Bermuda’s Jamaican Association will host a church service and gala featuring multi-instrumentalist Huntley Septimus to celebrate 60 years of Jamaican independence.

The Diamond Jubilee, which takes place on Saturday, will be celebrated with a service at Hamilton Seventh-Day Adventist Church on King Street.

The gala will be held on August 20 at the Hamilton Princess, and feature speakers such as Wayne Caines, the president of Ascendant and son of a founding member of the Jamaican Association of Bermuda, and Dervan Malcolm, a media personality and cultural ambassador for Jamaica.

Seymour Barclay, president of JAB, said: “The nation has experienced the best of times and many challenges during its 60 years yet the people remain formidable, unmovable and celebrate our Jamaica.”

Jamaica’s 60th anniversary has the theme “reigniting a nation for greatness”, which Mr Barclay said summed up the island nation’s history of independence.

He added that Bermuda and Jamaica had an intertwined history that included the building of Dockyard and strong ties between the Royal Bermuda Regiment and Jamaican Defence Force.

Entry tickets to the gala will be sold for $150 while patron tickets, which would allow buyers access to the cocktail reception where they could meet keynote speakers, are available for $250.

Tickets can be picked up at Jamaican Grill locations or Fish n Tings on Angle Street, Hamilton.

Funds raised will go towards Impact Mentoring Academy, a Bermuda-based charter school for boys, and Mustard Seed Communities, a Jamaica-based charity that supports vulnerable youngsters.

For more information, visit the JAB’s website here.