More than 50 people from mainly central and south Eleuthera were up and out early on Saturday morning, September 13th, 2025 to take part in the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Move Across the Bahamas Fun-Run-Walk event, which in Eleuthera, was hosted at the Newberry Longley Park in Savannah Sound.
The Fun-Run-Walk route, took participants from the park, to the main highway, south along the highway to the Windermere Island entrance, and back to Newberry-Longley Park. Registration of participants began at 600 a.m., with walkers and runners getting underway at 700 a.m., making sure to arm themselves with mosquito repellent – and a brisk pace.
A full team from the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) out of New Providence, headed up by Dr. Sheena Moss, Manager of the ministry’s Wellness Unit were on island for the morning event, which, as a nationwide initiative, was being replicated in communities across both the country, as well as throughout the island nations of the Caribbean region. The MOHW’s Move Across the Bahamas, said Dr. Moss, aimed to promote daily physical activity, and to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) throughout the islands of The Bahamas.
She commented on the purpose of the event, saying, “We are so excited to be here. This is a national event. We are the Wellness Unit, here promoting ‘Move across the Bahamas’, with its Fun-Run-Walk. We want to say to the Bahamian people at large that physical activity is very important and we want movement to happen on a daily basis. So we’re here to remind people to treat their physical activity as an appointment because it fights against the non-communicable diseases that we are faced with in our country.”
Dr. Moss noted that this year was the second annual Move Across the Bahamas event hosted, with widespread participation nationally and regionally, “It’s going to be an ongoing initiative throughout the islands of the Bahamas. We want to say it’s not just happening in the Bahamas, but this is also a Caribbean event that’s been taking place throughout the Caribbean. Through the Ministries of Health, it’s happening on every island in the Caribbean.”
In addition to the fun-run-walk aspect, the morning event in Savannah Sound offered a bit more, said Dr. Moss. “We have free giveaways. We have nutritious meals… as this is how we want you to be eating. We have water here. We’re saying to the Bahamian people, reach for water. One of our key components in the Ministry of Health and Wellness, particularly the Wellness Unit, it’s nutrition, healthy eating. In addition to that, we want you to know your numbers. So, we’re testing for your glucose. We’re testing today for your pressure. We want to make sure that your blood pressure is normal and also your hemoglobin at-large. We want to know that your numbers are safe and right.”
Fun-run-walk participant, Carla Knowles, commenting on what had inspired her to get up early and take part on Saturday morning, shared, “I usually walk in the mornings and I thought it was a good opportunity to get back into the game… jump-starting my exercise routine once again.”
Another island resident, Laura Heinen, expressing why she had come out to participate, said, “I just enjoy running and being healthy, active in general. And then when the community gets together to do it, it’s so much more fun when you’re with other people… I really enjoyed my time today.”
Mr. Kennord Mackey, physical education teacher, and sports coach who spearheads the ‘Turbulence Track Club’ in South Eleuthera, brought several members of the his team to experience the Savannah Sound route as they get back into the regular school sports seasons and other initiatives. “Now that the school year has started, we’ve already started our off-season training. This year we’re going to be more dedicated – not just to track – but also to softball, girls basketball, golf and volleyball right now. We are also starting an after-school homework assistance and tutoring program,” informed Mr. Mackey.
As final walkers returned from the route, organizers awarded the top twelve (12) finishers with medals to commemorate their personal effort, and to mark their spirit of participation in the family-friendly activity.
The MOHW team also took time out to take photos with the different groups of students who took part from various schools within the district, including Central Eleuthera High, Emma Cooper Primary, Windermere High, and Preston Albury High School, as well as with the full group of participants who came out to take part in the early morning ‘Move Across the Bahamas’ event.
