by the eaves,” Ms Abend said. “It doesn’t look old anymore. It could have been built yesterday. It’s amazing how just lifting up the roof, one layer, what a difference that makes.”

Other traditional features that stand out for them are chimneys, butteries, domed tanks, wooden verandahs and fanlights over the front doors, which allow light into what would otherwise have been dark rooms.

Mount Wyndham

Someone else with a passionate appreciation for traditional Bermudian architecture is Kristal Bartram, who owns grade two listed Mount Wyndham in Hamilton Parish.

The home was built during the 1780s and enjoys views over the entire East End of the island. Most famously, the house was leased in 1812 to the British Admiralty, to be used during the war between Britain and the United States.

When Ms Bartram bought the property ten years ago, it was derelict, and she has been painstakingly restoring it to its former glory ever since.

“I love traditional Bermuda architecture,” she said. “The house had been on and off the market for quite a while before I was able to purchase it and so I had seen it, and the view was spectacular. I loved everything about the house.”

While Ms Bartram was excited at the prospect of bringing this stately property back to life, the most common question people asked her was: “Are you crazy?”

Did she ever think she was? “Sometimes,” she smiled.

Her initial priority was to make the house liveable, so the plumbing, electrics, windows and doors were the first to be fixed.

After that, she set about carefully restoring and modernising the house. Now, it is a spectacular four-bedroom, 3½-bathroom multi-generational home, which has retained all of its historical charm and much of the original craftsmanship.

The former outside laundry room is now a one-bedroom cottage, which she rents out as a bed-and-breakfast, and the former outhouse is used as garden tool storage. This structure had a wooden window opening, which was four pieces of wood that she replaced.

“I’m trying to keep the integrity of the house,” she said. “Everything is the way it is for a reason.”

This ethos underpinned every aspect of Mount Wyndham’s restoration. It was, therefore, important to chose designers, contractors and craftsmen with experience working on historic homes. These included L&S Design’s Shelley Ray, Byland Construction and mason, Dean Saunders.

A number of Bermuda stone features on the property were refurbished by Mr Saunders, using lime, which is the building material that would have been used when the house was first built.

Elsewhere, the roof does not have latex, which allows it to breath. Ms Bartram has kept all the Bermuda cedar in the roof and on the ceiling, and when restoring the internal structures, she made sure that the contracting team were mindful of the original handcrafted dovetail joints, collar ties and beams.

“Someone who isn’t familiar with that type of construction can really do damage to the house,” she warned.

Such was her determination to honour the history of the house, that she not only kept an upside down cedar banister, wrongly installed by a previous owner, but she had another upside down one installed to match it. “I like this story,” she laughed.

She said she has no damp issues because she didn’t install air conditioning.

“It’s high on a hill, two storeys, so the crosswinds are amazing,” she said. The house also has high ceilings.

She admitted that the upkeep is hard work. The cedar doors need to be sanded and revarnished every three years and she gets her roof redone annually.

For her, it’s worth it.

“I think this is the only opportunity for a bridge between what that life was like and what our life is like now,” she said. “We’ll never see that again.”

The post Living in history appeared first on RG Magazines.

Many of these evolved out of necessity: the need to collect rainwater, reflect the sun, protect against hurricanes and access a house built into a slope.

Over the past ten years however, more modern architectural features have started to become the norm, made possible by more advanced technology and available materials, such as large windows with hurricane-proof glass, narrow frames and no shutters.

Many of these homes were designed to have clean lines and interesting shapes, defined by a mixture of roof styles, often without eaves.

On the inside, gone are the lower ceilings, narrow openings and small rooms. Instead, new build or renovated homes tend be designed to reflect more modern ways of living, with open plan indoor outdoor living spaces, basements, home offices and gyms.

In spite of these modern approaches to traditional design, the aesthetic still remains distinctly Bermudian.

At the forefront of many of the island’s more contemporary interpretations of traditional home designs are architects, Jonathan Castro and Ché Caines of E Se Studios.

They explained what is influencing the new designs, which modern features are most popular, and the aspects of traditional Bermudian vernacular that should never change.

“Architecture is very much in touch and in tune with society in Bermuda,” Mr Castro said. “In the same way that they would say construction is an indicator of how well a country is doing.

“If there’s construction, then it’s prosperous. With architecture, it is an evolution of what the industry is and what it means.”

Evolution

Bermuda’s architecture has always been influenced by where we are from.

“If you were talking to us 50 years ago, the large majority of people building homes would have been local Bermudians or those with a lot of history and roots in Bermuda,” Mr Castro said.

“With the advent of the Permanent Resident’s Certificate and statuses, you have a lot of people who are not actually born here in Bermuda, but want to put roots down in Bermuda. They are the ones who are setting up the stage for this new architecture.

“In that event, the modernisation of Bermuda is a catalyst that’s coming from those who are taking all the bits and pieces of development from everywhere else that they see and wanting to apply it here in a thoughtful way.”

