Occasional showers did nothing to dampen the mood in Bridgetown yesterday when, despite overcast skies, the Nation Publishing Company’s Show Your Love motorcade cast a bright spot on the City.
For the motorcade, whose dominant colour was orange, more than 50 Nation staffers, joined by friends and family, made a stirring impression as they distributed promotional items, snacks and treats, generously donated by a cross section of businesses and organisations.
Nation Publishing, Barbados Yellow Pages, Beacon Insurance, WIBISCO, Hills Milling, Pine Hill Dairy, The Guardian Group and the official Show Your Love sponsor Burger King Restaurants all ensured there was bevy of giveaways for the crowds.
The motorcade left Nation House on Fontabelle just after 9 am and snaked its way through the inner and outer parts of the city backed by the catchy upbeat Nation jingle, Your News, Your Time, Your Way penned by ten-time Barbados calypso monarch Stedson RPB Wilshire.
DJ Saggaboy of Saggaboy Productions played songs that spoke to inspirational acts of love and motivation, including Mikey’s popular Turn Up The Love, while MC Anthony Greene, from Life 102.1FM of sister company Starcom Network, also kept the crowd informed and entertained over the Alpha 24 sound system.
Sidewalks were filled with those seeking to catch a glimpse of the motorcade featuring a fleet of fully decked out trucks outfitted by Freekz Customz and to collect the various goodies.
The Nation’s management and staff, led by Chief Executive Officer and Publisher Vivian-Anne Gittens, welcomed the opportunity to interact directly with their readers and to ensure their vendors were not left out, the team surprised five vendors along the route with gift hampers by Pangroove Elegant Events.
With heads adorned by crowns from Burger King Restaurants, the team braved the rain and, despite being drenched at intervals, kept smiles firmly in place all the while to show love to people along the little over 20K route.
The motorcade made its way through neighbourhoods in Goodland, Deacon Road, Black Rock, Haynesville and Paynes Bay. While some people preferred to stay indoors, peeking out of windows and doorways, there was a sea of bright, smiling faces at every stage of the route.
Valerie Hope, Head of Marketing and Communications for Nation Publishing, commented, “It is always great when we are able to go into the community and greet our public.”
“I am especially proud of the large number of staff who came out to be part of this special initiative. We loved the response from people on the route as we moved through the neighbourhoods. It was heart-warming to see people return our smiles and watch their faces light up as we approached on the motorcade. We really hope we were able to start a movement of positive energy and behaviour and we hope we made a difference in the lives of a few people today [yesterday].”
The Show Your Love Motorcade was one of several activates planned as the Nation celebrates its 41st year in business. The publishing house most celebrated for its daily newspapers, also distributed some of its magazines along the motorcade, including Stylewise, Smart Homes and the November issue of Better Health magazine, which will hit news stands on Monday.
Show Your Love was born out of a discussion among staff concerning the increasing incidence of violent acts in Barbados and how often they featured in the NATION newspapers. A staff member remarked that people needed to “show each other more love”. This simple comment influenced the creation of the Show Your Love concept which seeks to encourage positive behaviours and acts in the wider community.
People are asked to nominate individuals, community groups or organisations who seek to make a positive difference. The nominees will be highlighted in the NATION newspapers and have the chance to win $5 000 for their cause in addition to other substantial prizes.
The motorcade was a fitting end to the first official Show Your Love Week. The activities, which started on November 1, included visits to nursery schools and the Geriatric Hospital.
The competition continues until November 17 and the public can enter by submitting 500 words or less to showyourlove@nationnews.com or by uploading an amateur video to the Nation Publishing’s Facebook page.
While the week of activities has concluded, Show Your Love festivities continue with #OrangeFridays and the staging of the Nation’s Funathlon 2014. The Funathlon will be held on November 23 under the theme Show Your Love, Stop the Violence. Platinum sponsor for the Funathlon, Barbados Yellow Pages and silver sponsor Beacon Insurance, also supported the motorcade.