Hundreds 'link up' with Walters

Farley Hill National Park in St Peter on Sunday for a day of family, food and fun. Scores of people in seven buses and private vehicles faithfully answered the call of the event host Ryan Walters whose poster to constituents simply said: Turn Down De Pot and Come. Walters, the former Democratic Labour Party (DLP) candidate for the area, marshalled the troops and led them to a day full of activities. Under his trademark “Walters – We Linking Up” slogan, which has become synonymous with his political events, constituents enjoyed lunch and snacks throughout the day, a karaoke competition, a domino competition and a kids’ zone. As the buses and vehicles offloaded at a sunny Farley Hill, a mixture of old and young made their way to secure their spot. The event was inclusive and catered to all; some used walking canes to head up the hill, while the wheelchair-bound and blind were assisted in true community spirit. Walters, who is known for consistently staging such events, told Barbados TODAY that the picnic was the constituency’s first major activity since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he was glad to be back among the people. “It feels great to be doing this again and on such a bigger scale. This is what I love because my passion is people. Today is about bringing the different neighborhoods and people from across the constituency together. We have been able to accomplish that today. We have persons of all ages here today. It is really an ole time Bajan excursion type of vibe and feel we have created.” He added: “I am very pleased with the turnout. While walking through and chatting, people are happy and having a good time. It is heartening too when they repeatedly express their love and appreciation. It’s humbling to receive that type of admiration and respect among the people I hope to serve.” But, while he admitted that the idea was his, he credited and thanked the planning committee, which comprised not only the DLP St Michael North West Branch but also included residents from within the constituency. “The St Michael North West DLP branch executive continues to work tirelessly in our community. Like all of our other events we’ve done, it was all hands on deck for today’s event. I thank the branch for always rallying around me, my ideas and my vision for the constituency. “I am more than pleased also to have included in our planning committee persons who are not officially affiliated with any political party but who have the community at heart. This is the sort of team I want to build on because everything is not about a vote,” the politician said. Although the event was largely attended by residents of St Michael North West, Walters, who is a DLP vice-president, also received the support of his family, friends, colleagues, members and supporters from across the island. “Some friends were just joking and said to me they don’t know how I do it. Truth is, a leader is only as good as the team he leads. I am able to pull this off because a group of people believed in me, the idea, and worked with me to execute it. This is not the result of a one-man show,” the business executive said. Present were DLP comrades former president Verla De Peiza, stalwart former general secretary Dr. Derek Alleyne, former candidates Nicholas Alleyne, Kemar Stuart, Oldwin Skeete, Paul Gibson, Rasheed Belgrave. Spotted were folks from Christ Church, St Philip, St George and St Michael branches, including The City. When asked if he thinks other constituencies should follow suit Walters said: “We have a saying among branch members, ‘we do it Best in St Michael North West’, and every initiative that we embark on I always see it as an opportunity for other branches and my other comrades to get involved in. “Yes, as a party, I believe we need more of this at a constituency to constituency level as we rebuild our party with fresh and energised personalities. We must not concentrate all our efforts on in-house activities. We are social beings and we lost about two years due to the pandemic.” Walters continued: “We need to reconnect, share ideas, draw from each other and build meaningful and lasting relationships. That is how we start to repair our society. I stand ready as I have always stood to work with my colleagues to make sure other communities and constituencies can benefit from this level of comradery.” (IMC)]]>