One of the most common conversations with clients is about door and window heights. Traditionally, they tended to be around seven feet. Now, the demand is for eight feet or higher so that homeowners can have as much natural light and connection with the outside as possible.

“Technology with windows and doors is advancing, so now we can have larger doors, larger windows, bifolding, sliding, pocketing, whatever you wish depends on your pocket book,” Mr Caines said.

Thinner aluminium windows and doors are also becoming increasingly popular, as are interior skylights, to get natural light into what would otherwise be a dark space.

It’s not just windows and doors that are changing.

“Spatial hierarchy, materiality and natural lighting are primary factors that dictate that transition from traditional vernacular and a more modernised approach,” he continued.

“The way in which living spaces are laid out, so you see most modern houses, they have higher ceilings, for example. They have larger opening spans because now we have the materials to do so, like steel beams that weren’t around when we were building out of stone. You can do large spans to have a large, open plan living space.”

To keep these large, open plan areas clutter-free, and for extra storage, basements have also become popular, which older Bermudian homes didn’t tend to have.

Ms Castro said the basement can also house “non-essential back of house services”.

Being practical

Bermuda’s homes have always been built with the island’s climate in mind, and this hasn’t changed, but how it looks has.

Large, covered overhangs and hurricane screens allow homeowners to use their outside spaces whatever the weather.

“People want that open air living that you can get in places like California, but they want the ability to close it up when it’s also 95 degrees outside, and 89 per cent humidity,” he said.

The architects emphasised, however, that in order to modernise traditional architectural features, you first need to understand their original purpose: eaves, for example, which the modern barn-style aesthetic doesn’t have.

“The reason you have an eave line is to drip the water off the edge off your roof, so it doesn’t hit your building,” Mr Castro said.

“In response to that, you create an eave detail that captures as much water as possible so the only drops you have coming over are not that much.”

Another option is the overhang which is “ever so slightly angled so that’s shooting the water off”.

He explained: “So, any water that is coming is being propelled because the angle is a little bit steeper at that point.

“Once you know the reason behind something, you can change things and make it different or make it unique, which is why you’re seeing the newer takes on Bermuda roofs, why parapet flat roofs are becoming a thing now.”

In recent designs, E Se Studios has introduced these different roof styles, creating interest and a modern aesthetic through a mixture of pitched and flat roofs.

What always ties the design back to Bermuda however, is the white steps, and in Mr Caines’ opinion, this, along with the pastel colours of our homes, should never change.

“The danger with everything progressing and technology evolving and styles evolving is losing our identity, and who we are and how we build is a primary force in architecture,” he said.

“There’s different ways in which we can build, but still retain the look and feel of our architecture. Those are two key characteristics that make Bermuda, Bermuda.”

The post Bermuda made modern appeared first on RG Magazines.

“I honestly thought he was pulling my leg,” said the group CEO and director.

The more they looked into it, however, the more it made business sense.

In the space of just 14 weeks, this Par-la-Ville Road landmark, which is now called Press Court, was transformed into a state-of-the-art sports centre, housing up to four Pickleball courts, and new, fully accessible bathrooms with the potential for a viewing platform, café and outside patio seating.

In the meantime, the printing operations continued in the basement and the entire Gazette staff moved next door into Crown House without missing a single issue of Bermuda’s daily paper.

The newspaper’s new offices have also been upgraded. The new space is bright and modern, with a comfortable and stylish kitchen, which doubles up as a functional work and meeting area, and updated technology allowing everyone to hot desk.

This design, he said, “was intended to increase the collaboration, increase the communication and increase the productivity amongst staff, so that we’re more one team rather than working in departmental siloes.”

In spite of the benefits of their new office, leaving their old building, which had been purpose built for the newspaper back in 1974, was still a wrench.

“One of our editorial staff members was really emotional,” recalled Mr Howes.

“He was tearing up because he spent his entire working career inside this space. It’s a huge change, even for Bermuda. For The Royal Gazette, that building has been its home for so long, most Bermudians don’t remember where it was before.”

Their previous offices had been in what is now Gibbons, on Reid Street.

The response to the new indoor pickleball facility however, has been one of excitement, and while there is a membership scheme and associated benefits, players don’t have to be members to use it.

The building can also be rented out for corporate and charitable events as well as used by the island’s schools.

Renovation and demolition work has primarily been designed and carried out by local companies and contractors, but Mr Howes also called on international expertise, as nothing like this has been built in Bermuda before.

US-based companies LSI Lighting and PickleRoll were called in for the lighting and flooring respectively. Pickleball is noisy, so sound-proofing was put in place with an acoustic spray on the ceiling and an acoustical felt for the walls.

The court outline is designed to be as flexible as possible. While the maximum number of courts available is four, the layout and number can change according to the occasion thanks to tape and an aluminium template.

“You could literally pull up the tape, put the template down and maybe within an hour, you could have the whole place reconfigured,” explained Mr Howes.

Press Court is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an app-based booking system. This system also facilitates building entry for out of hours games.

