Action Bequia's Coordination Committee - Left to Right: Johnny Ollivierre, Port Officer; Richard Roxburgh, Catalyst; Rannie Gregg, Clerk Bequia District council; Herman Belmar, Deputy Director Grenadine Affairs; Lucille Cozier, Treasurer; Vernamay Ollivierre, Tourism Representative; Bert King, Businessman; Godwin Friday, Lawyer and Parliamentarian; Ralph Stowe, Teacher; Michael Connell, Architect.

Begun in January 2011, Action Bequia seeks to help the island of Bequia become as good a place as it can be for all those who work, live and visit.

Action Bequia was an idea that was germinated by the Community Foundation for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (www.cfsvg.org). It was catalyzed and implemented in 2011 by a diverse group of residents and ex-patriates including the Grenadines Partnership Fund (click here for the Grenadines Partnership Fund newsletter).

Action Bequia recognises that private individuals and non-governmental organisations can play an important role in developing local communities and improving conditions for people living in, and visiting, those communities. Action Bequia therefore aims to support community enhancing projects that are either outside the government’s remit or that can benefit from extra resources coming from private organisations and individuals. The type of projects that Action Bequia believes fall within its scope include:

a) those that will help provide clean water

b) improvements to the environment’s safety, cleanliness and appearance

c) those that encourage sustainable tourism and conservation

d) those that enable well-appointed and maintained medical, community and sporting facilities and

e) projects that help protect important heritage sites.

Action Bequia’s roles include:

1. Identifying appropriate projects, mostly those with Bequia focus but, on occasion, projects coming from other islands of SVG. Many of these projects come through local ‘Project Champions’ who bring forward ideas, secure our backing and then go on and implement them. Project Champions can be individuals with an idea and committed to see it through to completion or established organisations such as Bequia Tourism Association, Bequia Mission and Rotary who have an ongoing remit to serve the community

2. Being the catalyst that helps bring together all of the elements required to make the selected projects successful. These elements could include: a) providing money from Action Bequia's own funds, b) helping to organise funding from third parties and c) helping to organise the essential manpower and collaboration of stakeholders required for each project

3. Providing a trusted and tax efficient vehicle for the raising of necessary funds.


Our "lead project" - Reconstruction of the Belmont Walkway:

This is such an obvious need that it hardly needs any explaining to anybody who knows Bequia. Our fundraising for the reconstruction is now underway promoted via explanatory notice boards positioned along the walkway itself:

Please click on the image to expand.

For a fuller explanation of the work involved, and an update on progress so far, please follow this link.

For tax efficient donations, please click here.

Alternatively, you can click here to download a Belmont Walkway Contribution Form (in pdf format).

Other projects helped (completed or ongoing):

			Bequia Emergency Water System Commissioning a new well (with 20,000 gallons of storage) at Union Vale recently drilled as part of a European Union Water Exploration project. Allows the public to draw potable water during times of water shortage. Funded by a generous grant from Grenadine Partnership Fund (GPF) of US$75,000. Completed February 2012. Champion – Herman Belmar with ‘Northern Grenadines Community Development Inc.’ (Incidentally, our congratulations to Herman Belmar on being awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours. This is a welcome recognition of his long and diligent service to the Grenadines).
			Paget Farm Community Centre Renovation New roof, kitchen equipment and refit. Reconstruction funded by GPF to the tune of US$50,500 (including an allowance of US$14,000 for first year running costs). Completed on time and on budget by Contractor Tony Ollivierre in December 2011 and now in regular use as a much needed venue for weddings, fitness classes, youth training, community meetings and adult education. Champions – Charles Brewer and the Paget Farm Community Center Board led by Joanne Stowe.
			Bequia Heritage Boat Museum Completion funding of US$55,000 arranged via GPF for phase one of the boat museum overlooking Friendship Bay. Phase 1 involved completion of the boat shed (begun several years ago), parking and paths. Completed on time and on budget by contractor Laun Leslie in December 2011. The next phase is to finance the planned washrooms and café leading eventually to a second substantial building – the Bequia Heritage Museum, in which to display evidence of Bequia’s precious history. Champions - the Trustees of the Bequia Heritage Foundation.
			Bequia Reading Club Grants made of US$2,000 from Action Bequia (via CFSVG) for the construction of four large bookcases with materials generously supplied by Caribbean Woods, plus US$1,311 from the Mustique Charitable Trust for an initial purchase of books, scrabble games and dictionaries. Reading sessions held weekly at the Fig Tree Restaurant. Volunteers wanted and welcome. Champion - Cheryl Johnson at the Fig Tree Restaurant.
			Bequia Youth Sailing Provides young Bequians with the opportunity to learn how to sail. Starting in ‘Optimists’ kindly donated by the Rotary Club, the scheme could eventually take people from beginner to competition racing. As the program expands the aim will be to offer one graduate a year a scholarship to become a trainer, thus ensuring the scheme perpetuates itself. You will already see the first nine Optimists sailing in Admiralty Bay almost daily. Sunsail, Tradewinds and visiting yachties have donated equipment, and Action Bequia has given US$2,000 for a new engine and other equipment for the safety boat. Champion - Andy Mitchell with Tom Calthrop and others (see www.bequiayouthsailors.org).
			Bequia Tourism Association At Action Bequia we feel that maintenance and creation of jobs and employment is key to the wellbeing of the community. The main engine for this is safeguarding Bequia as an attractive visitor destination. Therefore we are very supportive of the Bequia Tourism Association (BTA) and in particular their efforts to clean up and improve the waterfront area of Port Elizabeth, including, in conjunction with the CWSA, garbage collection and disposal. We urge as many people as possible to support the excellent work of BTA by becoming members (see www.bequiatourism.com).
			Bequia Pride One plan now being investigated is to reduce the stagnant water sitting in the main storm drain by installing two pumps; one to pump fresh water into the drain from above and the second to help it over the sandbar lower down. Champions - Herman Belmar and Rannie Gregg. Another plan is to introduce into schools a civic awareness module to help teach children such things as the benefits to the island of visitors and tourism and what they as individuals can do to help this cause (litter awareness etc. etc.). Action Bequia would finance this initiative if asked, starting with a focus group with influential teachers in the near future. Coordinator - Irene Doughty.
			Reinstatement of Coastal Walkway Bequia suffered a serious loss of amenity when the right of way over the headland between Plantation House beach and Princess Margaret Beach was blocked in 2007 by the construction of the house known as ‘Princess Margaret Beach Villas’. We hope we can negotiate with the new owners of this house to have the right of way reopened and improved. Failing that, we have an ultimate goal of extending the Walkway round the outside of the headland - possibly using innovative new methods such as suspending parts of it from the cliff face. Champions - Richard Roxburgh and David Harper.
			Health, Education and Leadership David Anderson, one of Action Bequia’s four Board members (see below), and his wife Christine Anderson are working with Canadian Charitable Foundations including The Mary Tidlund Charitable Foundation (www.tidlundfoundation.com) and The Bequia Mission (www.bequiamission.ca) to develop projects with a focus on Health, Education and Leadership. Initial donations include the supply and installation of two fully equipped playgrounds via the Bequia Mission (due March 2012), financial support for the Sunshine School, and an educational sponsorship program for students living in Bequia to attend Sugar Mill Academy in St Vincent. For more details visit www.tidlundfoundation.com/ projects_bequia.html. Champion - Christine Anderson.
			Landmark Buildings Action Bequia will be supporting the continuing restoration of one of Bequia’s few ‘landmark’ buildings – St Mary’s Church in Port Elizabeth. An initial donation of US$7,000 has just been received from GPF. Champions - the St Mary’s Church Restoration Trust.

