In the wake of the fire that destroyed the Clifton Boys’ Home in Darliston, Westmoreland last Sunday, January 15, the Diocese of Jamaica & The Cayman Islands, which owns and operates the Home, has opened a Rebuilding Fund at the National Commercial Bank, Savanna-la-Mar Branch, 68 Great George Street.
Donors are being invited to make contributions to The Clifton Boy’s Home Rebuilding Fund, Account number 611098561. Board Chairman, the Rev. Canon and Hon. Hartley Perrin, explained that a Foreign Currency Account number 614525185 has also been established to facilitate donors across the Diaspora.
The cause of the fire which started just after 4 O’clock Sunday afternoon, is still unknown. Meanwhile, Canon Perrin said the 28 residents of the Home are being housed temporarily at the nearby St. John’s Church, where they worship regularly; and efforts are being made to identify more suitable accommodation.
The Board Chairman said “We are heartened by the support which we have received from the leadership and members of the Anglican Church, as well as the wider community. We also welcome the assistance of the Child Development Agency (CDA) under whose jurisdiction we operate, and which has been collaborating with us to meet the immediate needs of the boys.”
Located on 7 ½ acres of arable land, the Clifton Boys’ Home, which began operation in 1960, is one of three Children’s Homes managed by the Anglican Church in Jamaica. The other two are the Wortley Home for Girls in Constant Spring, which is now being rebuilt following a fire in 2015; and St. Monica’s Home in Chapelton, Clarendon.