Transforming a former newspaper building from the 70s into an indoor pickleball operation has been the company’s most ambitious business project to date and Mr Howes reserved high praise for everyone who worked night and day to make it happen, in particular contractor, Longtail Construction, H&H Plumbing, Keen Electrical, Pembroke Paint and Island Construction Services for the asbestos removal.

The post From press room to pickleball appeared first on RG Magazines.

Since 2010, the company has invested heavily in developing and upgrading its piped network, which now extends all the way to Somerset village.

In 2025, they completed a new reservoir and pumping station in Luke’s Pond, Southampton, which added an additional three million gallons of stored water to their 1.1 million gallons in Devonshire.

“What it means for the West End is that they are seeing a more resilient and consistent level of service,” explained Roger Todd, Bermuda Waterworks’ CEO.

Their focus now is on further expanding the water mains and creating distribution branches that will service the various neighbourhoods.

The new reservoir was only the first phase of development at Luke’s Pond. By 2028, Mr Todd hopes to complete a new, 5,000 square foot water treatment plant on the site.

“We will take seawater from three deep wells that will be located on the Luke’s Pond Reservoir property, and we will process that through the new Reverse Osmosis plant, and then we will discharge the brine water out to sea,” he said.

D&J Construction is the preferred contractor for the water treatment plant, which was designed by US-based water engineers, Kimley-Horn, and local architectural firm, Geoff Parker Architect. This is the same team that was behind the new reservoir and pumping station.

The new reservoir and water treatment plant doesn’t just mean a more reliable supply of water to existing households.

It will also allow for new building development.

“A lot of developers are now building more condominiums and more units per acre of land than they used to, so the water catchment associated with that development is not really increasing but the number of units are,” Mr Todd explained.

Using Loughlands in Paget, as an example, which has around 97 units in 15 buildings, he said that the feasibility of a development such as that was dependent on having piped water.

“At certain scales, trucking water in is not an option. What this means is that development in the West end doesn’t have to worry about sourcing their own potable water.”

The increased production of potable water will also benefit the island during times of drought, as Bermuda Waterworks can provide a top up service for water truckers.

Desalination is an energy intensive process and the environment, as well as energy costs, also matter to Mr Todd. Renewable energy is, therefore, a significant part of their plans.

The first project, which he hopes to complete this year, will be the installation of 78kWs of solar panels on the roof of the company’s North Shore plant.

“We will use every bit of the solar that’s generated and that will offset some of our energy costs,” he explained.

They are also exploring solar energy systems for their Devonshire headquarters as well as at Luke’s Pond. Ideally, Mr Todd would like to get as close to net zero as possible.

“That’s the blue sky scenario,” he smiled, adding, “ultimately, it will take the pressure off the pricing. It’s not just the customers benefiting from the price, it’s also the energy independence and the environmental benefits, the amount of CO2 we can offset.”

These projects are the latest in a long line of pioneering piped water development since Bermuda Waterworks was founded by Henry Watlington in 1932, but the mission and vision, said Mr Todd, always remain the same: “Ensuring Bermuda’s future with sustainable water solutions.”

The post Watering the West appeared first on RG Magazines.

This can cause physical vulnerabilities such as muscle weakness, bone density loss, frozen shoulder and joint pain. 

At this point in a woman’s life, exercise and nutrition become particularly important – however certain exercises are more beneficial than others. If you don’t love running, for example, now is not the time to suddenly start doing marathons. The exercise you do has to be right for your body at this time in its life.

Shara Crunden is a physiotherapist and owner of Intention Clinic, which offers services including Menopause Mastery courses.

She explained why women get certain physical symptoms and shared her advice for how to nurture and strengthen your body during this major life change.

“I like to think that we, as women, are superhuman until we start to hit perimenopause, menopause, and then we become just human,” she said.

“Being superhuman comes with responsibilities – looking after families, nurturing children, having a career. Then, we get to the point where we don’t have these super powers that come from the hormones and we lose that ability to push through pain.

“So, our pain regulation goes down. Inflammatory markers tend to get a little bit more sensitive, so that’s why you get the tendonitis, the muscle pains, the weird body pains that come about during perimenopause.” 

Women can also be at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, which is a disease of weakened bones. This, she continued, is caused by “the dysregulation of depositing bone into the bone system, so that’s why it becomes weaker and the bone is not as concentrated”.

Muscle weakness can be because the muscles need a higher concentration of protein in the blood stream to trigger growth and regeneration of muscle.

“We have to have higher doses of protein in the blood stream to create more muscle.”

Strength training

To create better quality muscle, and guard against osteoporosis, women need to embrace strength training, and by this she means weights and impact training. 

In Ms Crunden’s experience women can become more fearful of weight training as they age, but they needn’t be, as long as they are doing it right.

“What we need to be doing is really pushing the strength training, so we’re really stimulating the muscles because we need more stimulation to trigger muscle regeneration and growth.

