The George Hill by-pass has become the most noticeable area of the central part of Anguilla. It is not just because it has proven to be a useful turn-off from the main road into the Jeremiah Gumbs Highway, relieving the build-up traffic at the stoplight.
It is essential because it is a beauty spot, created as a church/community project. It is bedecked with an array of well-placed floral and ornamental plants, and a crushed-rock corridor to facilitate the watering of the undulating and attractively shaped patch of colourful vegetation. It is further highlighted by a multi-coloured map of Anguilla and overlaid, as it were, by a conspicuous signage – of the name of the island in bold white lettering. The beautified area is made even more eye-catching by the brilliant red topsoil in which the vegetation is planted.
Mr. Evan Gumbs, of Valley South, who lives just off from the middle section of the Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport, and daily traverses the stoplight area, is one of the team members responsible for the beautification work.
“It is a community project of the Outreach Baptist Church and its membership,” he told The Anguillian newspaper. “We got together and decided that, apart from its ministry, it would be a good idea for the church to become involved in a community project. We approached Pastor Cecil Richardson who gave us the greenlight. We then wrote to the Minister of Infrastructure, Mr. Hadyn Hughes, who approved our project. It has nothing to do with politics. It is simply a community project.
“We set out to obtain the necessary plants and flowers – and persons, seeing what we were doing, joined in to assist us. They gave us additional plants and flowers, among other supplies, but were not keen for their names to be mentioned. We don’t know whether Mr. Andy Brown, of Hi-Tech Designs and Signs, wouldn’t mind his name being called, but he gave us the map and signage of Anguilla. We are most grateful to all of our donors.
“Many passers-by are seen taking photographs of the area for posting on Facebook, and have congratulated us for a good job. We are pleased that everybody appreciates our work.”
By way of explanation, Mr. Gumbs is a former Minister of Infrastructure.
The project, done by the members of the Outreach Baptist Church, which is located just off to the north of the Water Swamp Road, is an excellent example of community involvement in the patriotic and national development Anguilla.
