Like Santa, beautification has come to town, to Bridgetown.

Brightly painted bins will shortly be used as garbage cans in our capital city, but they are also a tangible emblem of collaboration among the public and private sectors and the church in our urban community.

These drums were originally the containers that brought glucose syrup into Barbados. Once emptied, they were donated by Armstrong Agencies. Berger Paints readily acquiesced to the request for paint and donated over 16 quarts of various colours.

Next the bins were brought to the First Baptist Church on Constitution Road. There they became the focus of a Christmas vacation project for the church’s Youth Group.  Who says church is only about services on Sundays?  Under the guidance of Ms. Abigail Blenman, the young people competed to see who could come up with the best artwork for a prize.  The youngsters completed their tasks in just one week before 15 year old Tiara Mark was adjudged the winner.

This entire project falls under The Revitalisation of Bridgetown Initiative (TRBI), a programme of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI), designed to enhance the business and aesthetic environment of Bridgetown.

Executive Director-BCCI Lisa Gale, lauded the youth and mentioned that coming on the heels of the existing lighting project, this is another step in advancing the Chamber’s beautification initiative in Bridgetown. She commended all of the partners who made it possible.

This latest venture by the BCCI is not only a Christmas project, but represents a tangible way in which those who work and live in and around the city – whether in school, business, church or all of the above, can come together in a collaborative effort that benefits everyone.

Adding to the familiar red Salvation Army kettles, the bins are now the newest pretty sight in Bridgetown this Christmas season along with the beautifully decorated Christmas trees which adorn Independence Square and the UNESCO Heritage Site thanks to the school children of Barbados who decorated the trees and the Royal Commonwealth Society.

The BCCI encourages patrons to desist from littering the streets of Bridgetown and when you use one of the beautifully decorated bins instead, do remember the positive young people who put them there and the spirit of cooperation that they represent.