“The three important aspects are heavy strength training with good form biomechanics so you don’t injure yourself. The second one is HIIT (high-intensity interval training) to make sure that your cardiovascular system gets stretched and pushed occasionally, and then the third one is calm, cardiovascular and stretching.”

Calm cardiovascular could be a long walk, “ideally outside and with friends”. 

Strength training can also help alleviate other symptoms that occur as women age.

“If you want good longevity, strength training is a must. There’s lots of reasons. The biggest thing is we know that it helps with mood. It helps with insulin resistance, which becomes a big problem as you get older. It helps the cardiovascular system, which becomes vulnerable as you get older. Essentially, it’s what keeps you young.”

If you are new to strength training it’s not advisable to start weight lifting on your own. If budget allows, Ms Crunden recommended working with a personal trainer or a physiotherapist to ensure your form is correct. Once you have mastered your form, you can start doing more.

“Start increasing the resistance to the point where you’re working at about eight out of 10, most of the time, whatever that looks like for you,” she advised. “That might be 10lbs for me, it might be 40lbs for you. As long as you’re working, you’re pushing the muscles so they are forced to have this regeneration and repair.”

If a personal trainer isn’t in your budget, there are online options and she also recommended the apparatus available at the National Stadium and in the Arboretum, but, she emphasised, partner up with someone and adapt the exercises to you.

“Just because somebody is picking up 30lb weights, it doesn’t mean you should be picking up 30lb weights to start with. Pair up with somebody else. Guide each other. Assist each other. Are you doing this right? Does it look like the video? Use a mirror.”

Ms Crunden has also teamed up with personal trainer, Anita Lightbourne of Renewal Fitness, to provide resistance training workshops specifically for women going through perimenopause, and they try to make them as affordable as possible.

“It’s to teach why we strength train, the parameters of the strength training, how to nourish around strength training and other exercises and then we go through a lot of compound exercises.” 

Nourishment and hydration

To support your body, the right nourishment is essential. While Ms Crunden emphasised that not everybody is the same, on average, women should have a minimum of five grammes of calories if exercising first thing in the morning, and then around 30g to 35g of protein within 30 to 45 minutes after exercise.

The five calories before helps to bring the “stress hormone”, cortisol, down. Protein after a workout helps with muscle repair and recovery. Good proteins include chicken, eggs and protein shakes with minimal preservatives. Vegetable proteins such as lentils and nuts are also good, but you will need more.

Hydration is also essential. In addition to water, she recommended coconut water and electrolytes, which you can get with a pinch of salt or a slice of lime.

Community

Going through this stage in life is different for everyone, but, said Ms Crunden, “women thrive within a community of women.”

In addition to exercising with others, she advised women going through perimenopause to find “like-minded women whose company you enjoy and spend time with them.”

For more information about Intention Clinic’s Menopause Mastery courses, visit intentionclinic.com. 

The post Prime fitness appeared first on RG Magazines.

Thankfully, this is now changing with the increasing availability of telehealth services, which can either remove or reduce these barriers to seeking mental healthcare.

Telehealth pioneer and clinical counsellor, Dayla Burgess, founded TeleConnect Bermuda in October 2024.

She provides online counselling services to adults with mild to moderate mental health symptoms and has found her services to be in high demand from women aged between 25 and 45, many of whom are mothers.

“The women who are currently in my care now, most of them are mums,” Ms Burgess said.

“I think that’s the part of the service that works best for them is that they can etch out 45 minutes to an hour, which for some of them is really hard.

“I’ve had sessions where they’re new moms and they’ve had kids sleeping in the background or they may be on the ground playing with them while they’re in a session, and they’re able to stay focused and multi task.

“They really do find it accommodating to the things that they have to do within their week, especially if they’re working from home or have to remain home with their child.”

It’s not just at-home mothers who benefit from this service. It also makes it easy for busy working women to keep their therapy appointment.

“It takes less of a hassle and inconvenience out of people’s time and schedule, especially folks who are wearing lots of hats throughout the week,” she explained.

“If they can’t go into their office space during their lunch break, they go out to their car and spend 45 minutes to an hour in a session and they’re able to get back to work and they feel like they have had a reprieve for the week.”

Addressing stigma

Awareness around the importance of mental health care has increased, but Ms Burgess said a stigma still exists around therapy in Bermuda. Herein lies another benefit of attending online: you won’t bump into anyone you know.

“A lot of times, people, because of the stigma, will not present themselves to a bricks and mortar physical location.”

There are also cost benefits to online versus in-person therapy, and she’s found that even people with tight finances still have internet access.

“Mental health services or counselling still has a cost barrier associated with it and so folks who maybe can’t afford to be in the City of Hamilton, or drive into a physical location every day, most people do have Smart devices. Even if there isn’t data, they have Wi-fi at home.”

Ms Burgess, who also works in addiction medicine and recovery, cites research showing online services can also help these patients “because of the disabilities that people who have chemical addiction or chemical dependency issues are finding”.

Potential patients can book a complementary “discovery appointment” on the TeleConnect Bermuda website, during which they will learn more about the type of service provided.

