Kayleigh Oliver – Lignum Vitae Club

Taking A Big Step Forward

Kayleigh Oliver — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 22:14:44 +0000

I’m fundraising for Pancreatic Cancer UK

On Saturday 17th July, one of the co-Chairs of LVC Angela Newby, is taking part in a sponsored walk. This event is being undertaken in memory of an ex-work colleague who was an art teacher.

The link is below if you want to join us in supporting her. It’s a stroll, just 3 miles round trip.

https://www.thebigstepforward.org.uk/fundraisers/angelanewby

Thanks in advance and good luck Angela!

Laying To Rest

Kayleigh Oliver — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 19:56:01 +0000

After building a life in the United Kingdom, having children and grandchildren, some from the Windrush generation decided to return home to Jamaica to be with their remaining family and live life at their own pace enjoying their retirement.

When the unfortunate news of their death is informed to their families, many of the children make the journey to Jamaica to put their parents to rest. A final sign of respect. However, the systems within Jamaica are known, even to this day, to “move slow”. This means that a simple task of filling one piece of paperwork can take three times as long as it can within the UK. For all the moaning that we do over here about our bureaucratic systems, believe me, Jamaica is on another level.

This series of posts speaks from one woman’s journey to bury her mother in Jamaica between 17th June 2015 to 1 July 2015.

We hope that by sharing this, anyone else that will go through a similar situation will be more prepared and be ready for any challenges that await you.

How To Bury Your Loved One Abroad

Let me tell you about my experience as a first generation Caribbean descendant born in the UK trying to lay my mum to rest in Jamaica.

A week after we learned of the death of my mum, my family arrived on Wednesday 17th June in Jamaica. The first document we needed was a medical certificate. We eventually collected this on Thursday from the Alexandria police station six miles away.

However, when we first got there, the front desk officers said they weren’t aware of any document. The Sergeant then informed the staff that there was an envelope addressed to the family in the office.

Once retrieved, we took the medical certificate on Friday 19th June to the funeral parlour in Browns Town nine miles away.

When we arrived at the funeral parlour, we were told that we also needed a Form N, The Registration (Births and Deaths) Law, Part B – Certificate for Burial after Registry ‘pink form’ from the local town registrar which was down the road from the local town police station. This meant that we would have to return back to the funeral parlour once we had obtained the form.

Digging

Saturday 20th June was grave digging. My dad, grandmother, and grandfather are already buried on our land. I employed a builder and he brought four workers with him for the task. In addition, we had about 25 onlookers, including babies and young children, who we are supposed to give food and drink. The materials for the funeral plot (including delivery) cost J$31,800.00.

Back To Town

On Monday 22 June, we returned to the registrar to get the pink form. At this point he asked us for i.d. for my mother. The only i.d. I had was an out of date passport. I told him that I would look again but would have to return on Thursday 25th June. This cost J$300. The deputy registrar had no change from a J$1000 and as my sister only had J$200 he reluctantly accepted this. The deputy registrar also informed us that we would need permission from the Parish Council to bury my mum on her own land and this would cost us J$2,500

In the way back to the car, I checked the form only to find out that the registrar had put the incorrect surname on the form, so I went back in and got him to change it. Unfortunately, I failed to check any other information at this time.

We proceeded to the funeral parlour and I gave them the programme and the ‘pink form’. To our dismay, the clerk discovered that the registrar had put the incorrect date of my mother’s death! She telephoned him and asked us to get it amended on our return journey home. The registrar reminded us again about the Parish Council.

Unfortunately, we had a partial blackout on the night of Tuesday 23rd June. We had to call out an electrician on Wednesday 24th June so we were unable to go out that day.

On Thursday 25th June we went back to the Registrar with my mum’s Electoral Registration Card and her i.d. This number was written on the back of the document in the Registrar’s book.

