Healthy Loddon Campaspe

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What is Healthy Loddon Campaspe?

Healthy Loddon Campaspe (previously known as Healthy Heart of Victoria) is an initiative aimed at improving health outcomes in the Loddon Campaspe region – the 'heart of Victoria'. The initiative was developed in response to the region showing higher than state average rates of obesity, chronic disease and high-risk health behaviours.  Healthy Loddon Campaspe projects are designed to focus on those parts of the community that are the least supported, to help encourage healthy eating and get more people more active, more often.

There are six local councils involved in the initiative – Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Loddon Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire and Mount Alexander Shire.

Background

In 2016, the community told the Loddon Campaspe Regional Partnership that it was concerned about health statistics and outcomes in the region. They also believed that health is everyone’s business, not just that of health services and professionals.

To address these concerns, a series of design workshops were undertaken involving more than 100 stakeholders from local government, health services, primary care partnerships, universities and state government departments. An implementation framework was developed from this work.

The three components of the program are:

  • Health Brokers – a workforce to work within the six local government areas
  • Active Living Census – data to support planning for health and recreation services
  • Infrastructure and programs – to focus on physical activity and healthy eating

Stage 1 projects - completed

Projects completed in Campaspe Shire included:

Activating Crossenvale: Park upgrade and activation sessions for young people.

Healthy Choices EWMAC: Healthy eating audit, food and drink changes made and small-scale infrastructure.

Walking on Eyre Street: Installation of 250 metres of connected footpath along Eyre Street in Echuca East providing an accessible corridor for a historically disadvantaged community to critical sporting, commercial, health and education facilities.

Girgarre Walking Track Enhancement: Installation of two picnic tables (one wheelchair accessible) and two park benches (with armrest) to provide a safe rest area for users of the 800 metres walking path.

Hydration Stations Installation: Installation of hydration stations in Colbinabbin, Stanhope, Girgarre, and Rushworth.

Activating Tongala Hub: Activation sessions delivered at the Tongala Fitness Hub for Primary School aged children. A Healthy Lunch Box program was also delivered and recorded for the school to share with the community.

Jamie’s Ministry of Food Program: Working with local neighbourhood houses, a healthy cooking program was delivered to communities experiencing high food insecurity.

Healthy and Well Campaspe:

  • Healthier Sporting Clubs Initiative: Working with sporting clubs to enhance healthy food and drink offerings to patrons with small scale infrastructure support.
  • Kitchen Garden Program in Early Years: Revitalised kitchen garden programs in the early years setting.
  • Active Biking Campaspe: Installation of ten bike racks throughout the Campaspe Shire to encourage active transport options. 

Stage 2 projects - completed

Following the positive impact of Stage 1, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Government provided further funding for an additional four years as part of the 2022 State Budget.

Works to continue include:

  • Implementing place-based activations focusing on physical activity and healthy eating. Projects will continue to focus on those parts of the community that are the least supported to help encourage healthy eating and get more people, more active, more often.
  • A workforce of localised Health Brokers in each Local Government Area focusing on developing relationships to help build knowledge about health and wellbeing.
  • Utilising and sharing the findings from the Healthy Loddon Campaspe Active Living Census to help ensure that investments, infrastructure, programs and services across the region are what is needed and where it’s needed.

Projects for this financial year are:

Active Stadiums project

Aim: To increase participation in physical activity amongst Campaspe Shire residents.

Campaspe Shire Council and Echuca Regional Health are undertaking community consultation to learn how the Shire can provide new physical activity options in Echuca, Kyabram and Tongala’s underutilised indoor stadiums. It’s especially important to understand what the physical activity needs are for those who could potentially use the stadiums during the day, including elderly people, stay at home parents with toddlers and babies or people living with a disability. These insights will assist with planning the most suitable activities for the community.

Progress: This pilot project is currently undertaking consultation with community to identify what new physical activities will be offered in underutilised stadiums in Echuca, Kyabram and Tongala.

This project is being led by Councils Recreation Team and Echuca Regional Health.  

Portable StoryWalks project

Aim: To increase participation in walking amongst families living in Campaspe Shire.

The Portable StoryWalks project will create 15 StoryWalk boards and a trailhead to promote active reading for young children and their adults. StoryWalk is an innovative way for children and their adults to engage in outdoor physical activity and reading at the same time.

Pages from a book are affixed to story boards, which are installed along an outdoor path. As participants walk along the trail, they will be directed to the next page in the story. The StoryWalk activity is portable and will be moved between towns that have a Campaspe Library, including Rushworth, Rochester, Kyabram and areas in Echuca.

Progress: The Story Boards are currently under construction, once complete StoryWalks will commence throughout the shire.

This project is led by Campaspe Library.

Drinking Water Partnership project

Aim: To increase the consumption of water in key settings where Campaspe Shire residents live, work and play.

The Drinking Water Partnership project will install three drinking water fountains to locations identified through a need-basis criteria. The project will also develop local government guidelines for installation, map drinking water fountain locations and promote/deliver a campaign to increase water consumption.

In Campaspe Shire Council, 15.5% of residents consume sugary drinks daily which is significantly higher than the state average, 11.2% respectively (ALC 2019). A high consumption of sugary drinks increases the risk of overweight/obesity, diabetes and poorer general health. By undertaking this project, Council aims to improve the health of Campaspe residents and the environment, promoting tap water as the best choice of hydration.

