David Lammy visits Sophia Point
And other April 2023 updates…
David Lammy visits Sophia Point
During his short trip to Guyana David, co-founder of Sophia Point, met with key partners including, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana Dr. Paloma Mohamed, the British High Commissioner, Jane Miller OBE, Ministers in the Government of Guyana and builders to discuss the next steps for Sophia Point. He also took time, whilst in Georgetown, to attend an inspiring session with Guyanese female entrepreneurs who are part of the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Road to Growth initiative.
Escaping Georgetown, David spent time at Sophia Point with trail guide Desmond and Director Sam. He walked the new jungle trails and en route was able to check the wildlife cameras. He plans to return in August to see the progress on site.
Sand at Sophia Point
With final design for Sophia Point complete, the team have begun the process of collecting materials. We worked with local contractor Dave Younge to pump sand on site. His excellent team — Belle, Franky, Jonatan, Jorge, Lesley, William and Wiltord — repurposed a dredge used in gold mining to bring the sand from the river up to Sophia Point.
The sand is a key material in the construction of our new research centre. We will use it to infill the foundations, raise the height of the structure and as a mix for concrete.
Sourcing the sand from the river, instead of importing it, has saved time, cost and transport emissions in the process.
Researcher studying impact of mining returns to Sophia Point
Sean Glynn and his field assistant and sister Louise returned to Sophia Point as part of the next stage in his PhD exploring nature’s recovery from the impacts of mining. Sean is studying the rates of recovery in abandoned gold mine sites local to Sophia Point.
Using Sophia Point as his base he was also able to spend some time with us setting up mist nets and observing the birdlife. We wish him the best of luck with his research.
Local School wins science fair, Sophia Point supports
Congratulations to our local primary school, Holy Name, for winning their regional science fair. Their exhibition explored the role rainforests play in producing oxygen and providing the conditions for life on Earth. Sophia Point was delighted to support the effort, led by our Education Outreach Officer Miranda Bragan-Turner.
Sese Norville joins the team to support construction
A big welcome to Sese Norville who has joined the Sophia Point team. Sese will be advising and supporting Director Sam Airey during the build of the Sophia Point Centre. A trained engineer who has years of experience coordinating the delivery of projects across Guyana, he will be an asset to the team.
Sese is no stranger to Sophia Point having helped look after the site over the past four years. He will be making monthly visits to Sophia Point and will help oversee the build process.
Old boat given new life as vegetable garden
We spent time with neighbour Newton repurposing the shell of a former wooden boat to provide vegetables for the Sophia Point kitchen. Following Newton;s guidance we set about bringing the boat back to life with manure and mulch so we could plant bora, okra, turmeric and callaloo.
The trial has proved a huge success, we are now planning a next cycle of crops as well as a food waste composter on site.
Spotted at Sophia Point…
In the latest check on the camera traps we were excited to spot this Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). The jaguarundi is about twice the size of a domestic cat. Due to their long bodies, short legs, dark brown fur, and their strong swimming, they are also known as the ‘otter cat’. This particular individual looked to be limping
If you want to keep up with more of our camera trap updates we post them on our Instagram and Facebook accounts, links below.