“I use a therapy modality that’s called solution-focused brief therapy,” she said, which is “a set amount of sessions where you identify the problem, we set some goals around it and then we have sessions that look at pragmatic tools and ways of coping with what you’ve identified with”.

She added: “If it works for you, then we hit the ground running and we book our first session using a PIPA encrypted platform that keeps your data and all of your information safe.

“If that doesn’t work for you, I talk to them about the other services and what else is out there based on what their needs are because there’s a lot of other great clinicians out there that are also practicing online.”

Ms Burgess’s website includes a Therapist Directory of Bermuda-based mental health professionals including psychologists, child and adolescent counsellors, clinicians specialised in counselling men and boys, and a thanatologist who specialises in grief support.

In Ms Burgess’s experience, the most common mental health concerns Bermuda’s women tend to present with are high functioning depression, grief and loss, or relational issues. 

For relational issues, this could be to do with their partner or relationships within their workplace.

“A lot of the tools that we’re tapping into have to do with how to assert oneself or how to have a stronger self-esteem. Asking for the pay rise or setting boundaries with someone at work,” she explained.

“A lot of it is relational and also connected to forms of grief and loss and also childhood traumas as well, because those things tend to present as we are taking on more roles and developing more relationships in our later adulthood.”

High functioning depression, she continued, “can look like someone who doesn’t know that they have depression because they are used to managing so many roles and suppressing symptoms that don’t look like textbook depression.”

She said: “Sometimes, someone can be so dysregulated that the dysregulation in their mood actually allows them to take on more things in their schedule and handle more tasks and options.

“They don’t notice that they could be managing a disruption in their mood until there is a period of stillness and then everything falls out from beneath them.”

Polyvegal Therapy

For example, a successful team leader, working for an exempt company, might be earning a good salary and can afford childcare.

But Ms Burgess said: “They are not satisfied or happy with everything that they are able to do or everything that they have achieved. They are climbing the corporate ladder and doing all the things at work, and at home. But when that person may have a chance to sit with themselves or gather with friends, or be outside of the family duties, or roles at work, there’s this underlying tension or feeling of disconnect that they can’t quite understand what’s going on.”

To help someone overcome this, Ms Burgess takes a trauma informed approach using the Polyvegal Theory.

“This talks about the mind and body connection to our nervous system and how the nervous system is really the epicentre for all of the emotional history and emotional experiences since we were babies,” she said. 

“When we start to do a lot of excavating and timeline work, the person is able to see that, ‘I’ve been carrying a lot for a very long time and actually I’m just exhausted.’”

Online mental health services may not be for everyone but, in Ms Burgess’s experience, those who do use it, stick to it.

“The retention rates are really high,” she said. “And I really do believe that has a lot to do with the accessibility piece of it.

“Everyone has a Smart device. It’s just the way of our world. You could be without a place to live but you have a Smart device. When you have a Smart device and people are needing healthcare that is convenient, you can really access people a lot easier.”

For more information about TeleConnect Bermuda visit connectbda.com or call Dayla Burgess on 537-0734.

The post Mental health care from anywhere appeared first on RG Magazines.

Originally, the scholarship was intended for students studying the arts.

“I don’t think many people knew that Dame Jennifer loved to paint,” shared Malika Cartwright, director of the Department.

Now, however, the criteria has changed and is instead awarded to a Bermudian student who has demonstrated academic excellence, leadership potential and commitment to public service and community engagement.

“We felt that was a good change for the legacy that Dame Jennifer has had,” Ms Cartwright continued. “As we start to realign our scholarships, we wanted to make sure that there was some sort of connection with people and the funding.”

In her experience, when you connect awards such as scholarships to a name or legacy, it gives the recipients more ownership and pride.

Dame Jennifer enjoyed a glittering political career, during which she led the Progressive Labour Party to its historic first General Election victory in 1998.

Ms Cartwright even has her own connection to Dame Jennifer, having worked with her when she was a Minister.

“For me, personally, it was amazing to see such a strong woman in a leadership role in the community and I definitely appreciated seeing what was possible through her, as a woman and as a leader,” she said.

“Also, to know that you don’t have to be one dimensional in your leadership, or even in what you do. She definitely showed that you can have many talents and interests and still be an amazing leader.”

Like all Workforce Development scholarships, the Dame Jennifer Smith Scholarship is worth $10,000 a year until graduation, and successful scholars must prove they are maintaining their grades in order to keep the scholarship. 

The Department checks in with their scholars regularly and if the students are worried about their grades, they offer support to help to get them back on track.

“We are here not just to give you money, but to make sure that you’re successful and part of that success is ensuring that we’re supporting you through your journey in school and then as you enter the workforce when you graduate,” assured Ms Cartwright.

Another transition the DWD has made to all its scholarships is to prioritise applicants studying for careers that are needed in Bermuda. This includes healthcare, hospitality, finance, accounting or a trade such as engineering.

“Those persons who are genuinely looking to come back to Bermuda and utilise their degree and what they’ve learned, to contribute to Bermuda’s economy,” she said. 

