Pegasus Post: September 03, 2020

10 Thursday September 3 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
PEGASUS POST
Your Local Views
BENEFIT: Community groups
in the city’s east that organise
events such as the New Brighton
Duke Festival of Surfing, will soon
benefit from the city council’s
Strengthening Communities Fund.
PHOTO: NEWSLINE
Community groups
benefit from $356,000
FOR THE last few weeks
it has been a joy to be part
of the Waitai/Coastal-
Burwood Community
Board.
THis because we
have been involved in
distributing $356,000 to
a whole raft of fantastic
local Coastal-Burwood
community groups
from Spencerville to
Aranui, from Burwood
to Queenspark and
from Southshore to New
Brighton to Waimari
Beach.
This Strengthening
Communities fund looks
to do just that – strengthen
communities. It supports
locally based organisations
whose projects contribute
to the strengthening of
community well-being in
the Christchurch city area.
This Strengthening
Communities fund is
the city council’s way of
recognising that not all
the important work of the
Council is done in town.
It recognises there are lots
of groups that do really important
work in the heart
of their communities and
that these – now more
than ever in the Covid environment
– need practical
financial support. These
groups are what hold much
of our society together.
Usually staffed by either
volunteers or part-time
workers they often run on
a shoe-string budget.
From toy libraries and
play centres, to elder
groups and friendship
clubs, from sports clubs
to garden trusts to Residents
Associations there
is an opportunity for
every group to get some
assistance. Many
take up the offer and make
an application. Some of
the groups run iconic local
events New Brighton
Duke festival of Surfing
while others like the New
Brighton project not only
run the popular Saturday
Market but are involved
in many aspects of life in
New Brighton.
Other groups like the
Aranui Community Trust
run or access a diverse
range of services and are
right at the heart of our
From the board
Kelly Barber, chair
Waitai/Coastal-Burwood Community Board
community making a huge
difference in the lives of
our people. It’s a privilege
for our board to support
a small part of the life
changing work they do.
But the distribution of
this fund is certainly not a
free-for-all lolly scramble.
It has a process. Each community
organisation needs
to have a proper structure
in place, a clear intention
as to how they are going
to use their money and be
accountable for that spend.
The city council provides
assistance with this as well.
Our board’s support staff
does an amazing job wrangling
all the applicants and
assisting them through the
process.
So next time you pay
your rates, I’m sure you’ll
be pleased to know that
some of that comes directly
back to your local
groups that help sustain
your community at the
grass roots.
Kia Kaha
www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.nz