We then went onto the Parish Council, 17 miles away and I took with me the Property Tax paper for 2015 – 2016. The Administrator asked for the Title of Deeds. I explained that I did not have this document and I did not know how far my mum had progressed with the process. She told me that I would not be able to go ahead with the funeral unless I found a Justice of the Peace (JP) to verify that it was my mum’s land. At this point we were finding the whole process frustrating, stressful and the various departments unhelpful at a time when we were grieving for my mum. I told all this to the Administrator. I didn’t know a JP and was not prepared to go back home again 17 miles away. I also explained that I was due to fly back to the UK on the following Wednesday, so we would go ahead with the funeral on Saturday 27th June. She then took the address of the property to do a visit and told us that it would be J$2,500. The computer was not working so we given a manual receipt.

We went back to the funeral parlour to deliver my mum’s clothes, and pay for the funeral package costing J$160,000 this included:

Casket
100 Programmes
2 Radio Announcements
1 Wreath, Storage
Preparation of the Body
1 North Coast Time Paper Announcement
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a funeral car available for the family so they reduced the cost by J$10,000.

Friday 26th June was Nine Night, traditionally in the UK people normally bring food and drink to the grieving family, men bring drinks and women bring food. Not so in Jamaica, they expect the family to provide food, drink and a ‘band’. The minimum cost for a band was J$30,000. The food was soup, fish and bread and the cook charged us J$7,000 for the nine night and funeral.

Saturday 27th June was the day of the funeral. We were told by a frantic relative that we needed to ring the funeral parlour. I was informed by the funeral parlour that they had now incorrectly spelt my mother’s forename. They had put a ‘H’ instead of ‘M’. Nothing else could go wrong!

Church Service And The Graveside

The funeral service was held at the church my mum attended and sang in the choir since she returned to Jamaica. A donation was given to the Pastor/Deacon in an envelope from the family.

We sang songs at the graveside and when my mum was buried I collected the pink form from the Pastor/Deacon.

On Monday 29th June I was told that our local Post Office could provide the death certificate. So I took a short walk to the Post Office to be told by the substitute post mistresses that the post mistress had taken the registrar books with her. She lived about three miles away. She then examined the ‘pink form’ and told me she had not issued it and I would have to go back to the registrar in the nearest town another 3 miles away.

Luckily an officer from the Parish Council was at the registrar house. I presented the pink form and asked for the death certificate. Surprise, surprise I was told that the officer was collecting the paperwork from the registrar. We would have to go the Parish Council to apply for the death certificate. The cost of this would differ depending on the time to deliver:

J$4,500 (2-3 days)
J$3,000 (7-10 days)
J$2,000 (6 weeks)

This application would go to Spanish Town and then be returned to the Parish Council.

I then went to the Tax Office to get a Taxpayer Reference Number (TRN) for myself. This required me to provide ID (Passport) and I was issued with a temporary number until my card was ready. This enabled me to transfer a Retailer’s Licence J$2,500 into my name so that we could reopen my mum’s Groceries/Liquor Store. This was an efficient department and only took half an hour for the TRN and Retailers Licence.

I also went to the bank to close my mum’s account and transfer the balance to my account. This was a one and a half hour wait which they apologised for, yet they were the only establishment that offered their condolences/sympathy for my loss during this time.

Costs

The costs below do not include air fares, spending money, hire car, groceries etc

Registrar = J$300
Material for grave including vault = J$32,000
Suit – FREE
Lace cap J$650
Underwear J$500
Handkerchief J$80,
Funeral package = J$160,000
Extra wreath = J$13,000
St Ann’s Bay Parish Council J$2,5000
Deacon/Pastor for funeral service at Baptist Church J$2,000
Application for death certificate: J$4,5000 [2 – 3 days], J$3,000 [7 -10 days], J$2,000 [6 weeks]

Total spent J$210,030.00
Total spent £2,250.50

Calderwood to Alexandra = 11.5km/6 miles, 15 minutes
Alexandra to Browns Town = 15.5km/9 miles, 22 minutes
Browns Town to St Ann’s Bay = 28.7km/17 miles, 38 minutes

So What Do You Think Of This Experience?

