Thursday, December 10 - Today is a very special day for children and residents in Long Bush as they will now enjoy their new playground which was officially dedicated this morning.
Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Andrew Fahie urged the residents to not only keep the playground clean but also safe for the children. “We want to make sure that you keep this area drug free; this is very important because you cannot have children here playing and have illegal activities happening at the same time because you might very well attract the children to the negative,” he said.
“The onus is on the community to make sure that only positive things happen in this area while the children are here,” he said, adding, “You must treat the playground and every child as your own and make sure that the behaviour of the adults around the area is reflective of the behaviour that you want your child to see.”
Children from the Little Butterfly and Paradise Preschool and Daycare, which is located in the vicinity of Long Bush, attended the ceremony and were anxious to start using the brand new facility. Fourth District Representative Dr. the Honourable Vincent Scatliffe welcomed them and said he hopes they make good use of the facility. “Playing is part of children’s growth and development and I want to see the children playing and making good use of this facility,” he said.
Honourable Dr. Scatliffe also urged the residents to keep the area clean and not throw garbage in the playground. “Remember that this is your playground and you have to keep it clean and safe. I also want to see parents here supervising the children because I want them to be safe,” he added.
The proceeding was chaired by Acting Permanent Secretary Ms. Carolyn O’Neal who welcomed everyone and thanked all those who made the project possible. Two students of the Elmore Stoutt High School Ms. Nia Jeffers and Ms. Sasha Wintz did a splendid rendition of Whitney Houston’s song “Greatest Love of All”. At the end of the ceremony students of the Little Butterfly and Paradise Preschool joined Minister Fahie and Honourable Scatliffe to cut the ribbon.
The project costs $107,745 including the fencing of the area and playground equipment consisting of two slides, one spiral slide, monkey bars and watch tower. Also included were the replacement of the seats for the swing set and the grassing of the area around the playground.
This is the third playground that the Ministry of Education and Culture has opened this year. The first was at Fahie Hill and the second on Virgin Gorda. Plans are underway for a fourth playground to be installed in West End at the Benjamin Romney Recreational Complex.
The mission of the Ministry of Education and Culture is to provide high quality education and rehabilitative services, as well as, to facilitate access to and participation in sports, recreation and culture, in order to enrich the lives of all resident of the Virgin Islands.
British Virgin Islands News