Stakeholders Applaud NWC’S Labour Day Project at Winchester Primary School in St. Thomas
By: , June 24, 2026
Photo: Nyoka Linton
Board Chair of the Winchester Primary School in St. Thomas, Joan Welsh.The Full Story
A National Water Commission (NWC) Labour Day project on May 25, which focused on carrying out improvement works at Winchester Primary School in St. Thomas, has been warmly welcomed by community stakeholders.
Team members carried out a range of upgrades, including painting the building, rebuilding and repainting the damaged stone wall, refreshing the windows, tiling the steps, installing new doors, and enhancing the girls’ and boys’ bathrooms.
School Board Chair, Joan Welsh, describes the undertaking as one that evokes a “good feeling”, while expressing heartfelt gratitude to the NWC for their support.
Consequently, she says she anticipates that the institution will attract more students from across the parish, including those who, over time, may have been withdrawn by their parents.
NWC Regional Manager for Kingston, St. Andrew, and St. Thomas, Dr. Phillipa Campbell-Francis, explains that Winchester Primary School was recommended by team members as this year’s Labour Day project for the region.
“When we did the site visit, we realised that the school needed some assistance. We believed it was a worthwhile project for the community and for strengthening community ties. On Labour Day, we usually undertake initiatives like this, and we will continue to do so. It’s a very good project, and we believe in giving back to the community,” Dr. Campbell-Francis says.
Among the community members present during the project was Odeen McDonald, a past student of the school and former president of the local branch of its Past Students’ Association.
Ms. McDonald expresses her appreciation for the project and the positive impact she anticipates it will have on the institution.
“This is a grand project… for Winchester Primary School, and I am so elated and happy to see it; I hope this will bring more students to this institution in the future. I came here at the tender age at six, in the 1960s. I left here in 1974, and I’m still a part of it, even in spirit,” she tells JIS News.