I think it’s safe to say that no one should have to go through so much unnecessary back and forth when trying to carry out a funeral. This is an extremely emotional time for anyone and to make the entire process more difficult for the family is inexcusable. So from this ordeal, it’s obvious that the Jamaican government needs to refine their process, make things clearer and ensure adequate staff training to reduce and try to prevent time and financially costly mistakes such as spelling mistakes on these essential forms.

This was the process within the parish of St Ann in 2015. I can’t speak for the rest of the Jamaican parishes, they may have been more organised and helpful. But, you’re stuck with where you live unfortunately.

Since 2015, I’m hoping that this parishes processes have greatly improved so that one of the worst times in a families lives is handled in a timely and more respectful manner.

Suggestions for Improvement

The department’s in Jamaica need a centralised system that’s up-to-date and secure with staff that are properly trained to use it.

Information in the form of a website or mobile app should be set up with all of this information in order to guide the bereaved through the process quickly and without additional stress through this time.

Spelling mistakes on these documents may happen (because we’re only human), but they should not occur so many times. Feedback on service should be kept to measure these occurrences and the service received. This will highlight issues that need rectifying and provide a list to create a plan to fix them.

Details about all requirements with contact details for people that would be useful at each stage should be documented here.

Reggae Month 2019

Kayleigh Oliver — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:21:26 +0000

It’s International Reggae Month!

How are you celebrating? Don’t know yet?

If you need a few options, take a look at the events that Rastaites.com has listed.

If you go to an event here or any other to celebrate Reggae month, let us know by tagging #reggaemonth on Instagram.

Support Lignum Vitae Club with Amazon Smile

Kayleigh Oliver — Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:28:56 +0000

Lignum Vitae Club is now on Amazon Smile so you can show your support for the club in another and easy way when you go about your daily shopping.

What is Amazon Smile?

AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on amazon.co.uk. The difference is that when customers shop through the URL smile.amazon.co.uk, AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of the net purchase price (excluding VAT, returns and shipping fees) of eligible purchases to the charitable organisations selected by customers.

Does it cost the customer anything?

No. The customer doesn’t contribute any extra during their purchases. The money is donated solely from Amazon.

How do I select Lignum Vitae Club from Amazon Smile?

On your first visit to AmazonSmile, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Go to smile.amazon.co.uk
If you are not signed in, sign in with your Amazon account
Select Lignum Vitae Club from the list of charitable organisations
Start shopping!

Can I use my current Amazon account?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

I’m already signed up, how can I help further?

We’re glad you asked. You can help us further by sharing this post to others who shop on Amazon. We’re happy for all to help us however if you know your company buys from Amazon, why not ask them to support us via Amazon Smile too. And of course, please share on social networks so we can increase the amount of donations we have coming via Amazon.

Share on Twitter

Share on Facebook

For more information on Amazon Smile, please see the official Amazon Smile page.

Windrush 70 Year Celebration at the Houses of Parliament

Kayleigh Oliver — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 16:34:11 +0000

Last night, we attended a reception at the Houses of Parliament to honour the Windrush Generation and their descendants. The occasion marked the 70^th anniversary year since the arrival of the Windrush Empire at Tilbury Docks in Essex on 22 June 1948, bringing approximately 500 Jamaicans to live and work in the UK.

This event was hosted by the Streatham Ethnic Minorities Forum organised by the chair Maxine James. The MP for Lambeth, Chuka Umunna gave a great keynote speech that you can view here.

There was only standing room remaining once the event began and a tasty selection of Caribbean refreshments were provided.

Chuka was slightly delayed so after Maxine gave a short introduction to the evening, we were lucky to have Marsha de Cordova, MP and former Lambeth Councillor, introduce herself and greet us all. Chuka arrived shortly after.

After the keynote speech, we enjoyed a poem by Maya Angelou read by Trevor Thomas, a trio of songs sung by a wonderful singer Mrs Philippa Bamgboye accompanied by Christopher Rose on the keyboard, and an original poem written and read by Harry James.

