Ashburton Courier: December 05, 2019

Local news at www.starnews.co.nz Ashburton’s The Courier, Thursday 5 December 2019, Page 3
Linda Clarke appointed
editor of The Courier
Linda Clarkehas been
appointed editor of The
Ashburton Courier,Mid
Canterbury’s best­read
paper.
She replaces John
Keast, wholeaves the
paper this weekafter 11
years in theroleand 47
years in newspapers.
Ms Clarkeisa
respected senior
journalistwho workedat
the Ashburton Guardian
in avarietyofrolesfor
morethan 25 years, in
severalstints.
She hasanextensive
All Chiro
knowledgeof
Ashburton, wasbrought
up at Hinds,and
attended Ashburton
College.
The Courier is owned
by Allied Press,
publisheroftheOtago
Daily Times.
Walk to raise health awareness
By Toni Williams
Be active, give some of
your time and connect
with others.
They are three of the
five steps in the Mental
Health Foundation’s five
ways of wellbeing, which
has influenced Ashburton
mother Amanda Walker
intoorganising awellbeing
awareness walk this
Sunday.
The walk, onthe Woolshed
Creek walkway, just
10 minutes from Mt
Somers, costs $10 per person.
It will raise money to
helpwith Waves facilitator
training for Safer Mid
Canterbury’s Lives Worth
Living programme and
connect people who have
beendirectly, or indirectly,
bereaved by suicide.
The Waves programme
in Ashburton, set to start
in February, is an eightweek
programme to support
adults (aged 18plus)
bereaved by suicide.
Festive win on the cards for Alice
An annual festive card
design competition run
through Ashburton Art
Gallery received more
than 150 entries, and a
winner has been found.
Run over the October
school holidays, the competition
tasked children
aged five to 13 with coming
up with an original
design based on the
theme of From Mountains
to the Sea.
The winner, chosen by
Ashburton mayor Neil
Brown, was nine­year­old
Alice Johnson.
The Ashburton
Borough School student’s
work, called Out on the
Ashburton’s Amanda Walker is hoping to raise
money, and awareness, with aWoolshed Creek
wellbeing awareness walk this Sunday.
It has been successfully
run in Christchurch and
Timaru.
Funding has been
secured by SaferMid Canterbury
but Mrs Walker
was keen to see its continuity.
She said there was alot
of difficulty for families in
the district to get support
in times of need, especially
around mental health or
Farm, depicts the arable
plains of Mid Canterbury
with the Southern Alps in
the background and
braided rivers in the foreground.
Mayor Brown said the
design was ‘‘a great illustration
of our local landscape’’.
The winning artwork is
now this year’s official
Christmas card of Ashburton
District Council,
while an artwork selected
by the public will be the
gallery’s official Christmas
card.
Photo: Designer Alice
Johnson with Ashburton
mayor Neil Brown.
mental wellness services.
The event is an uphill
walk to represent the
uphill battle people affected
bysuicide face trying
to heal. It does require a
basic level of fitness.
Mrs Walker, amember
of the Mayfield Ladies’
Walking Group, said the
walkway held personal
memories connected to
the area.
‘‘Your own wellbeing is
not always easy,’’ she said.
But the walk, which
once completed gave an
uplifting sense ofachievement
worthy of apat on
the back, was a way to
make sure people in the
community were aware of
the devastating effect of
suicide to those living and
the importance to talk to
each other.
She encouraged people
to ‘‘start listening and
noticing’’ what’s going on
with other people.
The plan is to meet at
the Woolshed Creek car
park, on Jig Road, off
Ashburton Gorge Road,
this Sunday(December8),
at 8:45am; the walk starts
at 9am.
Anyone unable to
attend, or wanting togive
but not take part in the
walk, can deposit money
direct to bank account:
Woolshed Creek Walk,
account number 03 1354
0520956 30.
Plus 2years interest free*
on in store purchases $999 &over‘til25/12/19
PHONE 03 550 7000 ADDRESS 28-32 MOORE STREET, ASHBURTON WEBSITE WWW.BEDSRUS.CO.NZ
2184343