Belladrum | An agricultural village
Belladrum signage with Glendon Reynolds’ business place in the background
Belladrum signage with Glendon Reynolds’ business place in the background

By Michel Outridge

BELLADRUM, West Coast Berbice is the place of members of the Joint Services and scores of small-business owners, livestock, cash-crop and rice farmers.

The community is tucked away between El Dorado and Paradise villages and it has a good drainage system, well-paved roads, electricity, landline phone service, internet service and potable water supply.

It is the kind of village where you can feel the vibes of unity and closeness of its people and the rich history of their ancestors.

Glendon Reynolds at his bicycle repair shop (Carl Croker photos)

Glendon Reynolds was the first person with whom the team spoke in the community. He has a bicycle repair shop which is strategically placed on the public road.

The 52-year-old reported that by trade he is a miner and would spend a lot of time in the interior making a living; at times however, he would return home as he did over the holidays.

Reynolds stated that sometimes life is up and down but one has to adopt a positive outlook and continue to try without giving up.

He related that the village has every little thing except a ballfield for the youths and children to play, since the young men play football and would have to go to Paradise village to utilise their playfield for practice and games.

Reynolds added that Belladrum is the place of his birth and it is a very nice place to settle and the people there are always up for a chat; it was evident at the many roadside shops where they had gathered to chat.

“This place nice, but we need to utilise the youths more because some still doing nothing although educated and we must put them to work so they can generate an income,” he said.

A well-paved street in the village

Reynolds reported that he opened his small bicycle repair shop about two years ago to facilitate villagers with putting air in their wheels and do repairs to their bicycles and at the same time he is earning a living.

He stated that the village is ‘big’ when it comes to pig-rearing and some people do it on a large scale and the next top earner is rice cultivation.

Reynolds said in Belladrum it is almost crime-free and there are no such thing as conflicts there, since it is a close-knit community.

“Most people have their farms and usually sell the fruits and vegetables right here in this village; we support each other and some have small shops and other businesses,” he said.

Reynolds noted that he sells engine oil, does repairs to all types of bicycles and that the shop is opened for business on most days, so residents can access the service when in necessary.

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