AusLeisure

The Belgravia Foundation - which helps connect people with a disability, of diversity and those who experience disadvantage aquatic, fitness, recreation, sport and wellness programs - has reached three years of operations. 

Aligned to the Melbourne-based Belgravia Group’s Belgravia Leisure division, the Belgravia Foundation was founded in July 2017 to aid people who have encountered barriers to connection to leisure activities. This can include people living with illness, disability, poverty, inequality, aiming to improve their quality of life, health, social harmony, connection and participation.

A critical part of the foundation’s development has been the provision of an online staff training module for Belgravia Leisure’s 5,000 employees related to inclusion and disability. The fully online 30-minute training course has been shown to significantly improve confidence and capacity among staff working in our 270 leisure centres across Australia and New Zealand.

In addition, when local venues partner with Belgravia Foundation to raise funds, 100% of the money raised is reserved solely for use in the catchment area of the local venue. Nothing leaves the community, meaning every dollar raised can benefit those living there.

Working with Yarra Ranges Council
One collaboration, between the Belgravia Foundation and Yarra Ranges Council, for whom Belgravia Leisure operate facilities, has seen these facilities create local partnerships, submit grants and engage in fundraising that has raised more than $15,000 to support local community members experiencing adversity to connect to leisure, and gain an opportunity for improvement in health and happiness.

Collectively, over 2,000 community members have benefited from Belgravia Foundation support since January 2018, with local community organisations receiving training and support from Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure staff, community members receiving funding to access wellbeing and employment supports and disadvantaged youth being provided access to work experience and more.

Funds have been used to support local projects across the Yarra Ranges community, ranging from community activation events like the annual Move for Mind family fun runs, ongoing wellbeing projects like the Move for Mind partnership projects delivered in collaboration with health promotion and community safety organisations like the Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault (ECASA) or Inspiro health.  Mental Health First Aid training has been provided at subsidised rates to key community groups, enabling them in turn to apply the important training to support community members, and in conjunction with All The Feels, art therapy programs have been provided to parents as well as young people.

Commenting on the work, which he has led over the course of three years, Belgravia Leisure’s Local Community Engagement Coordinator, Aleksei Bondarenko-Edwards stated “none of this would be possible without our strong partnerships with local agencies, a solid understanding of both our local community and the systems that are available to support them and the Belgravia Foundation of course.”

For more information, contact Jeff Walkley, Chief Executive of the Belgravia Foundation, on email: jwalkley@belgravialeisure.com.au

Image: A Belgravia Foundation Fluro Run Fundraiser.

Article amended 22nd July 2020 to correct a reference to the Moss Vale Aquatic Centre in NSW, which is managed by BlueFit.

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