The City of Whittlesea has provided more than $10,000 in grants for this year’s Neighbour Day.
Neighbour Day, an annual celebration of community between the week of March 26 to April 2, encourages people to connect meaningfully with their neighbourhood.
This year’s theme is ‘Create Belonging’.
Council handed out individual grants of up to $250 to support activities for residents to form relationships where they live, work and worship.
Council received more than 46 applications for grants and distributed more than $10,250 towards a range of community-building activities.
The activities included 23 street barbecues, the Nepalese community in Doreen and Mernda to host a clean-up and morning tea; several community wellness walk and talks through the municipality’s scenic landscape; street or community goods exchange; street repair workshops; and a street bake-off.
City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson said all events contributed to helping residents down the track especially in times of crisis.
“When people connect with their communities, they have a greater sense of belonging, which leads to improved mental wellbeing and a reduction in loneliness,” she said.
“It also contributes to strength and resilience in the face of external pressures and emergencies.
“It makes it easier to share things, like surplus produce, borrowing a ladder or helping each other during severe weather events or in an emergency.
“There are many different ways to participate in Neighbour Day, whether it’s big or small – it all contributes to building respectful relationships, sustainable connections and reducing loneliness in our communities within the City of Whittlesea.”
