Residents and business owners from the West Bank Demerara community of Wales and its environs say that since the closure of the estate, business has declined drastically and the community is now left “like a crying child missing its mother.”

The Wales Estate has been closed by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for more than a year and the residents of the community and its environs say that they have noticed a drastic decrease in business and money flowing through the community, which has made Christmas bleak for them.

Stabroek News visited the quiet communities of Sisters, Wales and Patentia on Wednesday morning. On a normal day, Wales, the community which depended heavily on the sugar industry, would be busy and bustling with residents and other persons moving to and fro. Shops and other places of business, including the market, would be occupied and full of  chatter and the sounds of       vehicles.

However, Wednesday was ….