LIME's country manager for Jamaica, Geoff Houston, (left), Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) president John Ayre (centre) and Errol K. Miller, LIME's regional vice president for corporate communications at yesterday's sponsorship luncheon held at the Hilton Kingston hotel. LIME announced a $4 million sponsorship for the ASAJ's SwimJamaica programme. - anthony foster

SwimJamaica, a national learn to swim programme administered by the Amateur Swimming Association of Jamaica (ASAJ), got a $4 million shot in the arm from telecommunications company LIME yesterday.

The company's contribution will enable at least 500 children from inner-city schools to participate in SwimJamaica's programmes at two Corporate Area facilities, the National Stadium Pool and Bournemouth Bath, for a year.

Most of the new sponsorship will be used by SwimJamaica to cover the cost of instructor fees, equipment, certificates, t-shirts, pool fees and teaching materials. In addition to the above, LIME will also provide computers and broadband internet service for a library and homework centre that is being set up at the Bournemouth Bath facility that is currently being renovated by the Kingston Rotary Club.

Sports sponsorship

The sports and youth development sponsorship is one of the first for LIME, the new brand recently unveiled by Cable & Wireless across the Caribbean. Geoff Houston, the newly appointed country manager for Jamaica said his company was pleased to be involved with the SwimJamaica programme.

"This is the first major sponsorship we're launching under our new brand and we're really pleased to be involved with SwimJamaica's Inner-city Swim programme because it underscores exactly what LIME is about, which is making things better for the people wherever we operate," Houston said.

Future investment

President of the ASAJ, John Eyre, in thanking LIME for their help said the company should consider their contribution as "... an investment in the future of hundreds of young people from some of our poorest communities."

The LIME-sponsored inner-city swim programme is scheduled to begin next month. The National Stadium programme will involve 150 students from the following institutions: Auburn Basic School, Boys' Town All-Age School, Cecil Boswell Facey Basic School, Crescent Road Basic School, Galilee Early Childhood Development Centre, Grace Hibbert Basic School, Joy Town Learning Centre, St. Albans Primary School, Tarrant Baptist Basic School, Victory Basic School and Red Hills Road Basic School.

The Bournemouth Bath programme, which will involve 350 students, is also slated to begin in January 2009. The list of participating schools is currently being finalised by SwimJamaica.