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The Mothers Living Well project seeks to improve the physical and mental health of mothers and their children in Bayswater. The project has sought input and participation by local women – including those parenting in difficult circumstances - in order to understand what women want and hope for in relation to being healthy, active and socially connected in the communities and neighbourhoods where they live.
The work has particularly focussed on active transport (walking and cycling) as there is evidence that this is an area of significant change for communities with respect to both physical activity and social connection/interaction.
We are partnered with Knox City Council and a range of otehr organsiations gorups and lcoal residents on this project.
The project received financial support from the Department of Transport from 2007-2009. An evaluation report outlining the outcomes acheived in this period is attached below.
There are two areas the project currently focuses on:
Welcoming Bayswater Project
The Welcoming Bayswater Project is a health promotion program focused specifically on the precinct of the Bayswater Shopping Village aimed at making Bayswater a great place in terms of how the culture and environment supports the wellbeing for mothers and families in Bayswater. The focus is on building partnerships with traders, residents, community groups etc. to make Bayswater even more friendly, welcoming, supportive for people of all backgrounds, ages and experiences. It is also focused on making it a place where it is easy, interesting and enjoyable to do healthy things such as connect with others, participate in local activities and get around by walking or cycling. The project comes out of the Mothers Living Well research and is led by many of the mothers who were involved in the previous research (hyperlink to research part) It is facilitated by Knox Community Health Service in Partnership with Knox City Council, Care Connect, Interchange Outer East as well as traders, schools, community groups and of course mothers themselves. Two current actions being led by the “Welcoming Bayswater Action Group” are a community paper: Bayswater Buzz and an annual Street Party, the Welcoming Bayswater Street Party to celebrate Social Inclusion Week.
Bayswater West Community Hub
Excerpt from the Bayswater Buzz- Edition 2
It’s the stuff that local myths are made of. A girl who can’t walk past the outsized candle sculpture in front of the church without attempting to blow out its inanimate flame. A boy charting a week’s growth spurt against the three-tiered drinking fountain. A girl and her grandfather poised upon faux fruit-crate seats, discussing colours amid the communal space the locals have affectionately dubbed the ‘pause point’. Real-life magical moments which reflect a community determined to start writing its story afresh. Welcome to the Bayswater West Community Hub. Prior to its makeover earlier this year, the pause point location was, according to local resident Ray Deane, ‘dull, rundown, overgrown and had cyclone wire fences that were not welcoming’. ‘We wanted a brighter, more welcoming, friendlier place for people to meet. The pause point is the most visible aspect, but the heart of the Hub is a strengthened network of partnerships between a cluster of community groups, including the Cricket Club, Bowling
Club, Scouts and Guides, St Stephen’s Church, Maternal Health centre, Blue Hills Kindergarten and Bayswater West Primary School. It is a project several years in the making. Instigated by the Knox Community Health Service’s Mothers Living Well and Streets for Living programs, the Hub is a community owned initiative aimed at fostering good will and connectedness in this pocket-sized neighbourhood off the eastern shoulder of Stud Rd.
‘In this day and age, a lot of people don’t know their neighbours,’ says Lynne Featonby, mother of two and a member of the team that helped develop the Hub. ‘I’d like to see people getting along better, communicating more, socialising more, and just being there for each other. Sometimes it’s good if you can rely on a neighbour or somebody nearby.’ ‘Our vision is for more connection between neighbours, and more connection between community leaders,’ agrees Paul Dodd, a life member of the Cricket Club. ‘Bayswater is a very transient community … We want people to put roots down and be connected to the area so that they have a sense of connection and wellbeing.’
The sculptures that are a feature of the Hub are a vivid addition to the streetscape. Each sculpture symbolises one of the community partners: oversized building blocks for the school, bowls that double as seats with a view of the bowling greens, giant crayons for the kindergarten and the aforementioned church candle. The fruit crates, ceramic fruit (painted by local children) that adorns the drinking fountain, and an established apple tree, pay tribute to Bayswater’s fruit-orchard history. One of the most important aspects of the Hub is the sense of communal ownership. As part of the development process, local adults and children completed questionnaires, and artists’ concepts were displayed for public perusal and feedback. ‘We wanted to make it something everybody liked so that we’d all protect it, keep it,’ says Featonby. ‘It’s something everybody can enjoy.’
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