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These children could not wait to play in their new park in Emerald Park, St Philip! Looking on (l-r)??are Attorney General,??Adriel Brathwaite;??General Manager, NCC, Keith Neblett; Chairman, NCC, Tyrone Lowe (behind slide, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, ‘, NULL, NULL, 0); and Minister of Industry, Small Business and Rural Development, Denis Kellman.
(C. Pitt/BGIS)

With the recent opening of the Emerald Recreational Park in Six Roads, St. Philip over the weekend, the National Conservation Commission (NCC) is urging community members to support the Commission in the maintenance of its parks.

General Manager of the NCC, Keith Neblett, promised those in attendance at the official opening that the NCC would continue its programme of providing parks around the island," ??but hoped that communities would assist in the maintenance and upkeep.

"You’ll recognise, in terms of the economic constraints that we have currently, certainly government would need all of the help of communities to make sure that they play their role," Mr. Neblett said.

He disclosed that each park costs government over $40,000, and, therefore, urged persons to take full advantage of the facilities.

"It (Emerald Park) is a park that government has provided and we do hope that you will take good care of it, and I look forward …to see the children playing in their full glory and not [for the NCC] to be looking to do any major repairs," Mr. Neblett stated.

These sentiments were echoed by Chairman of the NCC, Tyrone Lowe who said: "Each time we build one of these, we are expecting you to be caretakers… We expect you to guard this property – not just for immediate use, but for generations to come.

It was in this light that he invited members of the community to become partners with the NCC and assist in preserving the property. Mr. Lowe asked residents to be on the look-out for persons trying to break down the fencing around the area, and trying to destroy plants and equipment.

Reflecting on the response of Barbadians to the NCC’s call for help with the Sargassum seaweed clean up just a few months ago, he said that he could "boast that on a whole, there has been a beautiful show of responsibility from Barbadians".

He also encouraged persons to "have a love and appreciation for the environment," saying that too many people lose touch with nature. "As people move away from the country…towards more built up areas, they miss out on a number on things…like character building, climbing trees, having an occasional fall, getting back up and going again. That determination is all part of openness and nature," he declared.

alicia.griffith@barbados.gov.bb

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