Whole Limited directors Elaine Wint (left) and Carol Narcisse (right) share a light moment with director of marketing at Wisynco, Zachary Harding at yesterday's launch of Ocean Spray Jamaica Wellfest 2007 at the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

JAMAICANS who have grown accustomed to attending the annual Jamaica Wellfest celebrations at Emancipation Park in New Kingston, now have a more relaxing and inviting atmosphere within which to enjoy the festival.

The organisers of Ocean Spray Jamaica Wellfest, the largest and most wide-ranging wellness festival in the Caribbean, have decided to keep this year's staging of the annual event at the Hope Botanical Gardens and Zoo on Hope Road in St Andrew.

Wellfest, now a calendar event, was launched yesterday at Hope Gardens, where directors of WHOLE Limited Stephen Hodges, Carol Narcisse and Elaine Wint (who put on the event) noted that the move provides a major boost for the annual festival.

Narcisse said the event "will not only benefit from being in the beautiful natural setting but will also be able to support the efforts of the Nature Preservation Foundation, to redevelop the Gardens".

The 2007 staging of Jamaica Wellfest, set for the weekend of April 21-22, includes an impressive line-up of new features such as a 'well workplace' symposium for decision-makers, a children's wellness village, a future centre, health education workshops, presentations and demonstrations. Some of the pre-Wellfest events, which will be held later this month, include a 5K Run and Walk and the Wellness Challenge reality show to be aired on CVM TV.

Zachary Harding of title sponsors Wisynco (Ocean Spray) described Wellfest as the ideal event for his company to be associated with.

"We are committed to the development of Jamaicans and we are trying to help in enhancing the lives of Jamaicans and any event that promotes this, we will be a part of it," said Harding, who is the director of Marketing at Wisynco. "The event has worked well for us [over the three years] and and we are proud to be a sponsor."

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