The Quincentennial theme ?A Bermuda For Everyone? Everyone for Bermuda? will be reflected in Heritage Month, Finance Minister Paula Cox announced in the Budget Statement on Friday.

The Quincentennial celebrations, which fall under the Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, will include visits to schools by historians and cultural tradition bearers and a Dance Festival that will embrace various ethnic and cultural groups that make up Bermuda?s social mosaic?, Ms Cox said.

?I am very excited about the 500th Anniversary,? Minister of Community Affairs and Sport Dale Butler said yesterday.

Although he said he had not yet been told how much money the celebration was going to receive, he knew Bermuda was ?not going overboard ... some countries get a big star, for example?.

Most of the Quincentennial activities were going to take place during Heritage Month, he said. ?We are putting the emphasis on that.?

?The Ministry will continue to provide grant funding for community programmes including the ?Grass Roots Programme? that reaches out to individuals and groups on the ?margins? of our community,? Ms Cox said.

The Grass Roots Programme will incorporate leadership training for young people and support to reach underrepresented groups in the community.

Mr. Butler said of the project: ?There were a lot of small groups who are not affiliated with any particular association who come in and ask for small amounts of money, $500 or $1,000. They do good work in the community.

?There are a number of different groups who came in last year and sought support, and we will continue to do so?.

The Bermuda Society of Arts has also received a $30,000 grant ? its first Government funding in some years.

?This is a grass-roots movement,? Mr. Butler said yesterday. ?It is when an artist is just getting started. This is what we learned from the Cuban Initiative, we have to find where the talent is.?

And the upcoming May 24 celebrations should be better than ever with an additional $20,000 being allocated to ?Bermuda Day Activities?.

In 2004 there were 47 entrants in the Bermuda Day parade, compared 52 in the previous year.

The Department of Human Affairs includes the Commission of Unity & Racial Equality (CURE), the Consumer Affairs Board and the Human Rights Commission.

The Human Rights Commission had 543 intakes this year and Mr. Butler said $78,000 was being spent on a new ?pilot mediation programme?.

He said the new method would take care of complaints from the public about violations of their human rights ?rather than have it go to the Board of Inquiry?.

However, $81,000 was also granted for an increased provision for Boards of Inquiries.