DEESIDE, Trelawny — Since Hurricane Melissa took their home, District Constable Sabrina Eccleston and her two young children have been living in a makeshift container. On Labour Day, her colleagues from the Trelawny Police Division, construction workers, and representatives of the Jamaica Police Co-operative Credit Union took them a step closer to once again having a sturdy roof over their heads.

“I am feeling delighted, overwhelmed. The support I get from my colleagues, despite the weather condition, makes me feel like crying. I was so surprised,” Eccleston said as the volunteers worked.

She is looking forward to the day when work is completed so she and her children, aged 10 and six years old, can move out of the container.

“We’re trying as best as possible…because you know how things are nowadays. I’m trying my best to reach there,” she said.

She is grateful to everyone who is helping her along her journey.

Assigned to the Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch in Falmouth, Eccleston has served as a district constable for the past three years. During that time, she has become a part of the team that has now come to her aid. She told the Jamaica Observer that Sergeant Wayne Wallace, sub-officer in charge of the Trelawny Community Safety and Security Branch, was the first to offer a helping hand and then the Jamaica Police Co-operative Credit Union came on board. It was their Labour Day project.

Wallace, who was there on Labour Day, said work was halted by afternoon rain, but the project will continue.

“All the belting has been cast and the next step now is the decking of the roof. There is sufficient material to complete a significant portion of work,” he assured the Observer.

Funds provided by the credit union will be critical to the effort.

“We chose to help one of our members to restore a home that she lost during Hurricane Melissa,” said the credit union’s manager for the Montego Bay branch, Khadine Clark Bygrave, who was among those working on Monday.

“We made financial contributions towards the purchasing of materials: steel, blocks, sand, and all that to help with the renovation of the property. We are not only supporting financially, but we’re giving of our time as well,” she added.

She said the credit union was filling a gap left after Eccleston’s resources ran out and she was unable to complete the structure.

“She reached out for help and so we’re helping her to complete it. Where she is staying now is not convenient, and because of that we’re helping her to complete this structure. It’s a partnership that we’re doing,” Clark Bygrave explained.

In addition to her effusive praise for the credit union team and Wallace, an elated Eccleston also thanked her romantic partner, friends, relatives, and other supporters who chipped in on Labour Day. “My spouse [sic] also, Roy McLaren, has been there throughout the entire process. Even sometime when I feel like giving up, he’s there to keep pushing me,” she said.

There were several other Labour Day projects scattered across Trelawny on Monday, including the parish project, which saw the Trelawny Municipal Corporation sprucing up and washing down historic Water Square in Falmouth. In addition, the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s Trelawny Division, with the support of RIU Palace Aquarelle, gave the Falmouth Fire Station a major facelift. The hotel contributed paint, meals, and refreshments for the team throughout the day, helping to support successful completion of the project.

Branch manager for the Jamaica Police Co-operative Credit Union in Montego Bay, Khadine Clark Bygrave (right) listens attentively to her colleague, Camille Isaac, during a Labour Day project in Deeside, Trelawny, on Monday. (Photo: Horace Hines)

District Constable Sabrina Eccleston of the Trelawny Police Division at her under-construction home in Deeside, Trelawny, on Labour Day. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Labour Day work ongoing in Deeside, Trelawny to construct a new home for District Constable Sabrina Eccleston, who lost her home during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last year. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Work being done in Deeside, Trelawny, on Labour Day, to provide a home for District Constable Sabrina Eccleston and her two young children. (Photo: Horace Hines)

Mayor of Falmouth C Junior Gager (second left) shows off his painting skills last Thursday in preparation for a Labour Day project in Water Square, Falmouth. Looking on from left are colleagues from the Trelawny Municipal Corporation: Shakera Williams McNarrin, community programmes coordinator; Kayon Hall, chief engineering officer; and Andrew Harrison, chief executive officer. (Photo: Horace Hines)