Buxton/Friendship village received a new basketball court and play area on Tuesday when Director of Sport, Neil Kumar, made the official presentation in Roopchand Street, Buxton, in the presence of Pastor Terry Thomas, residents and media representatives.
During the presentation the Director of Sport congratulated Pastor Thomas since he was the person who initiated the construction of the court.
The construction of the court is intended to help keep youngsters of the village off the streets and also to promote social cohesion among the residents.
“What was very interesting is that they had about 50 young children that were all anxious, some of them already shooting balls in the net. It’s good to see that they could find some extra curricular activities to do while schools are out,” Kumar observed.
He also said that during “the difficult times” Pastor Thomas had approached the government and got some money and bought a piece of land on which he decided to construct the court.
“He (Pastor Thomas) came to me through Clive Chan who is the Chief Planning Officer in the Ministry of Finance and also a former Buxtonian and he asked me to make a donation towards the village and I donated some stuff to help start the construction of the court,” Kumar stated.
He also noted that the community got some money from former president of Guyana, Bharrat Jagdeo to assist in the construction of the court and also from corporate citizens.
The court is yet to be marked off and prepared for a good game of basketball.
“Give us (ministry of sports) up to next week and the court, fence and washroom facilities will be intact and ready for use,” Kumar assured.
