Bukit Timah bridge all dressed up for CNY
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Deepa Sundar
It all started 2½ weeks ago, when a resident asked Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, an MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, if there were going to be any Chinese New Year decorations in the neighbourhood.
Ms Sim had no such plan, or a budget for it. But she took it as a challenge, and tried something new.
After brainstorming with volunteers, she decided to decorate the iconic Bukit Timah Truss Bridge using recycled and upcycled materials.
"It's a very good way of celebrating festivals in a way that is environmentally friendly and which brings home the message of sustainability," she said when she was at the bridge on Wednesday.
About 100 residents, including volunteers from grassroots organisations, got together, and in 10 days, they created about 500 flowers from recycled plastic bags and 100 lanterns from used bottles.
Among them was Ms Agnes Liga, 48, a volunteer from the Dunearn Neighbourhood Committee. She and her 15-year-old daughter used plastic straws to make ribbons and resealable bags to attach used hongbao to the lanterns. Some lanterns included hand-written messages from children in the community.
About 200 flowers and 60 to 70 lanterns were used to adorn the bridge, and the remaining decorations will be used at the neighbourhood community centre.
Mr Christopher de Souza, another MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, who was also present, said the initiative showed how Singapore can adapt to the current pandemic. "This is quite possibly the start of different ways we celebrate our celebrations during Covid-19."
