Low-keyed Labour Day activities in Hanover

WESTERN BUREAU:

Outside of major projects by the HEART/NSTA Trust, Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPSCo), and Guardian Life Insurance Company, Labour Day 2023 was a low-keyed affair in the parish of Hanover as only a very small number of projects were undertaken.

Some 30 members of staff from the Montego Bay branch of Guardian Life Insurance Company visited the Sandy Bay Health Centre, where they did extensive work, which included painting the inside and outside of the facility and giving the grounds a much-needed facelift.

Charlotte Leach-Campbell, a nurse at the health centre, expressed sincere appreciation on behalf of the staff for the work which was undertaken, saying it will create a great working environment.

“Looking at it (the health centre) now, it is beautiful, it has received a real facelift in every sense of the word. It is like a brand new facility and I am sure that all the staff of the health centre will be more motivated to do what they have to do when they enter tomorrow,” said Leach-Campbell.

Leroy Morrison, manager at the Guardian Life Montego Bay branch number two, told The Gleaner that his organisation chose the parish of Hanover for its 2023 Labour Day activities, primarily based on the strong support that it receives in the parish.

“The company’s project for 2023 is health centres, and because we have a lot of clients in Hanover, we decided this time around to visit this rural parish,” said Morrison. “We have painted the entire building exterior, also on the interior the dressing room, the bathrooms the kitchen and other areas.”

Also in Sandy Bay, the HEART/NSTA Trust volunteers, in keeping with the 2023 Labour Day theme, planted some 30 plants on the compound of the Sandy Bay Primary School. They also painted the pedestrian crossing on the roadway in front of the school.

Keita Mendes, the manager of the HEART/NSTA Trust Hanover, told The Gleaner that some 30 members of staff drawn from the Sandy Bay HEART Academy and the HEART/NSTA Trust parish office participated in the day’s activities.

“We have embarked on a project to beautify the Sandy Bay Primary School, where we planted some fruit and palm trees, and we also did the pedestrian crossing leading to that school, as well as the Sandy Bay Basic School, so our project for today is plants and pedestrian crossings,” said Mendes.

In Cacoon and adjoining districts in western Hanover, some 25 JPSCo staff members and contractors retrofitted a container, which is to be used by the Cacoon Community Development Committee (CDC) for its community projects.

Blaine Jarrett, senior vice president with responsibility for energy delivery at JPSCo, said that the Cacoon CDC recently won a competition staged by the company. The prize for their win was to provide financial and other assistance, hence the decision to do the Labour Day project.

“We are sponsoring this project where they (the Cacoon CDC) are expanding a container for a number of activities. The general plan is that they will be having a kitchen, a conference area, an area for training in the variety of programmes they embark on, all within the completed facility,” said Jarrett.

“We are here today in our numbers, and we have contributed some $600,000 to the programme, and I think it will go a far way in their plans,” added Jarrett.

While pointing out that the work to be carried out is extensive and may not be completed on Labour Day, Jarrett said that based on the financial contribution made by the JPSCo, the work should be completed within a week. He said further that the JPSco celebrates its 100th anniversary on May 25 this year, and the company will be doing something in recognition of the milestone for the entire 2023.

Christeen Hooper-Johnson, the president of the Cacoon CDC, thanked the JPSCo for its efforts on the project and what is to come, saying it will help them to meet their various obligations in building their community.