For the Dame Jennifer Smith scholarship specifically, Ms Cartwright said the committee are looking for students who, like the scholarship’s namesake, demonstrate leadership qualities and are community-focused. To a certain extent, these qualities can be more important than grades.

A grade B student, for example who works hard in school, but also volunteers and is involved in their community, is likely to stand out more than a grade A student who is only focused on their studies and nothing outside of school.

Financial need is also an important consideration: “I don’t believe finances should ever be a reason why someone cannot go to school, to learn,” she emphasised.

“There are many scholarships in the community and I want our young people to know that they should always take advantage of every opportunity there is in order to make their dreams come true if what they want to do is further their education.”

Applications for Department of Workforce Development scholarships open on April 1, 2026, through bermudascholarships.com. The Dame Jennifer Smith Scholarship is one of many offered by the department. It is not a separate application.

The post Honouring a trailblazer appeared first on RG Magazines.

The Edna Watson Committee of 25 Scholarship is for Bermudians looking to study and train for a child-focused career in healthcare or allied health disciplines such as occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy – all of which are much-needed services for the island.

The Committee of 25 provides financial assistance to families who need help with travel expenses, equipment and other related supports for children with medical, developmental or physical challenges.

Named after the organisation’s founder, Edna Watson, the new scholarship is a needs- and merit-based award of up to $10,000, offered annually, that will support students studying at the associate, undergraduate or pos0graduate level in accredited programmes such as nursing, psychology, medicine, rehabilitation and public health.

“I have found that there’s a major shortage of paediatric speech therapists and ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis) therapists, who are specifically for children with autism, and I think that we need to highlight what children should be going out to study,” explained Nurse Bernadette Wilson – known as Nurse Bernie – who is a Committee of 25 board director, and paediatric nurse at the Bermuda Paediatric Centre. 

“Things like special education. There’s lots of courses that you can do that would help those special needs children. So, we’re looking for people who are going into paediatric specialities, who would come back to Bermuda and use the skills to help us.”

Hour of need

Miriam Shaya-King is the Committee’s board chair and an expressive arts therapist, divorce coach and couples therapist at Solstice. Prior to Solstice, she worked with Child and Family Services and connected with a number of organisations that serve children in Bermuda.

“There is such a lack of services needed so we felt that by creating the scholarship, it’s giving back to our community and bringing Bermudians back to work here, and to serve,” she added.

The Committee of 25 helps to bridge the gap when other funding, such as insurance or public programmes, is unavailable or insufficient and families would not otherwise be able to pay for the medical resources they need for their children. 

If a child needs treatment aboard, for example, but their family can’t pay for the upfront travel, accommodation or food costs, the Committee of 25 can help. Other examples include covering the costs of prescriptions if a family is uninsured, helping with co-pays for physiotherapy, occupational therapy or speech therapy, if needed, and providing equipment such as wheelchairs or other mobility aids.

“How the economy is right now, there’s a lot of children without insurance, which is becoming an issue as far as children who really need surgery overseas,” Nurse Bernie said.

“We couldn’t help with that surgery, we can only help with travel and things like that, but there’s more and more situations where kids need to go overseas.”

Last year, the organisation provided needs-based assistance to 35 children and their families.

The Committee of 25 was founded in 1952 by Edna Watson, who moved to Bermuda from Canada in 1927 and became one of the first two women to be elected to the Colonial Assembly. Among other roles, she served as chairman of the Social Welfare Board and it was during this time that she became aware of the issues faced by children with disabilities on the island. 

To address these, she asked 12 of her friends to invite one friend each to join a committee dedicated to addressing the needs of these children and that’s how the Committee of 25 was formed.

A year later, she also established a hospital in Dockyard for children with disabilities.

“She was a real female warrior,” Nurse Bernie said.

Before establishing the scholarship, Ms Shaya-King asked Ms Watson’s nephew for his permission to use her name and he agreed immediately. “I think she would love it,” she said.

Show your passion

Nurse Bernie said successful scholarship applicants must demonstrate a “passion for what they want to do”, a “passion for the course they want to take,” and a “passion for paediatric healthcare”.

Ms Shaya-King said they need “a passion for Bermuda and wanting to give back to our island and this community”.

Any volunteering experience for related organisations such as WindReach, Tomorrow’s Voices or BASE (Bermuda Autism Support & Education) is also a benefit and applicants must be committed to returning to Bermuda within two years of their graduation to work for a minimum of two years and give back to the paediatric community.

They hope that, each year, someone new will be coming back to the island, trained in a field that helps children. They are also hoping to bring on new members for the Committee of 25 board.

“They also may inspire other students to study in this area and eventually, maybe a few of them can join our board here in Bermuda. It would be nice to bring the new generation on,” said Ms Shaya-King.

Would Nurse Bernie recommend a career in paediatric health?

“Absolutely,” she answered. “There’s so many things you can do between teaching special education, paediatric nursing.

