THE NATIONAL Children's Home in Jamaica has been named the Mayor of Brent's main charity.
The Mayor, Rev. Peter Lemmon told JIS News that he chose the National Children's Home in Jamaica after personally observing the tremendous work being done there while on sabbatical from the Methodist Chirch in the United Kingdom.
"I went to five different islands, ending up spending five weeks in Jamaica and during that time I had the opportunity to visit the National Children's Home. And when I was there I saw what good work was being done by the staff," said Rev. Lemmon.
He said as Mayor he was given the opportunity to nominate charities for his mayoral year and promote and raise funds for them through various events. The National Children's Home in Jamaica topped the list of charities.
Mayor Lemmon who was a Methodist minister for more than 40 years, and a Councillor in Brent, North West London for six years, said he was concerned that the Methodist Church in the UK was cutting its financial support to the National Children's Home in Jamaica.
"When I got back to England, the Methodist Church of Great Britain had decided that it was becoming too dependent on the grants from England and should be more self-sufficient and to try to raise more funds by itself. I wrote saying that it was a bad policy."
He also organised closer links with the home and his local church, the Harlesden Methodist Church in Brent to offer equal support to the home through various fund-raising events, including special sponsored walks.
"We raised £750 one year and £500 another, but this year because I am the Mayor I have chosen it as my main charity to link West Indians here with those back home (in Jamaica) and also to get people in this country to realise that they should think not just of charities in England," he said.
The Mayor's other charities are the Brent Carers Association and the Brent Domestic Violence Forum. However, Mayor Lemmon said the National Children's Home in Jamaica would receive the majority of the funds raised during his year in office which ends in May.
"We had a bigger sponsored walk-a-thon and raised more than £3,000. At various events people sign cheques to the mayor charities and these will be divided between the charities," he said, adding that he hoped to be in Jamaica at the end of his year in office to present a substantial cheque to the National Children's Home.
