Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/943656
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2018 44 ATHLETE Charlene Attard, who represented Malta in 2008 Olym- pic Games and was the first Mal- tese female to run the 100 metres under 12 seconds, had her first taste of sports in gymnastics at the age of four with Skolasport, way back in 1991. During her pre-teen years at Skolasport, she dabbled in different sports disci- plines until she found her passion for running. Charlene went on to repre- sent Malta in six editions of the Games of the Small States of Eu- rope where she won 10 medals (2 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze). She also represented Malta in the three editions of the FISEC games and won 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. Named Athlete of the Year by the Malta Amateur Athletics Association for three consecu- tive years (2006-2008) Charlene came third in the Sportiva Nazz- jonali Award in 2007. In addition, she received the Malta Olympic Committee (MOC) Awards four times during her career. No doubt, the secret of Char- lene's success is training hard to achieve her dreams. "I now re- alise that without the sacrifices I did, I would not have had the op- portunity to represent Malta in the prestigious Olympic Games in Beijing." Charlene currently works as a PE teacher at St Joseph Senior School, Sliema. As one of the head coaches of the #OnTheMove pro- gramme, as Skolasport is known today, she is also a member of the SportMalta Board of Direc- tors and director at the Maltese Olympic Committee responsible for the athletes' commission. "Through SportMalta and #OnTheMove we are working to make grassroots sports more attractive and available to our children. I understand the diffi- culties the elite Maltese athletes face since I experienced this life. Through my positions at MOC and SportMalta, I am trying to give and pass on to our talented participants my knowledge and expertise for even better results for Malta." Asked what advice she would like to share with young partici- pants and their parents, Char- lene replies: "To youngsters and kids: work hard and believe in your dreams to make them real. Be proud of who you are and play fair. Sports give you opportuni- ties in other aspects of life...don't be afraid to take these opportu- nities. "To parents: do not put too much pressure on your children especially if they are not the best in their training group. If your child is talented, give them time. That's why they have coaches to help them improve progressively, one step at a time. Some children leave sports because they can- not handle the pressure coming from their own heroes. Let them try and enjoy sports. It is a way of life." #On the Move – winter pro- gramme is sponsored by Kellogg's the world's leading producer of breakfast cereal. For more than a century Kellogg's has been fo- cusing on enriching and delight- ing the world through foods and brands that matter. The company has been extending its support to Skolasport since 1999, and ac- tively promotes a variety of edu- cational sports disciplines within Sport Malta's winter programme. Events Enjoying sports is a way of life Charlene Attard during the European Games in Baku 2015 My Nametags supports Puttinu Cares with new Malta-based designs MY Nametags, the UK's leading manufacturer of easy to apply sticker and iron-on name tags, have just launched a new collec- tion of name tags with a Maltese theme. The new Maltese designs are part of a campaign to celebrate the company's launch of a new on- line portal dedicated to the Mal- tese market, www.mynametags. com.mt. The icons were created by a local designer and My Nam- etags will be donating 50% of sales from the entire Malta collection to Puttinu Cares, a local NGO which helps families with children suffering from cancer. My Nametags, a UK based com- pany, decided to launch a dedi- cated site to Malta after noticing the steady increase of popularity of their products emanating from the Maltese market. They felt that a more tailored website to the Maltese would offer a better over- all customer experience. They have also invested in a dedicated Malta customer service team. Earlier this year, working along- side a local PR consultancy to support the launch of their Malta website, My Nametags commis- sioned a Maltese designer, Lorin- da Mamo, to design three new Malta based icons for customers to choose from. In addition, My Nametags will be donating 50% of proceeds from sales of the entire Malta collection generated in the two months following the launch of the Malta dedicated to Puttinu Cares, an organisation that the de- signer herself has received support from for the care of her son who has undergone several treatments in the UK. Originally founded in 2004, by Lars B. Andersen, out of a need to label his own children's belong- ings, the company's ambitions are to create the best name tags in the world. What started as a small 1-man company has now grown to a modest but dedicated team. "We are very happy to support such a worthy cause as Puttinu Cares, during the launch of our dedicated site to Malta" said Lars B. Andersen, Managing Direc- tor at My Nametags. "We are very proud of our 100% water and wash-proof tags. We are happy to see that My Nametags has been well received in Malta and look forward to continuing to grow the market and provide the Maltese with an even better customer ex- perience through our new Malta dedicated website." My Nametags offers