The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish yesterday joined Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica’s minister, for the official launch of Jamaica House in Birmingham.

Jamaica House is a special hospitality pop up, including watch parties and themed live musical entertainment, taking place at the Glee Club every night from August 3 to August 7 during the Commonwealth Games.

The celebrations form part of the Jamaica Tourist Board’s global Jamaica 60 initiatives to celebrate the island’s 60th anniversary of Independence.

The Lord Mayor and Bartlett delivered speeches to a packed and excited crowd before the evening’s races and music began. During his speech, Bartlett praised the “powerful” Jamaican diaspora in Birmingham, as a prime example of Jamaica’s shared indomitable spirit across the world.

Sprint Queens made Jamaica proud

He spoke of how athletes Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Elaine Thompson-Herah and Shericka Jackson made him feel proud to be a Jamaican, to rounds of applause from the audience. Bartlett also formally invited the Lord Mayor to visit Jamaica as his personal guest and new friend.

Later that evening, there was an incredible atmosphere as the crowd cheered on Thompson-Herah as she won the Women’s 100m sprint. Celebrations continued into the night as Winston Reedy and Queen of Lovers Rock Carroll Thompson delivered rousing performances.

Earlier this month, Bartlett also unveiled news of record British visitor arrivals to Jamaica in April 2022, exceeding arrivals from pre-pandemic levels of 2019 and confirmed confidence that visitor numbers would return to pre-pandemic levels this year.