Harris Paints partners with WIBISCO to spruce up the Bayville Community Centre

Young and old residents of the Bayville community welcomed the newly refurbished Community Centre, to meet all of their educational, social and other needs. This undertaking was made possible by the West India Biscuit Company Limited (WIBISCO), who funded the refurbishment and Harris Paints, who donated cans of paint to ensure that the facility is a comfortable environment for residents.

The construction was done by Dorset Hurdle, Head of the Building Programme at the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic (SJPP) and some of the masonry and carpentry students, while the landscaping was completed by Anderson Eversley, an Instructor in the Horticulture and Landscaping Department of the SJPP and eight of his students. Speaking with the Barbados Advocate yesterday, Human Resources Manager at WIBISCO, Laina Jacob revealed that as part of WIBISCO celebrating their 100th anniversary in May, 2010, staff thought it would be a good idea to increase their social responsibility, particularly in the area of community development. Hence, they contacted the Community Development Department to query how they would assume organising such an initiative.

As a result, Harris Paints was contacted to help with the painting aspect and the SJPP to assist with the actual construction and landscaping of the building, recognising that this would be a valuable opportunity for these students as it would provide them with practical work experience to complement their courses. Michael Babb, Technical Consultant at Harris Paints said that their organisation was happy to jump on board for this project when contacted by WIBISCO and believes that it would have a positive impact on those who come through the doors. “Colour is healing. We are excited to offer colour to the community,” he quipped. Meanwhile, Deputy Principal of the SJPP, Hector Belle pointed out that this was the first time the institution was involved in a joint project of this nature. Furthermore, the project was doubly beneficial for the students as it allowed them to do something positive for somebody else and it gave them some practical work experience for the future.

Community Representative for the Bayville community, Steve Skeete said that the surrounding community is glad for the Community Centre, especially parents, since it showed them that there are others who care about the welfare of their children besides them. http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/newsitem.asp?more=All%20Stories&NewsID=15398