Island Challenge participants plant 300 trees in Hurricane Melissa recovery push

OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Participants in the Sandals Foundation Island Challenge traded running shoes and kayaks for rugged trails and seedlings on Saturday, as day two of the four-day endurance event combined physical exertion with efforts to help restore Jamaica’s forests following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa last year.

The day began with participants climbing the world-famous Dunn’s River Falls here before heading to the Bogue Forest Reserve, also in the parish, for a rainforest trek and tree-planting exercise. According to Sandals Foundation Public Relations Manager Patrice Gilpin, the demanding activities are ultimately tied to a greater purpose. “They are doing it all for a good cause. There is no better way to connect tourism, health, doing good, and philanthropy,” Gilpin said. The Sandals Foundation Island Challenge, being held in Jamaica for the first time, aims to raise £100,000 to strengthen neonatal and paediatric health-care services at Falmouth Public General Hospital in Trelawny. The approximately 30 participants are from the United Kingdom and include athletes, travel industry figures, and other supporters. Friday’s opening day saw the participants completing a 10-kilometre run from Rio Nuevo Fishing Beach in St Mary to Sandals Ochi Beach Club in St Ann, followed by a five-kilometre kayak journey along the White River Fish Sanctuary. Following Saturday morning’s climb at Dunn’s River Falls, attention shifted to the Bogue Forest Reserve where participants were tasked with hiking through the forest and contributing to reforestation efforts by planting trees. The exercise builds on an established relationship between Sandals Foundation and the forest reserve. The philanthropic organisation has previously carried out conservation activities at the site, including the planting of 300 trees in 2023 as part of its Earth Day activities. Saturday’s initiative carried added significance in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, the record-breaking Category 5 system which pummelled sections of Jamaica on October 28, 2025. Described as the strongest hurricane to strike Jamaica in recorded history, the Forestry Department estimated that approximately 51 per cent of the country’s forests, more than 270,000 hectares, were damaged. Ian Wallace, group acting operations manager of Island Routes, briefed participants ahead of the hike and tree-planting exercise, explaining why restoring vegetation has become particularly important since the hurricane. “Many of the trees were uprooted. We lost a lot of our vegetation and, as part of their hike today, they will be planting a tree along the way,” Wallace said. Sandals Foundation Executive Director Heidi Clarke said Saturday’s activity allowed participants to contribute directly to that recovery. “We have joined relief efforts to reforest. It will always be a commitment of ours, as we realise how important trees are,” Clarke said. “Today we are letting our Island Challenge guests leave their legacy in this forest.” Georgia Crawford, environmental manager at Sandals Foundation, also highlighted the foundation’s long-standing relationship with the Bogue Forest Reserve and the importance of continuing the efforts after Melissa. “Each year, especially on Earth Day, we take our volunteers as well as other groups like the Jamaica Fire Brigade, into this space to plant trees,” Crawford said. “This year was very important because it was on the heels of Hurricane Melissa, which caused damage to a lot of the island. We are going to plant 300 West Indian cedar trees. These are very important because they are native trees and you don’t need a lot to take care of them.” For participant Nick Svoronos, completing the trek and putting a tree into Jamaican soil provided another reminder that the Island Challenge extends beyond testing endurance. “We did some tree planting to help revitalise the trees from last year’s hurricane. Overall, it was a fantastic experience,” Svoronos told the Jamaica Observer. “I have planted trees before, and all for good causes, but coming here and contributing to planting and reviving the vegetation of the island is of big significance,” he said. The challenge intensifies Sunday as participants are expected to travel west to Trelawny for a 21-kilometre half-marathon through the historic town of Falmouth, where they will be joined by local runners. The route will take them past Falmouth Public General Hospital, the beneficiary of this year’s fund-raising effort, before continuing towards Good Hope. The Sandals Foundation Island Challenge concludes on Monday in St Andrew, when participants are scheduled to tackle a military endurance challenge in Newcastle before taking on a partial hike of the Blue Mountains, approximately 4,500 feet above sea level.