– President Granger, GNNL, PPDI, NAMILCO and Bakewell already on board

THE fourth annual Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC) Christmas Village, scheduled for later this month in Berbice, has garnered support, including from the President of Guyana, His Excellency David Granger and several corporate entities.

The ten cricket teams attached to Guyana’s leading youth and sports organization, the RHTYSC, have pooled together their resources to help organise the event.

Long-standing Secretary/CEO of the club, Hilbert Foster, who is also president of the Berbice Cricket Board, said that his duties to sport in the county restricted him a bit, but that “everything is falling into place”. 

CLEAN FUN
Foster said that the main objective of the Christmas Village is to promote the true tradition of the festive season, to provide a safe environment for children away from alcohol, vulgar music and violence and to promote social cohesion.

There will be several Christmas Village programmes from December 10 to Christmas Eve, but the actual event will run from December 21- 24 at the Rose Hall Town Primary School.

SUPPORT
Patron of the Club, President Granger has donated $200,000.00 towards the programme while Bakewell, Guyana National Newspapers Limited and Power Producers & Distributors Inc have all made major financial contribution towards the two weeks of events.

The club teams have also received donations of an outdoor 15-foot camp house, inflatable Christmas characters and two bouncy castles from seven overseas Berbicians, including Lindon Lewis, Lucille George, Sarah Chinsammy, Ravi Singh and Donna Charran. The National Milling Co. Ltd and its Managing Director Bert Sukhai are also on board and would be sponsoring the cost of a new nativity scene.

The teams: King Solomon Logistic Under-12, Poonai Pharmacy Under-13, Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Females, Gizmos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division would be working under the supervision of Foster and his deputy, Simon Naidu.

GIVING
The teams will be preparing hundreds of food hampers for distribution to the less fortunate families, while over 3000 toys would also be shared out to children across the county.

A children’s party is also scheduled to be held in the compound of the Rose Hall Town Primary School, while the club would be assisting families with clothing and educational materials.

According to information from the club, special emphasis would also be placed on serving breakfast to hundreds of pensioners as they wait to collect their monthly old age pension at several post offices in the Lower Corentyne area.

FESTIVITY
The teams will transform the entire compound of the RHT Primary School into a dreamland of wonders with thousands of fairy lights and dozens of inflatable Christmas characters during the Christmas Village.

The village will also consist of a 20-foot Christmas tree, Santa and his sleigh, Christmas star, The Nativity scene, plyboard cut-out characters, Christmas home, horror house, games corner, two trampolines, two bouncy castles, swings and slides, among other attractions.

According to the release, the RHTYSC and its ten cricket teams would like to express gratitude to all of its donors and would like to invite all children and their parents to visit the Christmas Village from December 21.

Foster assured that the cricketers will make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Among the cricketers who would be a part of the 2018 programmes are Kevin Sinclair, Kevlon Anderson, Jonathan Rampersaud, Clinton Pestano, Shawn Pereira, Eon Hooper, Mahendra Gopilall, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings and Chanderpaul Govindan.