Southern View: September 24, 2020

More documents

Recommendations

Info

8 Thursday September 24 2020 Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz SOUTHERN VIEW News Event to bring neighbours together • By Bea Gooding CHRISTCHURCH residents will soon be reconnecting with their neighbours in style. The city council’s Summer with your Neighbours event is due to start next month, which brings people closer together while celebrating the unique and diverse mix of each neighbourhood. A strong focus this year was for John Filsell neighbours to re-establish connections with each other following the Covid-19 lockdown. The event allows residents to apply for funding to organise events within their community, including street parties, neighbourhood clean-ups, fundraisers or sports days. Said John Filsell, city council head of community support, governance and partnerships: “Getting to know your neighbours creates a greater sense of community connectedness and safety.” Following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, he said there was a “huge swell” of community connections with neighbours developing strong relationships and supporting each other. The same could be said for the current pandemic. “Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, people were out in their neighbourhoods again and connecting from a distance; checking on vulnerable people and making sure they had access CONNECTING: Neighbourhoods can apply for funding to organise a street party, clean-ups or sports day. to food,” said Filsell. “Summer with your Neighbours events will help bring people together again and provide an opportunity to build on relationships, and even thank neighbours for their help.” The event was previously known as Neighbourhood Week and was first held in 1998. After community feedback, the city council decided three years ago to extend the event until the end of summer. “Weather was often an issue during October, and by extending it through to March allowed events to be held over Christmas and in the new year when the weather tends to be better,” said Filsell. Last year the Halswell-Hornby- Riccarton Community Board distributed $4500 in funding to local events in the city’s west. • Summer with your Neighbours starts October 23 and will run until March. Reinforcing links GETTING to know your neighbour isn’t just a nice thing to do – it might help you and your community meet and then recover from shocks and crises. Research suggests wellconnected communities do better in the aftermath of natural disasters, University of Canterbury Associate Professor Lucie Ozanne says. Their members also benefit from a sense they live in a community that is well connected, that cares about itself and the people in it, the community resilience expert said. “There are so many benefits for the place and for the people who live there,” she said. “The literature suggests there are positives for people’s sense of belonging, their sense of community, and even physical well-being. “So, the more we can do to foster links with other people in our neighbourhoods, the more people will feel they are somewhere that people care, and will help them and the wider community.” Ozanne welcomed the city council’s Summer with your Neighbours programme as a good way to help neighbourhoods reinforce their links. The programme will this year focus on re-establishing connections following the Covid-19 lockdown. Applications were still being processed, but it was anticipated street parties, neighbourhood clean-ups, fundraisers or sports days would be in the mix. Such events would help reaffirm pride in the community while introducing people to each other, and establishing new social links. This was important in a city where many neighbourhoods had pockets of transient people, or had many new residents, she said. Simply getting together with others was difficult postlockdown, as people continued to be wary of others from outside their bubbles. The Summer with your Neighbours programme could help reintroduce people to their neighbourhoods in the alert level 1 environment. Associate Professor Billy O’Steen, an expert on community and civic engagement, said community events could help foster stronger neighbourhoods. They could help break-down social isolation by introducing people to their neighbourhood, and by encouraging people to get to know each other. “The key is, people need to make it work. We all have a responsibility to make the effort to support each other, and make the effort to be known to each other.” People responded to the shock of the March 15 terror attacks by wanting to be part of events and gatherings that demonstrated a sense of community. Gatherings could help restore community links postlockdown - even while normal life resumed.
SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Thursday September 24 2020 9 Advertorial Friendly local gym offers classes for everyone Handily located in Colombo Street, Sydenham, Concrete Health and Fitness is a locally owned and operated, community-focused gym with 24/7 access. They offer 14 group fitness classes every week, including stretch, spin, core, circuit, step, pump and box fit. There are five seniors-based classes and the gym works closely with the physiotherapy clinic next door, who run two stroke classes each week out of the Concrete Gym facility. Soon, Concrete Gym will be starting youth box fit classes for children aged eight to 13 years of age. After taking over an existing gym in December 2015, Concrete Gym has built the brand to be known as one of the friendliest gym facilities in Christchurch, says owner Keith Symes. “We are the gym for everyday people. We have a broad demographic, which can cater to anybody,” Keith says. A children’s corner makes training a little easier for parents, he adds. “Our facility also includes free parking, coffee and wi fi.” The benefits include ‘bring a friend days’ every Wednesday and Friday, monthly weekend giveaway raffles, two massage chairs, a ‘bring a friend’ membership and discounts from over 10 local businesses. “We offer the best monthly promotions in town and our trial membership deal is second to none – $19 for three weeks, all access,” Keith says. “Every new member and trial member is entitled to a free initial consultation and exercise programme from our qualified and experienced team.” Concrete Gym is located at 300 Colombo Street in Sydenham, opposite McDonalds. Keith and his team look forward to welcoming new members. 8 wEEkS FREE mEmbERShiP Access card fees apply Concrete Health and Fitness prides itself on looking after their members and supporting local community business. • Get access to discounts from over 10 locals businesses. • All new members pay nothing for their first 8 weeks. • $2 per week off standard rates for the rest of 2020. • New members receive a free entry into their monthly weekend getaway promotion. 300 Colombo Street, Sydenham Ph: 332 2604 concretehf@gmail.com OPEN 24/7 www.gymchristchurch.co.nz /concretehf /concrete_health_and_fitness
Page 1 and 2: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 Connec
Page 3 and 4: SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury new
Page 7: SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury new
Page 15 and 16: TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020 Councillor

Southern View: September 24, 2020

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?