11 June 2013
The Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, and the Bailiff, Sir Michael Birt, are leading a delegation to Madeira today (11 June) to 14 June.
They will be met by the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Dr Alberto João Jardim and during their visit they will also meet the Representative of the Portuguese Republic, Judge-Counsel Irenaeus Barreto, and the Regional Secretary for Culture, Tourism and Transport, Dr Almeida Estudante.
The visit is one in a long line of events to recognise the contribution the Madeiran community has made to Jersey. In 1998 a Friendship Agreement was signed by the Bailiff and the Madeiran President, Dr Alberto João Jardim, to mark the close links between the two communities. The President visited Jersey again in 2008 to celebrate the agreement’s 10th anniversary.
St. Helier is also twinned with Funchal, the capital of Madeira, and the Mayor of Funchal, Dr Miguel Albuquerque, signed a twinning charter with the Constable of St. Helier during his visit to Jersey in 2012.
While in Madeira, the Chief Minister and Bailiff will visit a care home in Ribeira Brava which was built to replace homes destroyed by floods in 2010, funded by £115,000 donated by islanders through the Side by Side Appeal.
Senator Gorst commented “Madeiran culture has been a valued part of Jersey life since the middle of the last century and our two communities and governments have worked well together during this time. I am sure that this relationship will continue long into the future and I look forward to getting better acquainted with my political counterparts, and with Madeira itself, in the days to come.”
The itinerary also includes audiences with the Regional President, His Excellency Dr Alberto João Jardim, and the Representative of the Portuguese Republic, Judge-Counsel Irineu Barreto; a meeting with the President of the Legislative Assembly, Dr Jose Miguel Mendonça; and a dinner hosted by the Regional Secretary for Culture, Tourism and Transport, Dr Almeida Estudante.
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