“In the hospital, in the neo natal intensive care unit. There is a children’s ward, but luckily not many children are hospitalised anymore, which is great. You’ve got community based paediatrics, physiotherapy, the allied services, which is great to get into.”

In spite of the need for a number of different child healthcare services, Bermuda’s paediatric community is still a strong one.

“We’ve got several paediatricians who are all excellent and there’s a lot of choices. You pick the doctor that fits you,” she said. “I think we’re very lucky here for our paediatric healthcare. It’s a great job.”

The scholarship application deadline is April 30, 2026 and students must have graduated from high school in Bermuda with a minimum GPA of 3.0. For more information visit bermudascholarships.com. For more information about the Committee of 25, visit committeeof25.org. 

The post Helping children with healthcare needs appeared first on RG Magazines.

The Centennial Bermuda Foundation has changed this by overhauling its scholarship model. Now, not only do they prioritise potential, resilience and motivation over an applicants’ GPA, but they also provide structured support through targeted outreach programmes. The ultimate objective is to make tertiary education the norm for every student who wants to pursue their studies or training beyond high school, regardless of background or economic circumstance: 

“Traditionally, scholarship models created barriers based on merit alone – high GPAs and academic achievement without context. That approach excluded talented students who hadn’t had access to the same opportunities,” explained Vivien Carter, Centennial’s director of philanthropy.

“Now, we prioritise financial need. We’ve lowered the GPA requirement, because we recognise that a 2.0 student with potential and the right support can absolutely succeed in post-secondary education.”

Support has also become a crucial component of this objective, and it isn’t just financial. Centennial Success Coaches, many of whom are former scholarship recipients themselves, volunteer their time to mentor first-year scholarship students and support their transition into higher education.

“We recognise that access is not only about getting to university, but about staying and succeeding once there,” Ms Carter said.

“Research consistently shows that students who have access to mentoring are significantly more likely to persist into their second year of study, with studies indicating up to a 50 per cent increase in first-year retention for mentored students.”

Break from the norm

For Bermuda’s students, the available support begins long before the scholarship application process kicks off.

To create a college and career-going culture among all students, Centennial has partnered with organisations such as PeerForward, the Department of Workforce Development, Bermuda public schools and Bermuda College. These relationships have helped Centennial to reach those that may not have considered applying to college or university.

This is particularly important for students who may not come from families where higher education is the norm.

“When no one in a household has attended college or university, higher education may not be a priority,” she explained.

“As a result, students may not see themselves as candidates for scholarships or for post-secondary study at all.

“This is why Centennial places strong emphasis on early outreach, going into schools, engaging students directly, and encouraging them to envision themselves on a post-secondary pathway. We aim to plant the seed that further education is possible and that opportunity is not reserved for a select few.”

PeerForward trains students to become mentors who in turn encourage their fellow students, or peers, to consider further education and scholarship applications.

“When students hear directly from other students who look like them and share similar experiences, the possibility of post-secondary education becomes tangible and attainable,” Ms Carter said.

Once a student has made the decision to apply, the application process itself can be daunting. Live webinars and in-person workshops during the application period provide guidance for both students and their families, along with the opportunity to ask questions.

Five scholarship categories are available from the Centennial Foundation, with a minimum of one scholarship awarded per category. The Undergraduate, Arts and Postgraduate Degree scholarships are for up to $35,000 annually for up to four years. The Community College and Skillup scholarships are for $35,000 annually for up to two years, however for the former, if the student attends Bermuda College, the award is $15,000 per year.

“Our support goes well beyond covering tuition. These are multi-year commitments,” Ms Carter said.

“That continuity matters. It means students aren’t forced to reapply or scramble for funding each year and can instead stay focused on learning, progress and completion.”

Grab your opportunity

The scholarship funding can also be used for living expenses, text books, visas, flights and other relevant costs.

“Covering the full cost of participation is especially important for students who might otherwise need to juggle multiple jobs or take on significant debt just to stay enrolled,” she added.

While it is still early, the results of Centennial’s revised scholarship programme model have been significant. In 2025, 30.5 per cent of all eligible scholarship applicants and 54 per cent of all scholarship recipients were the first generation in their family to go to college or university. 

Moreover, the shift to a needs-based criteria and the organisation’s proactive outreach programme has also encouraged students with demonstrated financial need to apply for scholarships. In 2024, the average household income of eligible applicants was $77,814 and in 2025 it was $70,151.

“We are focused on ensuring that students from households with fewer financial resources know these opportunities exist and understand that they are meant for them,” Ms Carter said, adding that within the next five to 10 years, she hopes to see post-secondary planning “fully normalised across all Bermudian households, not limited by income, school type, or family history”.

To those students who may lack the confidence to apply for a scholarship, she encouraged: “We’re looking for your potential, not perfect grades.

“If you have the desire to pursue post-secondary education and you meet our eligibility criteria, we want to hear from you. The application process might feel intimidating at first, but you’re not in this alone. We’re here to guide you through it.”

