Red Stripe Renovates Community Centre

The Red Stripe Diageo team was out in full force last Friday as they spent a full day successfully renovating the Cheesefield Community Centre in St Catherine. The renovation forms an important part of the company's Project Grow sustainability initiatives within the communities in which they operate.

The community centre, although in a deplorable state, has been somewhat of the community's 'oasis', a home to its medical clinic every third Thursday and a space for the sports-loving members of Cheesefield on a Sunday to flex their muscles in friendly play.

Dianne Ashton-Smith, head of corporate relations, Red Stripe, commented on the renovation noting, "Today is part of Diageo's global #proudofwhatwedo campaign aimed at giving back to the communities in which we operate. By renovating this community centre, which has been a vital resource for many groups in Cheesefield, we are providing even better facilities for conducting meetings to respond to the challenges and opportunities within this community.

"We are also creating a space for conducting classes and enhancement courses, which will be offered under the Diageo Learning for Life Project Grow. Additionally, once completed, this fully functional and outfitted venue will be home to community events and other viable activities that would allow opportunities for income generation to maintain this facility," she added.

Free access

Her wish is for residents of the area to work even harder to ensure that it is maintained and remains available and accessible to every member of the community.

The centre received significant internal and external renovations inclusive of tiling, painting, cleaning, landscaping, improvements to the basketball court and a new sign for the building.

The renovation project follows on the recent lease agreement signed between Red Stripe and the government lasr month at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new cassava plant at Red Stripe. The agreement with the government included an additional 250 acres of land at Wallen Farms, surrounding the Cheesefield community. The additional land contributes to the company's goal to replace 40 per cent of imported inputs used in the production of its flagship Red Stripe beer with the local cassava.