Day two of the annual Barbados Manufacturers Exhibition (BMEX) 2018 got off to a quiet start Saturday morning at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
However, it had a very special guest in Governor General Dame Sandra Mason who paid a visit to several stalls to see what was on offer.
As she inspected the venue, Dame Sandra also took some interest in Frederick Smith Secondary School’s student Daleron Thomas’ table where he had a powerbox on display.
Thomas said he built the powerbox from recycled parts, allowing him to charge devices such as the Nintendo DS he had plugged.
The small device also had a built in microphone and speaker and all of this was done with only self-training, he explained.
Some of the younger hosts at BMEX were Jannica King and Sarai Brathwaite from the Eagles Academy.
The pair showed the Governor General a number of projects they created through recycling, showing that there was always value in something old.
Jaeda Greaves, 11, also from Eagles Academy outlined how the solar dehydrator she had on display worked with heat from the sun and the rising hot air to dry the fruit.
For the first time ever, the Barbados Workers’ Union also had a booth at BMEX and general secretary Toni Moore said the executive council felt it would take the opportunity to let the workers present at BMEX get an appreciation for the services offered to them by the union.
These ranged from the available lots at its Mangrove, St Philip housing project to what facilities at its Labour College, also at mangrove, and Solidarity House at Harmony Hall, St Michael, it offered in terms of rental space for various events.
While looking around with her family, Wainelle Alleyne-Jones said this year’s BMEX had good variety and noted several of the projects on display were innovative. She felt the organisers should look at working on a better way to capture the attention of those attending.
BMEX ends Monday. (AD)
