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Rotaract/Interact has agreed to work with the National Trust to help with beautification and other projects at one of Providenciales’ most historic sites, Cheshire Hall Plantation.

“I just wanted to say thank you so much for allowing us to assist with the tree planting and for providing a tour of the Cheshire Hall Site,” Nicquell Garland, incoming Rotaract/Interact president said in a message to Ethlyn Gibbs-Williams, the National Trust’s executive director.

“It was truly an honour and everyone was moved by the experience. We definitely look forward to working with the National Trust on this project and more,” Rotaract/Interact Community Service Director Reggie Dickenson said. He and 13 more young enthusiasts planted more than a dozen plants and trees within Cheshire Hall compound.

Gibbs-Williams expressed optimism in this collaboration with TCI’s younger people and hopes to get them interested in cultural and historical preservation.
“The National Trust welcomes the Rotaracts’ involvement in the plans for Cheshire Hall,” she said. “The clean-up is just the preliminary preparation for the stages in the implementation of the Cheshire Hall Development Plan.”

“It would be nice if the Rotaract Club and the trust could work together on the Cheshire Hall development plan. This way we could create job opportunities for a few young people.”

The Saturday clean-up and tree planting also came timely, as according to Gibbs-Williams, the site needs more of the vegetation maintenance than anything else.

“The whole objective the TCNT wants to achieve is a new look for Cheshire Hall whilst awaiting construction of the office block,” she said.
Gibbs-Williams said there are further plans for the site.

“At the moment guided tours are offered to tourists. We would like to increase marketing of the site, but at the same time we would like to enhance it. We would also like to offer comfortable seating in certain areas, and as another means of income, we are considering renting out the grounds for weddings and small selective events.”

Cheshire Hall is one of the key historic attractions on the island of Providenciales. These former cotton plantations had a high reputation because Caicos cotton was believed to be the best in the world.

Owner Thomas Stubbs settled on Providenciales, then known as Blue Caicos, and named his Plantation “Cheshire Hall” after his home county in Gawsworth, England. Much of the agricultural land they found was productive, at least in the short term.

After only a few years, their plantations were producing large yields of the long staple, Sea Island Cotton, preferred by the expanding textile industries of England.

Today, ruins of the main house and other structures related to slavery and the cotton industry remain.

Under the National Trust’s care, the historical site is being preserved for present and future generations.