Women’s contributions to the island and its development were celebrated yesterday across the Old Towne.

Residents and visitors flocked to St George’s to hear stories of Bermuda’s trendsetting women and join a series of tours exploring the town as part of HERstory festival — a commemoration marking Women’s History Month.

The event, hoped to become a regular fixture, was organised by the Women’s Resource Centre in collaboration with the Corporation of St George, and curated by St George’s entrepreneur Kristin White.

Ms White, of the gift shop and bookstore Long Story Short, said that based on the positive responses, she was optimistic the day could grow into an annual feature on the town calendar.

Ms White said: “I knew that I wanted to do something in St George’s for Women’s History Month and it signifies something good for us because the majority of the businesses in St George’s are owned by women.

“Our mayor is a woman; our MP is a woman — so I said this is the place to do an event celebrating women’s stories.”

With the community’s support, she said she was excited at its reception and added: “I think it’s laying the foundation for us to do this every year, for it to get bigger, for us to get sponsors and have even more for next year.

“People are at all the activities and events that we organised as part of the festival, people are getting their maps and coming through the arcade to get a view of the town.”

It featured tours around the town to historical sites as well as East End businesses.

Ms White told The Royal Gazette: “That’s what I really like about this event. A lot of times when we have events in St George’s, they are very static and in one location, but there is so much to see all around the town.

“I wanted to create an event that would be pushing people out to all of the spaces, they are at the museums, the shops, the new hotel and it’s a truly a town-wide event.”

Juanae Crockwell, the executive director of the WRC, said the centre had worked to elevate its profile and undertake more community programmes.

She added: “We thought for Women’s History Month this would be a great opportunity to bring the community together and to celebrate women and their contributions to our culture, the arts, entrepreneurship and business.

“I reached out to Kristin White and so here we are at the festival — I hope that it becomes an annual event where we just bring the community together to showcase all of the talent and amazing things women are doing.”

Ms Crockwell said she was “very encouraged” by the response from residents.

“People came early, they grabbed their schedule and they’ve gone and chosen what activities they want.”

She added: “We hear about so many aspects of our history and every single aspect has a woman that has been involved, whether it has been behind the scenes or on the front lines.

“Sometimes, we forget to highlight the important role that women play ― and continue to play in our history and our culture ― and what it means to be Bermudian.”

The day came with the grand opening of the Arcades which houses Long Story Short, Ms White’s tour company and store, and Frequency Café and Hub, owned by Rolisa Camille.

Patrons thronged in and out throughout the day, treated to unique Bermudian hospitality.

Visitors also learnt the art of knitting, courtesy of Anne Kermode of Dragon’s Lair Gallery who gave participants a feel for the craft.

Right on schedule at 2pm, patrons got a tour of Hillcrest, Bermuda’s newest boutique hotel, formerly Aunt Nea’s Inn.

The new owner of the historic property, Veronica Gordon, led visitors on an awe-inspiring tour of the newly renovated hillside venue which features unique architecture and modern amenities.

At Water Street, Ms White led a tour sharing historic facts and her knowledge of the connection between two American women in Bermuda during the American Civil War.

At the same time, artists Jill Raine and Diana Fearis showcased their artistic pieces to visitors while Savanna Darby gave a musical performance in front of the Arcades — to the delight of visitors.