Thank you for a wonderful event Streatham EMF.

Come to our Autumn quiz with Shaun Wallace

Kayleigh Oliver — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 17:56:03 +0000

Our next quiz is going to be compèred by none other than Shaun Wallace.

As we are currently supporting Ellen Pearl Outreach Children’s Charity, Sean (being a patron of the charity) has kindly said he will host our next quiz night fundraiser.

Please come along and invite a friend. To get tickets please either email Angela Edwards or Valrie Stewart.

For more information please see the calendar event details.

AGM 2018

Kayleigh Oliver — Tue, 01 May 2018 12:00:07 +0000

Last week we had our Annual General Meeting.

We had a full house of guests that evening, including our new patron, Dr Lola Ramocan, and two speakers, Paulette Lewis MBE and Vivienne Siva, Community Relations Officer at the Jamaican High Commission.

The evening began with a prayer by one of our longstanding members Penny and the welcome by the current chair, Beverleigh Forbes.

Dr Ramocan began by giving a brief introduction of herself and her work within service throughout her life so far.

Vivienne Siva spoke about her role as the Community Relations Officer at the Jamaican High Commission.

She also recounted her day-to-day activities and even some of the more unusual requests that are made.

Paulette Lewis gave the final talk about how important it was for charities of the diaspora to come together and support each other but in more coordinated ways.

After the talks, we split into two groups to discuss the importance of service between ourselves and how we can better improve the status quo.

We need to improve our communication to build bigger things.

Quiz and Curry Night April 2018

Kayleigh Oliver — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 12:56:43 +0000

Last Saturday, we held our quiz and curry night at Sudbury Neighbourhood Centre in Wembley and it was packed! We had a number of prizes donated within our raffle and lovely handmade gifts available for purchase.

Guests travelled from all over London to the event and were greeted with a glass of rum punch or homemade fresh lemonade.

Geoff Schumann was the comperes for the evening and provided brilliant entertainment to all the guests and club members.

Before the night’s raffle was drawn and the winning team announced, Beverley Chung, founder and chair of EPOCC spoke about the work that EPOCC was doing and that she was grateful to everyone there and the club for supporting the event.

The winning team were crowned and presented with their prizes of a handmade, decorated bottle bag and a bottle of Appleton rum donated by the Jamaican High Commission.

We’d like to thank everyone who turned up to the event and supported it in any way especially the companies or individuals that donated products or their time. These were:

Lorna Green, Chairperson of Friends of The Heart Foundation of Jamaica UK Ltd
Grace foods
Wanis foods
Angela Edwards (Jamaican High Commission)
Guided Ultrasonics Limited
The Jamaican High Commission
Nurses Association of Jamaica
W12 Music

Again thank you for making this event such a brilliant success.

We’ll see you at the next quiz.

The Winning Team

Come to our Quiz night in April with Geoff Schumann!

Kayleigh Oliver — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 22:08:31 +0000

The Lignum Vitae Club presents a Gala Quiz and Curry Night on Saturday 7th April 2018 with Quiz Master, Geoff Schumann. We’re raising money for Ellen Pearl Outreach Children’s charity who provide a toll free national 24 hours child line to the children of Jamaica.

Tickets will be £20 per person and will be held at Sudbury Neighbourhood Centre.

Tables will hold 8 people and TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST SO BOOK NOW!

For more information, please see the event details on the Events Calendar.

UK Diaspora raises $5m for Adopt-A-Clinic Initiative

Kayleigh Oliver — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 21:40:56 +0000

Last year the Lignum Vitae Club took part in raising funds for and supporting Jamaica 55 events. The proceeds of these events were being used for the Ministry of Health’s Adopt-A-Clinic initiative.

We are very proud to have been a part of these events and are thrilled to discover that the UK Diaspora raised $5m for Adopt-A-Clinic Initiative.

The Adopt-A-Clinic initiative is a wonderful cause and all at the Lignum Vitae Club are glad that so much success has been achieved by these events.

For more information, please the full article from the Jamaican Observer online.