Future Projects. Future projects talked about which may eventually happen include:

i. Work to reduce the stagnant water in the storm drains, covering them over in places to reduce the danger of people falling into them and selective erection of metal grills to catch debris before being washed out into the bay.

ii. Encourage the Ministry of Health to make it illegal for untreated waste water to be routed into open drains without first passing through soak away pits. If this became a legal requirement, Action Bequia is confident it could find the money to help bars, shops and guest houses construct the necessary soak aways.

iii. Improvement of the lighting on the Clive Tannis playing field. Champions - Godwin Friday and John Whitney.

iv. Provision of well designed, colorful stalls for vendors close to the jetty where cruise ship visitors arrive. Champion Johnny Ollivierre.

v. Replacement and relocation of the petrol pump and petrol tanks for fisherman at Paget Farm. The previous installation was destroyed by hurricane Omer and has never been replaced. Fishermen therefore have to bring their fuel round in plastic cans on public transport from Port Elizabeth which is both inefficient and dangerous. Champion Charles Brewer.

vi. Swimming lessons for young Bequians. Some work was done on this idea in 2011 by Tom Calthrop, but whilst worthwhile it is immensely time consuming and hasn’t developed very far. Champion required.

vii. Setting up an inventory of the various people with skills who visit Bequia and are prepared to contribute their time and enthusiasm. This could be done on Linked In. Champion required.

viii. Ongoing rolling programme of projects as they are ‘championed’ by the people of Bequia subject to convincing proposals being put forward (which Action Bequia can help refine prior to submission).


Funding. All of the above requires money. Government resources are limited and thinly stretched. If the people who care about Bequia want good things to happen we all need to donate some of our time or our cash or both. A great start has been made as the projects already funded and underway show, but the circle of giving needs to be widened substantially. The intention of this web site is to demonstrate that progress is being made, and that your gifts will be well directed and well spent. You may specify which particular projects you would like to support if you so wish. Donate Now


Governance. Action Bequia is registered in SVG with four Board members:

David Anderson (Canada). Entrepreneur, and Founder of the D.C.Anderson Family Foundation

Richard Molten (USA). Architect and President of Grenadine Partnership Fund (GPF)

Richard Roxburgh (UK). Entrepreneur and CEO of Action Bequia UK (Trustees David Harper and David Ridley)

Lucille Cozier (Bequia). Retired Banker (Royal Bank of Canada) and Treasurer

Action Bequia operates through the Coordination Committee whose members are shown in the photo at the top of this site.

‘Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value’ Albert Einstein

Action Bequia is unusual in that it is set up to receive tax exempt or tax enhanced donations via UK, USA and Canada. Please click here to see how it’s done.

If you would like to help Action Bequia in any other way, including donations of time, please contact richard@actionbequia.org.