Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 14, 2019 (SKNIS): Rural communities in St. Kitts “will not be left behind” as it relates to the upgrade of sporting grounds around the island.
The pledge was made by Tom Buchanan, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, as he addressed an audience of government officials and community residents, who gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Tabernacle Playing Field on Wednesday (November 13, 2019). The upgrade work involves the construction of two multi-million dollar pavilions.
Both pavilions are two-storey. The first pavilion will be dedicated to sports-related activities with lockers and change rooms, as well as bathrooms and areas that can be used for VIP seating, scoring and the like. The second pavilion will feature a kitchen, dining area, bathrooms and meeting rooms for use by various committees.
“… This facility has the potential to transform the community in very significant and meaningful ways,” Permanent Secretary Buchanan stated, adding that sporting venues fulfil several critical social functions. “Naturally, they provide the benefit of physical activity, but they also empower our youth and promote higher self-esteem. What’s usually never recognized is that these facilities also improve family ties and parent-child relationships as a result of the leisure time spent with each other at these centres of communities. Additionally, sports venues play the role of social and cultural integration centres, especially for socially deprived groups.”
The upgrade project is in line with the Department of Sports’ efforts to decentralize events away from the capital, Basseterre. This will help to spur additional economic activity in rural areas that host sporting events, as well as encourage more community-oriented events.
