A plaque was Wednesday erected at Witter Park in Sligoville, St Catherine to officially recognise the efforts of freed slaves and highlight Sligoville as Jamaica’s first free village.

The erection of the plaque was one of three parish projects undertaken on Labour Day. The others were the painting of the Cenotaph at the Anglican Parish Church and the general clean-up and painting of walls in Emancipation Square, Spanish Town.

Mayor of Spanish Town Dr Andrew Wheatley, who participated in the erection of the plaque, said the activity had historical significance, since it was being done on Labour Day in keeping with the day’s theme ‘Honouring our Ancestors, Strengthening Communities’.

“I believe that the effort that has gone into this project from all the stakeholders to make it a reality, is indicative of the spirit of Labour Day,” the mayor said.

Chairman of the St Catherine Parish Council’s events committee, Robert Allen, expressed gratitude to the senior citizens of the Sligoville community who selected the project and submitted a proposal to the council.

“Citizens here have been very active in cleaning the place and raising funds. In fact, they have raised 50 per cent of the money before they received a donation from the council to purchase the marble plaques,” he said.

Allen pointed out that when the parish council was first approached, Mayor Wheatley readily accepted the project proposal and decided to upgrade it to the level of a parish project.