The first Christmas party hosted by Member of Parliament for St James North, Chad Blackman, attracted more than 500 children from communities across the constituency for a day of food, entertainment and gift-giving at the Gordon Greenidge Primary School grounds on Saturday.
Speaking to Barbados Today at the event, Blackman said the strong turnout highlighted the importance of creating spaces where families could come together during the festive season.
“This is Christmas time, the idea is to ensure that the children of St James North can have a fun time, celebrating not just Christmas but the broad festivities in the constituency,” he said.
He added that the response from parents and children had been encouraging, noting, “A lot of children have come out today, their parents, and today really has shown me that as we build the community, people want to now engage in activities that will allow them to grow and foster a deeper community spirit.”
Scores of children, some as young as two months old, attended with their parents and enjoyed activities such as jumping tents and interactions with a clown who fashioned animals out of balloons.
The event also featured a live performance by popular entertainer Tionne Hernandez, and others, along with food, drinks and a gift-giving segment during which Blackman interacted with the children.
Reflecting on the atmosphere, he described it as a heart-warming experience and said he was happy to see “the joy on the children’s faces” as they participated.
Blackman noted that the party also served as a platform to showcase local talent within the constituency.
“There’s a lot of talent in the constituency, and this therefore allows us to now bring them to the fore, and we’re going to be seeing that going forward in 2026,” he said.
He added that cultural development would be a priority not only for St James North but for Barbados as a whole, stressing the need for MPs to create opportunities for creatives to develop their skills and potentially earn an income through the cultural economy.
While this was his first year hosting the event as the MP for the constituency, Blackman said he had organised a similar party last year while serving as a senator.
“This is, of course, my first year as a member of parliament, but last year I would have done this as a person who was interested in the constituency, but this year has been phenomenal, and I’m happy about the support and the level of commitment that the parents continue to give me and my team,” he said.
He also underscored the importance of nurturing civic and community-mindedness among young people as part of building the constituency’s future.
Thanking those who assisted in organising the party, Blackman described the community spirit in St James North as strong. He also outlined developments underway in the constituency, including progress on agricultural initiatives announced during the May by-election.
“So far we’ve been able to treat to the issue of a cooperative with respect to agriculture,” he said, pointing to the fertility of the area and the need to better link farmers with restaurants and hotels along the West Coast tourism belt.
He said such linkages were essential to ensuring that national economic growth translated into tangible community benefits.
“How do we now ensure that what is happening at the local level taps into the national level, and this is really what it’s about, where MPs are working with the national structure to make sure that the economy grows for all, an economy that’s inclusive,” Blackman said, adding that 2026 would be “a very exciting time for St James North.”
Looking ahead, he announced plans for additional constituency activities in the new year, including a luncheon for seniors in the second week of January and a major picnic later in the month, aimed at further strengthening engagement and participation within the constituency. (SZB)
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