Greening goes to Friendly Hall, St Lucy

After almost 40 years of broken promises from successive administrations and MPs, the people of Friendly Hall, St Lucy, is to finally have its own recreational park and green space.

The northern village is the latest site for the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification’s Clean and Green project where land is to be cleared for the park.

A resident of 34 years, Beverley Edwards, indicated that she was happy to see one of her dreams come through.

Edwards said from the time she bought her land in 1983, she was told a play park would be created in the area to allow children to have a safe space to play. She said she moved into her home in 1987 when her daughter was eight years old and she was again told that the park was coming soon.

Edwards said: “What I will say is that someday I hope my eyes will see the park that was promised to us for so long. My granddaughter is now 14 years old and long ago she longed for a park in this area. She would still come because she doesn’t live with me any longer, but I hope that even if I don’t see the park that she would see it.

“I feel good about it, but it has been promised for so long that I hope that my eyes will see it. I call it a celebration because I have been waiting long and now I am seeing something beginning. I don’t know if it will end, but I am seeing something beginning which gives me hope.”

While he could not give an exact date on when the Friendly Hall greening will be completed, Minister of Environment Adrian Forde said: “It would not take a year. It wouldn’t take six months, it wouldn’t take three months. In a couple of weeks, this area will be transformed once this minister remains alive. We are not daunted by its size.”

He expressed the hope that the Clean and Green project would continue to play a role in encouraging Barbadians to keep their communities clean, particularly the space around their homes.

St Lucy MP Peter Phillips said residents from several communities throughout the parish will benefit from the park. The elderly residents of an area nursing home will also be able to relax and enjoy the windswept’s parish’s breeze in the green space, he suggested.

“And we are certainly going to enjoy it,” said Phillips. “I want to thank the residents of this community who have come forward without anything actually being started and said they want to be a part of this and said that they want to have a community group whereby they can take care of the maintenance of the park.

“I know the Ministry of Environment and National Beautification will have persons designated to clean and take care of this area, but there are a number of residents that have stated that they also want to be a part of it. And I can assure all of you that have spoken to me that you will not be denied that opportunity at all.” (AH)