Band leader recovering from surgery

Beloved veteran band leader Gwyneth Squires is “doing very well”.

This assurance came from president of the Barbados Association of Masqueraders (BAM) Anthony Layne who sought to allay fears surrounding Squires’ health. Layne told Barbados TODAY that Squires underwent an operation a few months ago and since that time she has been recuperating.

“I just spoke to Gwyneth and she is quite fine with me saying to you that she had a little operation but she is doing quite well and she expects to be coming home very soon. She also wants to say thanks to all the persons that have called and reached out to her to share their concerns but she is doing quite well,” Layne maintained.

The comments came after entertainer Ishiaka McNeil took to his social media platform over the weekend to voice his concern that  “many of our foundation layers are totally forgotten” as he made specific reference to Squires and calypsonian Lord Radio.

“. . . I wish I could visit you both now. Don’t let our greats slip away from us and we never show [how] much we appreciate them,” McNeil added.

When pressed about Squires’ whereabouts, McNeil responded, “in a home”.

However, Layne made it clear that Squires, who for more than three decades established a presence in Barbados designing costumes for Kiddies and Grand Kadooment, was neither indigent nor ailing. He explained that after Squires’ release from the hospital she was advised against going directly home since she lived alone. Instead, she was transferred to a facility where she could get 24/7 assistance and therapy as she recovers.

“She lives alone and that is why she needed the assistance, and that is why she is where she is until she can manoeuvre on her own. . . . She is not ailing. She had an operation, it was successful and she is doing well,” Layne stressed. (KC)