Community

Showing 381 to 400 of 512 results for q=community

  • Girl sleeping on couch with her Golden Retriever dog

    Keep your mental health on track

    We all know that mental health is a crucial part of our wellbeing. To help you stay on track and find some zen, the team at Yarra Leisure has put together a list of essentials that will uplift and calm you during COVID-19. Mental health resources Beyond Blue has some great ideas on how you can keep calm in the face of stress and anxiety during these strange times. Headspace has shared some super useful tips on coping with COVID-19 for young people. Lifeline has some really useful insights for coping in these tough times. Kids Helpline has some wonderful words for kids about COVID-19. Meditate Meditation is a great way to pause, check in and refresh. Check out these meditation classes from Les Mills – we’re hoping these classes give you a chance to find some peace and unwind! Headspace has also created some brilliant (and free!) meditation resources dedicated to COVID-19. Mindfulness There are some fantastic resources out there to support your mental health. We’ve curated a list of free apps that can help to uplift and refresh you: Smiling Mind Head Space Insight Timer 10% Happier SuperBetter. Wellness Locker Enjoying these tips and want more? Head over to Yarra Leisure's Wellness Locker for all you need to replenish your body, mind and soul.
  • An image of Collingwood Town Hall set against a partly cloudy sky

    Our services and eased coronavirus restrictions

    We’re happy to let you know that we’re working towards reopening some of our facilities and services, following the easing of some coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions by the Victorian Government earlier this week. From Monday 1 June 2020, there will be a gradual easing of restrictions in Victoria, including those related to sport, fitness, recreation and community facilities. What does this mean for Yarra? We want to have you back and enjoying our wide range of services as soon as possible, but some may resume or reopen before others while we plan how to protect your health and safety. Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work towards providing the best and safest possible service to our community. Customer service centres Exciting news! All our customer service centres will reopen for enquiries and payments from 8.30am on Tuesday 9 June 2020. You can visit us at one of the following locations between our usual business hours of 8.30am to 5pm: Collingwood Town Hall 140 Hoddle Street, Abbotsford Richmond Town Hall 333 Bridge Road, Richmond Connie Benn Centre 160 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Bargoonga Nganjin, North Fitzroy Library 182 St Georges Road, North Fitzroy You’re also still welcome and encouraged to use our online services where possible. If you’re feeling unwell or have any cold or flu-like symptoms, we kindly ask that you refrain from attending our facilities and get tested for COVID-19. Playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor exercise equipment This week we reopened Yarra’s playgrounds, skate parks and outdoor exercise equipment to the public. We encourage you to continue practicing good hygiene and keeping your distance from others – 1.5 metres at all times. While we’re undertaking more frequent cleaning, please stay home if you or your children are feeling unwell. Libraries We’re working behind the scenes to plan for the full reopening of our much-loved Yarra Libraries branches. In the meantime, we’re launching Library Express on Monday 1 June – a new click-and-collect service based at Bargoonga Nganjin North Fitzroy Library, Fitzroy Library and Richmond Library. Leisure centres Our friends at Yarra Leisure are getting pumped to reopen their doors, but have a little more work to do to make sure your experience is safe. You can read more about this update at Yarra Leisure. More information For more details on what these changes mean for our other individual services, visit Service Changes due to Coronavirus.
  • Rushall Garden volunteer Lynda posing in the garden with her new book Plotting

    Plotting a sustainable future

    Urban agriculture – the process of growing, producing and recycling food in an urban environment – is thriving in Yarra. From community gardens and farmers markets, to composting hubs and the 170+ laneway gardens and planter boxes dotting our streets, the appetite to sustainably grow our own fruit and veg has never been stronger. Fitzroy North’s Rushall Garden continues to cultivate urban agriculture into the new decade with its new cookbook Plotting. Plotting is a collection of recipes from Rushall’s gardeners, based on old favourites and some inspired by their experiences at the garden. Volunteer and author Lynda Achren says the garden’s commitment to sustainability is reflected through the book’s focus on eating seasonally, making the most of harvests, preserving excess and gardening organically. “The seeds of the idea for this book were sown a few years ago after one of our monthly working bees, when we were sitting around sipping a well-earned coffee and swapping ideas on what to do with the abundance of zucchinis we were harvesting.” “This became a regular feature of our Sunday gatherings each month, as we talked about a different vegetable or two, depending on what was in season,” said Lynda. Rushall Garden was founded by a passionate group of locals in 1997, with the first seedlings planted and harvested at its Thomas Kidney Reserve site in 2004. It fosters a strong sense of community, holding monthly working bees and morning teas that Lynda proudly organises. Lynda said she has learnt a lot about gardening, cooking and sustainability while creating Plotting. She loves hearing others’ stories and being inspired to try new ideas on her own plot. “I hope you get as much out of the collection as I did putting it together,” said Lynda. For more information on Rushall Garden and to buy your own copy of Plotting, visit Rushall Garden. To learn more about how you can get started in urban agriculture visit Growing Food in Yarra.