Progress: A Map and Gap exercise is underway to identify where permanent water stations currently are, and where there are gaps/ low levels of access to drinking water. Once locations have been established, drinking water fountains will be installed and an awareness campaign promoting the consumption of water.

This project is led by Campaspe Shire Council’s Recreation Team.

Healthy Schools project

Aim: To increase the number of schools within Campaspe Shire that provide a supportive environment for physical activity and healthy eating.

Campaspe Shire Council, in partnership with Echuca Regional Health, will engage five schools across the shire as part of the Healthy Schools Project, offering a suite of healthy eating and physical activity options tailored to the needs of each participating school community.

The Project is designed to support schools to strengthen efforts promoting and encouraging healthy eating and physical activity. Throughout the project, schools will work with Council’s Healthy Schools Support Officer to identify goals, priorities and tailoring plan options for each school community.

Progress: The five schools have been selected based on a specific selection criterion and are currently undertaking project onboarding. Once all schools have completed the process, an environmental audit will be conducted with each school identifying specific activities/deliverables to undertake as part of the project.

This project is led by Echuca Regional Health.

Twin Rivers School Garden project

Aim: To increase consumption of healthy food amongst the ETRSS and broader community.

This project supports Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School (ETRSS) to increase the consumption of healthy food amongst the ETRSS and broader community. The project will deliver a suite of activities/deliverables that will increase skills, knowledge and confidence of the school community in growing and cooking healthy food; increase distribution of excess garden produce to wider community; and build external partnerships.

Progress: Project plan almost complete, environmental audit will take place Term 4 along and identify changes (activities/deliverables) that will need to take place to achieve the above aim and objectives.

This project is led by Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School. 

Stage 2 2024-2025 projects – underway

Growing in Campaspe

Aim: to increase the consumption of healthy foods amongst families in Echuca and Rochester.

Growing in Campaspe aims to enhance children's learning through planting and growing vegetables. Families with children at childcare centres in Echuca and Rochester will be supported to grow food in portable containers both at the centres and at home.

Healthy Schools Project

Aim: to increase the number of schools within Campaspe Shire that provide a supportive environment for physical activity and healthy eating.

The Healthy Schools Project is designed to support schools to strengthen efforts to promote and encourage healthy eating and physical activity. Through this project, schools identify goals and priorities, and select healthy eating and/or physical activity options tailored to the needs of their school community. 

Healthy Sports Rewards project

Aim: to increase the consumption of healthy food and the participation if physical activity amongst children and youth in Campaspe Shire.

The Healthy Sports Rewards project in Campaspe Shire aims to use sporting clubs as a vehicle to drive healthy eating and physical activity by enhancing their capacity to offer healthy reward options to junior members. Sporting clubs can have a large impact on junior members’ health by reducing advertising and exposure to fast food, as well as by offering opportunities to participate in healthy activities, through voucher and rewards programs.  

Walk This Way and geocaching project

Aim: to increase participation in physical activities amongst Kyabram and Echuca residents.

The Walk This Way project is focused on increasing incidental and affordable physical activity within school communities by:

  • Activating Footpaths outside of the schools with strategically placed decals that will involve fun designs to promote physical activity to school children. 
  • Walking groups and mapping - paths will also be activated by mapping walking loops and facilitating Walking Groups for Parents/Carers after they drop their children off at school.  
  • Geocaching - engaging school children in a geocaching to encourage physical activity in a fun and exciting way. Geocaching takes place in the outdoors and is the process of hiding and locating small containers (geocache) using GPS coordinates. 

Tongala multicultural healthy eating project

Aim: to increase consumption of healthy food amongst the multicultural community in Tongala.

This project will aim to work with the multicultural community residing in Tongala and surrounds. This project will engage in consultation with this community to determine interventions which will support the increased consumption of healthier and more culturally safe foods.  

For more information, please visit www.healthyloddoncampaspe.au

Adventure Bingo

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Adventure Bingo has launched in Campaspe

Adventure Bingo invites residents to get involved, either online or via hard copy, by walking one of six trails across the Loddon Campaspe region. Through the initiative, participants spot points of interest listed on a grid during their walk and once they’ve spotted three items in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line, they’ve got Bingo.

The Campaspe Shire Adventure Bingo walk is located in Gunbower and Rochester.  Bingo cards are available for free at the following locations or participate online by clicking here

Want to know more? 

 

 

The Active Living Census

The Active Living Census (ALC) is back in 2025!

The ALC is a region-wide survey conducted by Healthy Loddon Campaspe that asks residents in our region about their health, wellbeing and daily activities.

Almost 25,000 people took part in the 2019 ALC, providing the region with detailed data about our communities' health and wellbeing, and we're looking forward to hearing from you again.

The survey looks at things like:

  • How often people play sport or are physically active;
  • What they eat and drink (like fruit, vegetables, water, and sugary drinks);
  • Smoking and gambling habits;
  • How happy people feel about their lives; and
  • What stops people from being healthy and active.

This information helps schools, sporting clubs, community groups, government, and local leaders make better decisions about health programs, new recreation spaces, and services. It also helps the community get funding to make the region a healthier place for everyone.

The 2025 Active Living Census will open for responses on Monday 26 May. For more information visit www.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/alc.

To view the 2019 Active Living Census reports for Campaspe Shire visit www.healthyloddoncampaspe.au/2019alc.

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