The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) celebrated a special birthday in a big way yesterday.
National Heroes Day is always a significant holiday in Barbados, and more than 10 000 Barbadians, most of them dressed in bright red, and members or supporters of the BLP, crammed into every space available on the Ermie Bourne Highway on the day founder of the party, Sir Grantley Adams, was born 114 years ago.
Fifty-six buses were chartered by the party from the Transport Board for the annual picnic, highlighted by a brief but fiery speech from deputy leader Dale Marshall, and several performances from local artistes.
BLP leader Owen Arthur did not address the gathering, saying he wanted to spend some valuable time with his family members, a pleasure which politics had curtailed over the years.
The event was marred when a BLP supporter was involved in an accident with a vehicle in front of the podium. Chairman of the party, Jerome Walcott, a physician, provided medical assistance to the injured woman until an ambulance arrived.