free deliv- ery to Malta and now offers a 10 year washing guarantee, which is unmatched in the name tags industry. Its labels have been in- dependently tested to be the best labels in the UK. Over the years, the company has worked to create and maintain the highly respected reputation for quality and service that it has today, with a 99 per- cent customer satisfaction rating, which is unequalled among other label companies. Ordering your labels is straight- forward via their dedicated Mal- tese website: https://www.my- nametags.com.mt/ Nectar Ltd acquires sole direct distribution and marketing of Nestlé Ice Cream and Antica Gelateria brands in Malta FOLLOWING the international merger between Nestlé and R&R Foods, a new internation- al company called Froneri was formed. Subsequent to the nec- essary evaluations, Froneri has decided to continue its rela- tionship with Nectar, who was until 2017 an exclusive distrib- utor of Nestlé Malta for these brands. As from January 2018, Nectar commenced handling directly the full operation in Malta, including those respon- sibilities formerly handled by Nestlé Malta. Roberto Pregnolato, Froneri 's Export Manager, said: "As ice- cream brands, both Nestlé and Antica Gelateria have a strong reputation and recognition among the Maltese population and, with Nectar Ltd, we will be capitalising on this. Nectar was a natural choice as the company has a strong and extensive sales and distri- bution network reaching all lo- calities on both islands in the most efficient and cost-effec- tive manner. Undoubtedly, this is a key fac- tor for the two brands' further success in Malta. Also, apart from having modern storage and warehousing facilities, Nectar has proper structures in place that can handle both present and future Nestlé and Antica Gelateria ice-creams' sales and distribution require- ments." Carlos Abela, director at Nec- tar Ltd said: "Nestlé and Antica Gelateria ice-cream brands are two prestigious brands and this is an exciting milestone for Nectar Ltd 's extensive brand portfolio as they offer Nectar bigger synergies and strengths in different market sectors. Despite the ever-increasing market challenges, Nectar will keep making significant strides forward, as it has done unfail- ingly year on year. While at present, preparations are un- derway prior to the start of the season, customers are being notified of this change", Abela said. Nestlé Malta Ltd. is looking forward towards the dynamic continuation of the ice cream business through one of its dis- tributors, since Nectar contin- ues to distribute Buitoni frozen products on behalf of Nestlé Malta Ltd. With more than 25 years' experience developed within the food and beverage sector, Nectar sells and dis- tributes ambient, chilled and frozen products daily across the Maltese islands, through- out its extensive network of sales and delivery f leets sup- ported by modern state of the art facilities and top IT system resources. AST Group plc Prospects MTF bond admitted to the Malta Stock Exchange THE AST Group plc €1.835 million 5.5% 2028 Prospects MTF bond was admitted to the Prospects MTF, a market regulated as an MTF and op- erated by the Malta Stock Exchange, on Friday 9th February 2018. Trad- ing of the bond commenced on Monday, 12th February 2018. The Group will use the proceeds of the bond to finance the acquisition of a multipurpose vessel. The owner- ship of such a vessel will allow the AST Group to vertically integrate its operations, complementing the animal feed operation, by setting up shipping operations and a logistics centre in Malta. AST Group plans to warehouse the storage of animal feed products at its Malta centre and manage the distribution of these products into markets around the Mediterranean and in mainland Europe. "On behalf of the AST Group, I would like to express my gratitude to all investors who supported our business plan by placing their mon- ey in the AST bond issue. We con- sider this success as a vote of confi- dence for our plans. The Prospects MTF listing is only the first step for the AST Group. We will continue to expand our distribution channels and penetrate new markets across Europe, using Malta as our logis- tics base," said Mr Emmanuoil Ka- lamaras, CEO of the Group. Founded in 2011, the AST Group is active in international trading of animal feed products to different European markets. The principal products traded by the Group are roasted guar meal korma, fish meal, Distiller's Dried Grains and Soluble (DDGS) and HiPro Sunflower meal, sourced from suppliers based in India, Morocco, Hungary and Bul- garia respectively. The company's clients range from smaller animal feed producers or farmers who are equipped to produce their own feed, to multinational companies with a global footprint and annual multi- billion Euro revenues. Over the past years, AST Group has grown its presence in several European markets and now has branches in Greece, Cyprus, Hun- gary, Spain, France, as well as Malta. The company was recently award- ed a Maltese licence to operate as a feed store and to import animal feed. The logistics centre will be situated close to the Malta Freeport Terminals and will allow the AST Group to branch out into numerous growth areas, particularly in rela- tion to fish meal. Giuseppe Muscat serves as Non-Executive Director and Chairman of AST Group, to- gether with William Wait and Luca Vella as Independent Non-Execu- tive Directors. For more information about the Group, please visit www.astgroup- plc.com.