One of the old buildings in the community. - Ian Allen photos

Balford Anderson, strikes a pose on his donkey who he calls Daisy.

This man reads a copy of The Star in Ginger Ridge, St Catherine.

Principal of the Ginger Ridge All-Age School, Conroy Griffiths, talks to a group of boys at the school.

Once known for the prevalence of ginger, Ginger Ridge, St Catherine, no longer has that spotlight, but instead residents are calling for some highlight to several of their concerns.

The area that is close to the border of Clarendon and St Catherine has some bad roads, water problems and is in need of more street lights.

One of the Justices of the Peace (JP) in the area, Owen Simms, took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to express some of the concerns the people are experiencing.

"I am a Justice of the Peace since 1994; it's a relatively small farming community with problems with water, roads and we could do well with some more street lights. As you can see the roads are messed up and dug up and in need of repairs. Most persons are moving out," Simms said.

The JP shared how the community got its name. "The place got its name from a a little spot down the road where a lot a ginger used to grow. No ginger not around now, but you will find coffee, chocolate and a little pimento," Simms said.

Balford Anderson, a farmer, is concerned about the unemployed youngsters. "A lot of young people in di area don't have a job so if dem find someone to help dem out instead of sitting on the roadside, that would be good for the community," Anderson said.

During a tour of the community, principal of the Ginger Ridge All-Age School, Conroy Griffiths, said that as it relates to the water problem, his institution is not spared.

"I started out in January, so I am relatively new and what I can tell you is that some of the basic amenities are outstanding, such as piped water. My school population is declining, and it's not because the children are not sent here; the problem is that they are just not in the community. The children are very pleasant, but you find that 10 per cent of the community is doing 90 per cent of the work," Griffiths said.

The principal, who has big dreams for his school, says interestingly, there is Internet access, but no computers.

"Some students have their tablets and the teachers have their laptops that they use whenever the need arises," Griffiths said.

Aniica Bailey who has been teaching and living in the community for more than 10 years, said: "It seems as if they are not having kids this side, but we are doing relatively well. We have a literacy rate of 80 per cent. We lack resources and we would love to have some more furniture. We rely heavily on the rain because there is no piped water, but we have a very effective past student association who donate books and scholarships each year," Bailey said.