Shire award $85,500 to local events

THE Surf Coast Shire Council has announced 21 local events that will share in $85,500 from their 2023/24 Event Grants Program.

New events to receive grant funding include an all-ages Surf Coast Roller Disco in Freshwater Creek as well as a Seaside Community Celebration in Anglesea which is slated for the end of this year.

The popular Torquay Rotary Motor Show also received funding through the Event Grants Program for the first time.

A total of $51,500 awarded to 10 events in the Tourism sector, $25,000 was awarded to six Boutique, Creative and Special Focus applications, five Community applications were supported for a total of $8,000, while the Christmas Carols on the Surf Coast also received $2,500.

Councillor Mike Bodsworth congratulated all winners and said he was pleased that such a diverse range of events had been awarded grants.

“It’s always great to support the longevity of mass participation events which deliver significant benefits in our off-peak tourism season, such as Amy’s Gran Fondo, Great Ocean Road Running Festival and several endurance events which take in the Surf Coast Walk,” he said.

“We’re also pleased to financially support new events on the Surf Coast Events calendar that connect our communities.

The end-of-year Seaside Community Celebration in Anglesea and the all ages Surf Coast Roller Disco in Freshwater Creek and Torquay are terrific examples of this.”

All 2023-24 Event Grants Program recipients will be added to the Surf Coast Events website and can be found at surfcoastevents.com.au