BEESTON SPRING- Westmoreland — The Sandal Foundation and one of the world’s leading travel consultants, Flight Centre, have joined forces to bring the region’s largest community outreach event to Westmoreland’s Beeston Spring next week.

According to the foundation, over 600 management personnel from Flight Centre Canada will undertake a wide range of community projects which will positively impact the lives of over 3000 persons living in and around the community.

The philantropic arm of Sandals Resorts, the Sandals Foundation, was launched in 2009 to harness the resources, talents, partnerships and awareness behind the Sandals Resorts brand and tackle a wide range of issues affecting the Caribbean and which sit under three broad areas of interest: Education, Environment and Community.

Working in conjunction with numerous members of the Beeston Spring Community Development Committee, the Sandals Foundation and Flight Centre teams have created over 20 individual projects.

It is expected that the projects will adress Beeston Spring’s many challenges which include:

* A lack of modern techniques in farming;

* No proper garbage disposal system;

* Poor interior roads;

* Unemployment and

* Lack of education among youths.

The Beeston Spring Basic School which began operating over fifty years ago is among the institiutions that will benefit.

as 70 v olunteers build a modern-styled bathroom to replace the pit toilet. The volunteers will also paint the school’s kitchen and re-roof sections of the school.

“We are thankful for the interest of the Sandals Foundation and Flight Centre teams in assisting us as we have been in dire need of a proper bathroom facility for the children for some time now,” said Principal of the Beeston Spring Basic School, Perlene Robinson.

Another sixty-five Volunteers will initiate projects – from painting to furniture building – at Salem Primary and Junior High and Robins River Basic School.

The farmers of Beeston Spring will also benefit from increased produce courtesy of an extensive two-phased Organic Irrigation project to be undertaken by 60 Volunteers over the a two-day period under the guidance of the Sandals Whitehouse landscaping team.

“Without a proper irrigation system it is hard to continue planting during the drought and we lose a lot of plants every year due to the drought; however this project would offer our community a big improvement in helping us to put in place an organic irrigation system,” said

President of the Farmer’s Association, Carlton Saunders, who has been farming for some twenty-five years .

Organic farming is one of the major sources of income for Beeston Spring.

Other projects to come on line include a sewing room/community centre, a football pitch and a herbal spa.

Caption for pic entitled “Beeston Spring”