Paradise Playground being rehabilitated

Feb 16, 2018 Sports 0

Youths in the Belladrum District, through the Profit – Rising Sun NDC, on the West Coast of Berbice, are soon to benefit from improved playground facilities following the continued rehabilitation of the Paradise Playground.
Last year, through a Social Cohesion initiative, the community received a grant for the rehabilitation of the playground facilities in Paradise. According to NDC Chairman, Mr. Emile Wilson, approximately 8 million dollars was spent on erecting a fence around the ground, and the next phase will see the sanitary facilities being rehabilitated, and bleachers erected to seat spectators.
Mr. Wilson also said that the Paradise Playground which would have been the venue for a number of sporting activities throughout the years is in need of upgraded facilities, and so the fencing of the ground could be seen as the first phase of the rehabilitation of the facility.
Plans are also in place for the upgrading of the playing surface to bring it up to an acceptable standard and at the same time there would also be a remodeling of the surface which will allow for efficient drainage of the playfield as a whole.
The Paradise playground would have been the home of a number of different sports teams: cricket, soccer, basketball, as well as volley ball, and Mr. Wilson is of the view that with improvement to the facilities at the ground, there would be improvement in the standard in the various sports discipline as a whole, and the ultimate goal is to make whatever team that is fielded from the area, a dominant force throughout West Berbice and further afield.
There are plans to secure the services of relevant coaches so that talent can be spotted and harnessed early thereby helping young people to realize as well as to maximize their potential, rather than to fade away early because of lack of exposure.
Wilson also noted that there is need for activities in the district to engage young people, so as to present to them wholesome alternatives rather than to allow them to become ensnared by the negative activities in the community which have destroyed the lives of many young people. He is of the view that the much improved facilities at the playground together with the fielding of the various sports teams could go a far way towards keeping some of the young people away from the negatives in the community. There would be programs in place to attract more young people, and to provide them with the exposure which should keep them motivated.
Funding for the completion of the project could be a challenge, according to Wilson, however, the committee is hopeful that agencies approached would recognize the needs highlighted, and assist the committee in realising their objectives.