Members of 'Fun and Thrills Adventure Club' have committed themselves to taking some children from the National Children's Home in Papine for rides in Hope Gardens on specific Saturdays.

The promise was made at a Christmas treat held for the kids at the home last Saturday, when a cycle rack, safety helmets, and bicycles were handed over to the home for abandoned children.

At the ceremony, members of Fun and Thrills spoke to children about safety on the roads before taking them on a ride in the park to try out their new wheels.

Accordion to Leroy Anderson, director of the National Children's Home, which is operated by the Methodist Church, this was one of the best Christmas gifts the children had ever received. Anderson explained that not only were they treated to the normal material things, but the members were giving their time to mentor kids who had no family. He urged the children to take good care of the cycles and to remember the safety tips they were being given.

bicycle drive

Fun and Thrills is a group of health conscious persons who regularly cycle, hike and explore Jamaica. Last month, the members decided to put aside their usual Christmas festivities to do something positive for less fortunate children. They then went on a drive to get bicycles from friends and relatives whose kids had outgrown theirs, as well as to purchase safety helmets. In addition, they had a bicycle rack built to store the bikes, bought parts and paid for a technician to repair cycles already at the school but which were in a state of disrepair.

On Saturday morning, after handing over the gifts, speaking to the children about safety and having breakfast with them, some members then took a few of the children for a ride in Hope Gardens, promising that this activity would become a regular feature of the Saturday morning activities of the club.

The bicycles along with the rack which the members of Fun and Thrills Adventure Club donated to the National Children's Home in Papine recently.