BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS (MMS-SKN) — Children in their numbers, on Sunday December 17 thronged the New Recreation Ground in Cleverly Hill, Sandy Point, on the Club House end of the ground, where they had a whale of a time thanks to the annual C5 Children’s Christmas Party put on by the St. Kitts Nevis Labour Party Caretaker for St. Christopher Five, Ambassador His Excellency Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Douglas.
Children had started arriving long before the appointed 2:00 p.m. start hour, and kept themselves constructively engaged by using the children’s park facilities that include slides and swings. When the party started officially, they were engaged in a game of musical chairs, by one of the chairpersons of the C5 Activities Committee, Mrs Nerissa Drew-Foster. She was assisted by Member, Ms Charlene Gumbs.
The party catered for children 0-12 years of age, and parents and guardians of the children were thanked for bringing the younger ones to the recreation ground and for allowing the older ones to come on their own. Here the children not only enjoyed the camaraderie by meeting children from the different communities, but the games, food and drinks, and most important of all, the highly anticipated Christmas gifts.
“Today at our Christmas Children’s Party, we prepared for children 0-12 years old, and in my estimation it was a very successful event,” said Ambassador His Excellency Douglas. “I want to thank all of the parents and the guardians of children from Constituency Number Five, right here in Sandy Point, Fig Tree and La Vallee, for sending out their children to have fun right here at the Children’s Park.”
After the field games, Ambassador, His Excellency Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Douglas, arrived and went to the Club House, where food was being served, and with the help of Mrs Nerissa Drew-Foster, member of the C5 Activities Committee, Ms Daria Challenger, and one of C5 Volunteers, Ms Michelle Stevens, helped in opening the boxes to present the children with the appropriate gifts for their ages.
Children were presented with their gifts in different batches, starting with the 0-2 years age bracket. They were followed in order, 3-5 years, 6-8 years, 9-11 years, and finally those 12 years and above. Each of the children posed for picture taking with the Ambassador.
“I want to thank the organisers of this successful party for our children in Constituency Number Five – my Executive,” said the Ambassador. “They are working very, very, hard, not just for when we have elections – elections are off – but they are right now here assisting; those who cooked, made punch, made popcorn, I just want to thank all of them, from the Chairman, all the way to the Activities Committee.”
Members of the C5 Executive were led by Mr Leroy Benjamin Jr., Chairperson, who apart from ensuring that the party was smoothly organised, went ahead and personally ensured by the grounds were not littered, as he went around collecting all the debris on the ground putting it in a plastic bag and later disposing it in the allotted garbage bins.
Others were Ms Ruby Gardner, Vice Chairperson; Mr Edgar Browne, Secretary; Mr George Dixon, Treasurer; Mrs Karina Wilson-Charles, PRO; Mrs Lousie Buchanan-Pemberton, Floor Member; and Mr Sean Buchanan, Campaign Manager.
“I just can’t say thank you enough for these people,” stated Ambassador Douglas. “They are working very, very hard every single day, every single week, every single month, and every single year.”
Other members of the C5 Activities Committee were the other Chairperson, Mrs Joanna Buchanan; Ms Ruby Gardner, Vice Chairperson; and Ms Renita Hyliger, Ms Sharon Fredrick, and Ms Tiffany Ward.
“You can see the children right now over there having fun, and all of the different games,” pointed out the Ambassador. “Some of the parents are still here presently. So I just want to say ‘thank you’ to them and I am looking forward to the next C5 Children’s Christmas Party next year.”
While the party was the last event involving children in Constituency Number Five, Ambassador His Excellency Kenneth ‘Kenny’ Douglas announced that he has one more activity later this week, where he will honour the hardworking men and women of the constituency who a lot of the times are forced to leave very early in the morning without having had the opportunity to take breakfast at home.
“For the older folks I should be having a breakfast on Friday December 22, where I am going to be in the streets and just stopping vehicles and giving breakfast to persons who are going out to work very early, 5:00 o’clock to 6:00 o’clock in the morning,” advised the Ambassador.
He added: “Just a little breakfast, you know sometimes some persons, because they are hurrying, they do not get the chance to eat breakfast at home, so I will be there in Constituency Number Five office, right here in Sandy Point, just giving the drivers, the motorists, persons who are going to work very early, just giving them something so that they can have a bite early in the morning.”