Essex Valley Family Fun Day Dec. 21

Residents of Lititz, Comma Pen and Sea Air, in St. Elizabeth, are invited to a family fun day on December 21, hosted by the Essex Valley Agricultural Development Programme (EVADP), in association with the Essex Valley Farmers’ Benevolent Society (EVFBS).

“The family fun day is geared towards fostering community integration, and promises to be an exciting day for the family. We start at 10:00 a.m. at the Comma Pen playfield,” EVADP Project Manager, Troy Chambers, told JIS News.

Mr. Chambers said the day’s activities will include bingo, football and domino competitions. Food and refreshments will also be available throughout the day.

“We want parents to bring out the little ones, as we will also have face-painting, bounce house, prizes and surprises for them,” he added.

Mr. Chambers emphasised that fostering community integration and unity is crucial for the successful implementation of all phases of the EVADP.

“For this project to work efficiently, we will need the full buy-in of the farmers and community members. Hosting a Christmas fun day is just one great way of rallying that support, while building camaraderie among the communities,” he said.

Mr. Chambers also took the opportunity to thank the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), which plays an integral role in the EVADP.

The EVADP aims to provide improved irrigation systems on approximately 700 hectares of land and will include the development of a climate-resilient off-farm irrigation system consisting of six irrigation wells, and the restoration of approximately 30 kilometres of farm/community roads. As of August 2019, four of the six wells have been completed.

The project is being executed by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF). It is funded by a grant from the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund, which is administered through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).