If you’ve noticed something different when visiting the Dunolly or Carisbrook Football and Netball Club canteens lately then we can explain why!
As part of the Victorian Government’s Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative and Vic Kids Eat Well initiative, we have been working with the Dunolly and Carisbrook Football and Netball Clubs to support local clubs to offer healthy food options at their canteens.
The Healthy Sports Clubs initiative has provided both the Dunolly and Carisbrook Football and Netball Clubs with:
- New menu boards and signage that highlight healthier food and drink options.
- Small-scale kitchen equipment such as sandwich presses, display fridges, slow cookers, and air fryers to enable healthy food preparation.
- Resources including healthy recipes, case study videos, fridge set-up guidelines, and preparation and promotion tips for providing healthy food in a sporting club setting.
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor Cr Grace La Vella said it was wonderful to see the communities of Dunolly and Carisbrook supported through the ‘Healthy Sports Clubs’ project.
“Thanks to the Victorian Government, the projects delivered by the Healthy Loddon Campaspe and the Healthy Kids Advisor initiatives, support communities like ours to help encourage healthy eating and get more people, more active, more often.
“The Healthy Sports Clubs project provided an opportunity for our local clubs to explore the types of delicious healthy foods they can offer, as well as healthier ways to prepare it, as well as the kitchen equipment they need to do it.”
Central Goldfields Shire Healthy Loddon Campaspe Broker Adam Tarr said the data from the 2019 Active Living Census highlighted concerns regarding Loddon Campaspe residents not consuming enough of the foods and drinks needed for good health and wellbeing.
“Less than half (48%) of residents across the Loddon Campaspe region meet the recommended intake of fruits, just 13% meet the recommended intake of vegetables, 14% consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily, and two-thirds of the population are overweight or obese.
“Consequently, increasing healthy eating is a key objective of the Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative, as well as a priority area set out within the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2019-2023.
“Sporting clubs and recreational facilities have been identified as a key setting within which changes can be made to make healthy food and drink choices the easy one.”
“Our aim through the ‘Healthy Sports Clubs’ project is to support local sporting clubs to offer healthy food and drinks which in turn aims to reduce obesity, improve healthy eating and reduce sugary and drink consumption.”
Central Goldfields Shire Healthy Kids Advisor Ciel Lindley said it was wonderful to see the Central Goldfields benefit from the delivery of two healthy eating focussed Victorian programs in 2023 and 2024. Adam and I are working closely to ensure that the efforts and resources that our roles can provide are going where they need to, in the most effective ways, to improve health outcomes for children and families in our community.”
About the Healthy Loddon Campaspe initiative
Healthy Loddon Campaspe is an initiative aimed at improving health outcomes in the Loddon Campaspe region.
The initiative was developed in response to the region showing higher than Victorian 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.
