By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE United Kingdom has announced the change of the British high commissioner to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Sarah Dickson, OBE, will demit office and Tom Hartley will take up the appointment in August 2022.

Mrs Dickson is expected to leave the Bahamas at the end of July.

Before this appointment, Mr Hartley was posted in Ghana from 2018 in the capacity of Deputy High Commissioner.

He also worked in the British Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon as head of the British government's £100 million fund to support the local army, police, and local communities during the Syrian Refugee Crisis.

According to the release, Mr Hartley is looking forward to taking up this post and experiencing first-hand the warmth, beauty, hospitality, and energy for which the Bahamas is known.

“It is my honour to be appointed as the next British high commissioner to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I pay tribute to my predecessor, Mrs Sarah Dickson who was rightly recognised in Her Majesty’s Birthday Honours with an OBE for services to UK-The Bahamas relations,” Mr Hartley said.

“I look forward to building on her excellent service to continue to strengthen the British-Bahamas partnership in security, climate change, education, and much more.”

Mrs Dickson said she was sad to leave the country, but she is proud to have been able to reopen the High Commission in Nassau.

“It has been a privilege to serve in The Bahamas,” she said. “Setting up a new High Commission from scratch was always going to be a challenge. Doing so at the same time as the most extreme hurricane, followed by a global pandemic made the situation even more complex. I have been blessed by a terrific team at the High Commission who have found solutions at every turn,” she said.

“I am grateful to all the allies and friends of the High Commission who have helped us out. I am fortunate that my family and I have managed to visit so many islands. Our travels from Crooked Island to Bimini; from Cat Island to Andros and so many other places; have allowed me to see the real beauty of The Bahamas and meet some terrific people. There are lots of things that bind our two countries together and we are always stronger when we share our views and experiences.”

Her Excellency wished Mr Hartley every success in his new posting and said she hoped to see those who supported her and the High Commission before her departure.