Best community award uplifts Hampton

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

SALEM, St Ann:

THERE IS a noticeable cleanliness throughout the community. On one utility pole there is a sign that reads "This is not the garbage truck. No dumping." Speaking to the residents, it is easy to detect the sense of pride that has engulfed them. Winning the National Best Community Competition for 2011 really means a lot to the folks who reside in Hampton, St Ann.

Tucked away between Salem and Runaway Bay proper, the quiet community of Hampton became the second St Ann village to win the award after Sturge Town in 2009.

The competition, launched in 2006, is supported by Digicel, Jamaica National and the Tourism Enhancement Fund and seeks to strengthen and improve local communities on a sustainable basis, among other objectives. Communities are judged in the categories: built environment, natural environment, socio-economic, hazard mitigation and disaster preparedness, education, health and waste management, heritage and culture, and youth and development.

Overwhelmed

President of Hampton Citizens Association, the Reverend Inez Thomas, explained that the community was overwhelmed with the award, announced August 25 at a ceremony at Stella Maris Pastoral Centre in Kingston.

"Oh, the people in the community are so excited! Jubilee!" exclaimed Thomas. "Even last night, we had our meeting, quite a number of people came out, they are just happy about it and more-so people who are not doing so well, they are coming out and participating in things they can manage. We all feel a sense of pride and joy."

One resident, Martin Clarke, who was with a group of men from the community playing dominoes, said the award was as a result of the cooperation among the residents and the bridging of the generation gap.

"We feel so good to know that our hard work has been rewarded and people can see that the community has been recognised in the right way as it should be," Martin told The Gleaner on Tuesday.

"In Hampton, the elder persons always ensure that the young people get involved in things that will make them a better person like the police youth club, cricket, football and so on. We can feel good to know that the young people work with the guidance they get from the elderly persons."

One such person is Thomas herself. A justice of the peace (JP) and past principal of Hoolebury All-Age School, located in the adjoining community of Scarlett Hall. She was honoured twice last year for her service to education and the community during Education Week in May and again at the national awards in October.

Her husband, Bishop Ronald Thomas, also a JP, will be honoured in October, too, for long service to religion (he has been preaching for 59 years and still is) and community service.

Several others such as secretary of the citizens association, Eloise Anderson, affectionately called Miss Cherry, also help to ensure that the link between the generations remain intact.

This year marks the third time Hampton was entering the competition. On the previous occasions, the community finished second to Sturge Town at the parish level. But once Hampton won the parish competition residents were confident they would go all the way.

Among the community projects being undertaken are the making of craft items, including needlecraft and cushion making; wine and liqueur making.

Then there are persons who have gone into jerking chicken, making bammies and flour from cassava, and using in-season fruits to make juices.

"Also, one person is using almond to make punch, drops and cake. One person is recycling bottles, using the bottles and covers as decoration, while another is doing craftwork for tourism. We are hoping that these activities will be expanded."

Small farmers in the area are also being aided and encouraged to use compost instead of fertiliser. All these activities fall under the socio-economic category.

And it is the community's focus on the health and waste-management category that has enabled the community to remain so clean and healthy.

"We sensitise people to keeping their area clean. We discourage the burning of garbage because this sometimes affects people with health problems. We contact health personnel from time to time and they come in. For example, if there is an excess of mosquitoes we try to get them do some eradication; so basically we try to get everybody involved," Thomas told The Gleaner.

She explained that crime is also under control in Hampton: 'Formerly, we used to have few incidents of crime, but since we started the neighbourhood watch, people have become more alert and we have street representatives and coordinators. So crime is minimised."

The residents have also started labelling trees in the community to keep tourists, who visit the community from time to time, informed. The younger people take it upon themselves to patch roads that need repairs when the need arises.

rural@gleanerjm.com