Returning resident donates benches to community in Portland

True community spirit was exemplified in the Caenwood Road area of Hope Bay, Portland on December 1, when four public benches were handed over to the community, by Returning Resident, Fredrecia Huggins.
Making the presentation on the request of her late mother, Mary Thompson who died in 2009, at the age of 106, Mrs. Huggins said her mother was an organised leader, who had a passion for getting results.
She said her mother was a kind person who reached out to others, especially the young, and was always concerned about their welfare.
According to Mrs. Huggins, the benches will be placed at strategic locations along the side of the road throughout the community, “so that persons can rest their tired feet as they go along.”

Mayor of Port Antonio, Councillor Floyd Patterson (centre), and residents of Caenwood Road in Hope Bay, Portland reading the plaque on one of the four public benches donated by Fredrecia Huggins, Returning Resident, on December 1.

Urging the residents to lend their support to revitalise the neighbourhood watch programme and the citizens association, she said she will be actively pursuing plans to seek assistance in erecting a community centre.
In his address, Mayor of Port Antonio, Councillor Floyd Patterson, lauded Mrs. Huggins for “carrying out” her mother’s request for the community. He challenged everyone to protect the benches.
Recalling the days while growing up as a youth in a similar rural district, he said “we need to go back to basics, as it is the childhood memories of our community that keep us going.”
Daisy Hedge, an elderly resident, reiterated the call for persons to “appreciate the gesture by taking the best care of the benches.”
Also present at the function were Councillor Rupert Kelly, members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force Community Safety and Security Branch in Port Antonio and residents of the community.