Activities for better community health

HEALTHY Loddon Campaspe is introducing a range of new programs in the region to further promote and encourage community health.

Two parkruns, two healthy eating projects and a series of health initiatives in schools have been announced, with final dates and venues still to be determined.

More than 20 projects, primarily encouraging physical activity and healthy eating, will be delivered in the local government areas of the City of Greater Bendigo and Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Loddon, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander shires.

A parkrun, geocaching activities and engaging primary school students and their families in learning about and growing food at home will be run in Heathcote.

A multicultural cooking program will be offered in Long Gully, probably in a joint effort with the Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre, while the HLC’s Healthy Schools Project will continue to support schools to promote and encourage healthy eating and physical activity.

The Heathcote parkrun will be an extension of a La Trobe University student-run pilot, which was conducted recently and supported by HLC.

HLC co-ordinator Alicia O’Brien said some of the new projects would build on the success of past efforts while others would be trialled for the first time, based on community feedback and local needs.

“Data from the Active Living Census told us that 62.5 per cent of Loddon Campaspe residents are overweight or obese, and only 13 per cent of adults and 14 per cent of children meet the daily vegetable consumption guidelines,” Ms O’Brien said.

“Delivering this new round of place-based activation projects across our region will help to address these statistics by encouraging and enabling healthy eating and physical activity.

“HLC is excited to be scaling up projects already successfully delivered in other areas, as well as piloting new, innovative projects that consider the needs of our local communities.”

Ms O’Brien said some of the food-focused projects were designed to align closely with the objectives of the recently-launched Flourish Regional Food System Framework.

Planning for the new round of projects is under way and participating venues, dates and other details will be published on the HLC website, healthyloddoncampaspe.au, and on the organisation’s social media.