Fresh look for Farley Hill’s play park

The children’s play area at the Farley Hill National Park has a fresh new look, thanks to the young people involved in the Prince’s Trust International Team Programme.

The programme, which is administered locally by the Royal Barbados Police Force in conjunction with the Sandals Foundation, caters to young people between the ages of 16 and 25 who are unemployed and are not enrolled in any educational institution. The statistics show that this age group, according to police Inspector Roland Cobbler  “is more likely” to become involved in criminal activity.

He said “It is a developmental programme which provides the police with another strategy to positively influence young people. It will help them to make a positive contribution to their communities, as well as enhance their self esteem and other personal skills.”

Local programme manager with Prince’s Trust International, Catherine Taylor, said, “We divided the participants into three groups. The other two groups refurbished a community park at Chapel in St. Philip and at the St. Silas Primary School in St. James. It was a 12-week programme, during which they learned about teamwork through classes and outdoor activities including hikes.”

Team leader of the northern group which carried out the work at Farley Hill, Police Constable Roger Knight, said, “We had 12 participants, who started on October 7, where they sold juices and fruit ices in Holetown and Speightstown, which raised $800 that was used to purchase paint and other supplies. The work started on October 15, and the participants power-washed the equipment, removed a vine from the fence surrounding the park, repainted some of the equipment and the benches, and put down concrete tiles in the shape of the Barbados map.”

He thanked the Barbados Lumber Company and Home Improvement Hardware for supplying some of the items used.

Foreman with the National Conservation Commission, Grantley Dottin, who supervised the young people as they worked, described them as “a wonderful group with lots of talent, creativity and potential”.