People urged to clean up Jamaican communities on Labour Day

Jamaicans are being encouraged to come out and clean up their communities on Labour Day today.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Janice Lindsay made the call last week, speaking at a Jamaica Information Service Think Tank at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

“Bring back volunteerism to Labour Day,” she said, urging citizens to engage in meaningful projects in their respective areas.

She said that persons can be involved in the beautification of parks, painting of murals, or the planting of trees.

“Whatever it is that is distinctively unique to your respective communities, whether it is something related to your tangible heritage, we are saying come out on Labour Day to restore, preserve and beautify,” she said.

Noting the recent heavy rains and damage to the nation’s infrastructure, she said it was an appropriate time for Jamaicans to come together and work to improve their communities.

“With the rains that we have been experiencing… it was a disaster but it’s an opportunity for us to really mobilise our people and to get our communities back up and running again,” Dr. Lindsay said.

However, the acting permanent secretary warned citizens to seek guidance from the relevant agencies, with regard to the cleaning and restoring of monuments in their communities.

“If you are undertaking any work on a monument or site, you really ought to work closely with the Jamaica National Heritage Trust to undertake those restoration works,” she emphasised.

Jamaica’s Labour Day is being observed under the theme ‘Restore… Preserve… Beautify’, with the emphasis on two National Projects – the Ward Theatre and the Central Police Station in Kingston.