She also advised all applicants: “Be authentic. We want to understand who you are, what drives you, and what you hope to achieve. Don’t try to write what you think we want to hear – tell us your real story.”

Ultimately, she said, the scholarship process will prove its success not just by how many students receive funding, but by how many complete their studies and “emerge as leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs and community builders in Bermuda”.

• Applications for the 2026 Centennial Bermuda Foundation Scholarships close on March 31. More information can be found on bermudascholarships.com and students can contact programme coordinator, Shannon Davis, [email protected] with any questions.

The post Breaking barriers appeared first on RG Magazines.

It didn’t matter whether it was from the top of Somerset Bridge, a boat, or simply into a puddle. She was always destined to jump, and, as it turned out, she was at her best when doing it head first.

By the age of 21, she was competing at the pinnacle of her sport, representing Bermuda in the women’s 3m springboard at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Not only was she the island’s first diver to represent Bermuda at this level, but she was also the first Black woman to do so.

“It was a very lonely road, coming up, at that time,” she said. “As I branched out and went around the world, and dove, I was often the only Black child.”

That has now changed, and a driving force behind that change was Ms Horton-Perinchief.

A particular memory that has stuck with her since she was 18, was meeting a young Canadian girl of Haitian descent at a competition.

“Her dad was like, ‘100 percent, this is amazing, I’m so glad to see you,” she recalled. “I think that does something to you. If you see someone who’s doing it and they look like you.”

This young girl was Jennifer Abel who went on to become an Olympic diving medallist. 

People often ask Ms Horton-Perinchief, now 43, how it feels to be the first.

“I wish I hadn’t been,” she said.

“Why should you have to be breaking colour barriers ever? I love that today’s kids don’t have to break that barrier. That the sport has become so much more inclusive and overall, we’re seeing a lot more success from athletes of all backgrounds. That warms my heart.”

Overcoming challenges

Wherever you come from, an elite athlete’s path to the top of their sport is littered with challenges, and Ms Horton-Perinchief is grateful for her “wildly supportive family” and “incredibly supportive island”. 

Her family is from Somerset, but she grew up in Toronto. Her initial Olympic dream had been to compete as a gymnast, but when it became apparent she was going to be too tall for that sport, diving was the natural alternative.

“It’s a very similar sport, other than we maybe land on our heads and gymnasts land on their feet,” she laughed.

Her journey to the top involved training six days a week from the age of 12, every day after school and then all day on Saturdays. As she advanced, her family had to move closer to the pool so she could train before school as well.

After competing in Athens, Ms Horton-Perinchief wanted to qualify for one more Olympic games before retiring, but that was not meant to be.

“I was injured while training for the Beijing Olympics,” she said, and that meant she could not compete.

“It was always my plan to go to those two Olympics and then retire on my own terms, and unfortunately I didn’t get to make that choice.” 

From her own personal disappointment, however, came new legacies. 

In spite of her rigorous training schedule, she never took her eye off her academic studies and in 2013 she earned her Masters’ of Public Health from The George Washington University. After her injury, she moved back home to Bermuda and was appointed manager of the newly established Bermuda National Tumour Registry.

“We had never had a cancer registry, or any chronic disease registry since, and again, it was a ground-breaking endeavour in that it can help shape policy and process, but what I loved about it was it allowed me to use my public health background,” she said, adding: “I’m not averse to starting new things. To build something new from the ground up.” 

She is currently completing a doctorate in public health through the University of South Florida, which, she explained, “will be the culmination of my academic career.”

Supporting the next generation

She has, however, remained devoted to sport, in particular diving, and she has been on the World Aquatics judging list since she retired. 

To give back to both the sport, and to Bermuda, she completed her Masters’ of Business Administration (MBA) in 2013, and two years later established Star Diving, an award winning summer camp, which is still going strong 12 years later.

“Watching kids be introduced to a sport that grew me from the ground up is one of the greatest joys of my life,” Ms Horton-Perinchief said.

“To watch them take their power and say, ‘Wow, I can do something I didn’t think I could.’ Convincing kids that their limit is a lot closer to space than they ever would have imagined, it gives me goose bumps.”

Every year, just for the children, she dives off the 10m platform and while she admitted to being “a little bit more scared now,” she said “it’s still just as exhilarating to get up there.” 

She also gives back to sport through her work for the Bermuda Olympic Association, of which she is an executive board member and is proud to have been Bermuda’s Chef de Mission for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Could Bermuda produce another Olympic diver?

“Absolutely,” she said, but only if there is “political will to make sure that we have a facility that can allow for our kids to train year round.”

This doesn’t have to be an indoor aquatic facility, it could be what she calls a “dry land facility”. 

For any young girls with big dreams of making it to the top of their sport, she said: “You belong at the top of every single ladder, and so, as long as you are willing to do whatever it takes to climb that ladder, make sure that you keep going.

“Your gender, your race, your ability or disability should not be holding you back from achieving whatever it is that you need to achieve. 

“If the ladder doesn’t exist, go ahead and build that ladder.”

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