This week the Pepperpot Magazine visited the quiet village of Glasgow, East Bank Berbice and highlighted the way of life of the locals and the community.

GLASGOW Village is between Gay Park and Bermine and it comes under the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council.

On the other side is Edinburg Village, another large community.

The community is fairly large and has potable water, electricity and cable service,but there are no landline phones and internet service.

Glasgow Village has a lot of large and interestingly designed houses and in some sections, other structures are going up, while there are lots of unoccupied plots which are overgrown with bush .

The village has a population of about 3,000, most of whom depended heavily on the sugar industry as their sole source of incomes, but when the estates were closed they had to seek other jobs.

The people are friendly, neighbourly, down-to-earth folk, who will leave whatever they are doing to give directions and even go with you to the place you are looking for and will not hesitate to have a chat.

It is one of those communities where people feel safe and still leave their doors unlocked and your neighbour looks out for you all the time.

Some of the houses are still colonial-styled and well-maintained and preserved by their occupants and it is a quiet village, where you can hear the birds chirping instead of the blasting of loud music and people cussing out each other.

Glasgow Village has a Nursery School and a Community Centre Ground with several buildings and a spacious yard as a ballfield.

Other services are accessible in nearby communities.

The village has many small shops and other small businesses and most people work outside the community.

There is a high unemployment rate among the young people, some of whom are highly qualified and are at home.

One of the two main access bridges is inaccessible and the other access bridge is in a state of disrepair. Both are wooden.

With the exception of a few streets in this community, the rest needs an upgrade and the overgrown state of the place needs some attention.

Mayor of New Amsterdam
Meanwhile, Mayor of New Amsterdam, Winifred Heywood, told the Pepperpot Magazine that they used to call Glasgow Village Greater New Amsterdam and it was owned by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (Guysuco)but was later handed over to the Ministry of Housing.

She explained that through central government the lands were developed into a housing scheme and allocated to occupants and it became a part of New Amsterdam when Glasgow Village was handed over to the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council.

It is said that the allocation process began in 2000 and people began constructing houses and started to reside there.

As it relates to the dilapidated first access bridge in the village, Heywood reported that through the government, a contract was signed for the rebuilding of a new wooden bridge to replace the old one.

Heywood added that she will soon embark on a site visit to get a first-hand look at the empty lots in the village and see what can be done to address the overgrown bushes.

She stated that the two internal streets were upgraded via the Town Council and eventually they will re-pave the rest into all-weather roads.

Heywood explained that they are awaiting this year’s subvention and all works such as upgrading on roads and other developmental projects have been placed on hold.

The mayor disclosed that Glasgow is the last village that comes under the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council and the rest of the villages along the East Bank Berbice stretch is the responsibility of the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).

She pointed out that like the rest of the villages that come under the township, Glasgow is being developed and hasn’t been neglected, but things have been a bit slow; nevertheless, development is happening.