Bense
Bense is a town in Saint Andrew Parish. The town is made up of three communities which are Bense, Anse de Mai, and Anse Soldat. Together with neighouring Hampstead, Bense has a total population of about 900 people. The town stands on a hill and overlooks the wide sea. The Minister for Health and Social Security, Honourable John Fabien, is from Bense.
Together with neighbouring Hampstead and Calibishie, Bense is administered and represented in parliament by Honourable Mathew Walter, the Minister of Information, Community Development, and Gender Affairs. The three communities of Bense, Anse de Mai, and Anse Soldat are jointly managed by one village council.
A number of community and public facilities can be found in the large village of Bense. These are the –
- Community preschool
- Bense primary school
- Seventh-Day Adventure church
- Baptist church
- Community resource centre
The village council meetings hold in Bense, and the community resource centre houses the council office, the Credit Union, the Post Office, the Lonia Thomas computer centre/internet café, and other business centres.
Most residents of Bense are farmers, although those in Anse de Mai and Anse Soldat engage in fishing activities due to their closeness to the sea. Anse de Mai has a beach where fishermen can anchor their fishing boats, and the village also has a Catholic Church, the Kubuli bar, the community health centre, and a sports field. Anse Soldat is also a fishing community with a sandy beach for boats, and the Town Network Fire Domino Club is located here.