Pool Woods to be renamed as national park

Plans to rename Pool Woods in St John as Mahogany National Park were announced, during the We Gatherin’ multi-faith thanksgiving service on Sunday.

Member of Parliament for St John, Charles Griffith, announced the plans at the service, which was held at Mount Tabor Moravian Church.

Griffith said the feedback from people in the parish indicated they were proud of the transformation Pool Woods had undergone.

“Prior to 2018, when I came and saw Pool Woods, it was just a jungle. Now it is transformed, and the expectation is that in the not too distant future, it will be recognised as one of the national parks in Barbados, coming to St John,” he said.

The MP also revealed plans for a community recognition wall in Gall Hill dedicated to honouring exceptional parishioners from a range of sectors. The wall would be dedicated to the Pillars of St John.

“We are honouring individuals who are considered to be the builders of St John.

“We have identified individuals in St John who have done yeoman work in order to make St John proud in terms of arts, in terms of culture, in terms of sports, in terms of education, in terms of medicine.

“Those of you who come to Gall Hill for the service, Pillars of Saint John, would recognise…[a] place on the wall to highlight individuals who would have contributed in a selfless way to the development of our parish.”

The St John MP — who is also the Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment– said it was hoped this initiative would inspire young people to view service and contribution to their community as worthy goals.

Referencing the inspiration for the name of the project, he added:

“I’m reminded of this song by Gramps Morgan. People like you. And those of you who go to the wall will recognise that it is exactly that. People like you, meaning the individuals who are on the wall that contributed to St John.”

Griffith rejected the notion that We Gatherin’ placed St John in competition with other parishes: “I’ve heard people say to me, but other parishes had Q and you don’t have Q. We Gatherin’ is not a competition.”

He emphasised that by not spending money on an event with Q meant the funds were available for other uses. “The truth is that I could then use $2 to buy a pencil for that youngster. You tell me if Q is more important than allowing him an opportunity to have a pencil to move to school.”

In response to Reverend Cicely Athill-Horsford’s request that more communities be included in the ‘We Gatherin’ activities, Griffith promised to revisit the We Gatherin’ calendar and address gaps highlighted by community leaders.

(LG)