One Virgin Islands, One Future
Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley used the opening of the 250th Commemoration of the Anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate, Long Look, to call for unity across the Territory and announced plans to develop Long Look as a living epicentre for heritage tourism. He urged residents to adopt a renewed social compact — a shared covenant that places freedom and a common future at the centre of community life.
Natalio Wheatley on Sunday, June 28, 2026, urged residents to come together as one community during the opening ceremony of the 250th Commemoration of the Anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate at the Stickit in Long Look. Speaking to a crowd gathered for the anniversary observance, Dr.
Wheatley said the ancestors of Long Look came from many African peoples and, in time, “became one Long Look, free people.” He used that legacy as a call for modern unity: “So today, we must become one Long Look... We must become one community, one Long Look, one Virgin Islands.” The Premier framed the appeal as more than rhetoric.
He said the future the Territory seeks cannot be built on division but must rest on “a renewed social compact, a new covenant with one another.” That covenant, he said, recognises different backgrounds and opinions while affirming a single shared destiny: “We may come from different families, but we share one future.
We may have different opinions, but we share one destiny. We may argue within, but we unite without.” Dr. Wheatley also announced plans to transform Long Look into an epicentre for heritage tourism. He described the area as a place where “one of the most powerful stories of human endurance and ingenuity happened,” where freedom was claimed and institutions of worship, education and community life were built and sustained over generations.
The Premier stressed that the heritage project will not be a museum frozen in time but “a living community, walking boldly into the future.” He said the vision for Long Look is of a socially and economically vibrant neighbourhood that is culturally confident, historically grounded and spiritually awake — a place that both preserves the past and creates opportunities for the present and future.
For BVI residents, the announcement links cultural preservation with potential economic benefit. A thriving heritage tourism hub could create jobs, support small businesses and broaden cultural education, while elevating local stories that have often been marginalised. The commemoration and the Premier’s remarks underscore an official push to combine heritage, community cohesion and development.
As plans move forward, Long Look residents and Territory-wide stakeholders will be watching for details on implementation, community consultation and how the new covenant will be nurtured in practice.
Primary source: VINO