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| In the winners’ circle: Children from the winning schools??posing with some of the??bins which will be placed in Swan Street. (A.Miller/BGIS)?? |
The creativity of some school children came to the fore recently when they designed five garbage cans depicting their impressions of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.
And, they were presented with their prizes yesterday during a brief ceremony in Swan Street, where the bins will be placed by the Sanitation Service Authority.
Director of Cultural Policy and Research in the Division of Culture and Sports, Sheron Johnson, said in order for Barbados to retain the UNESCO World Heritage Property inscription "we must protect the Property and be mindful of the risks that could threaten it. Two such risks are indiscriminate disposal of garbage and littering," she disclosed.
Ms. Johnson, therefore, urged the public "not to destroy or remove these beautifully designed bins". She continued: "These children feel proud of their handiwork, let us as adults do the right thing and use the bins. I see these cans as public art, something that is needed within the cityscape, something to enrich the environment …"
The Design a Bin competition’s theme was This is Our City, Let’s keep it Clean, and it was spearheaded by the Division of Culture and Sports, which has responsibility for managing Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, and a number of stakeholders, namely the Barbados Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Sanitation Service Authority, and the Vector Control Unit of the Ministry of Health. The Chamber was instrumental in gathering support from its members for the project, namely Harris Paints, Collins Limited and Abeds, and they donated the needed bins, gifts and paints.
Ms. Johnson explained that it was conceived to address the indiscriminate disposal of garbage and the shortage of litter bins in Swan Street, particularly at this busy time of year. "We are seeking to ultimately encourage the use of bins in Bridgetown," she stressed.
Westbury Infants won first prize in the Infants School Category, while St. Paul’s Primary took the top position in the Primary School Category and Graydon Sealy Secondary won in the Secondary Schools Category. Ms. Johnson presented the bins to Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Vector Control Unit, Maurice Gaskin.
The competition was part of the Division of Culture and Sports’ ongoing education programme for schools to sensitise them about the UNESCO World Heritage Property.