Caption: Sophie Buijs won a one-month membership to Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre by participating in the Northern Gramps Girls Can campaign. Campaign participants can fill in a survey before August 31 to go in the running for a three-month membership to a gym of their choosing.
Sporting facilities in Stawell and St Arnaud will remain lit up on Monday nights – and now Wednesday mornings – following the success of the inaugural Northern Gramps Girls Can campaign.
The lights will be on at Lord Nelson Park oval in St Arnaud and North Park athletics track in Stawell on Monday nights between 6pm and 7.30pm and on Wednesday mornings from 6am until sunrise.
Northern Grampians Shire mayor Karen Hyslop said due to positive feedback, the council had decided to extend the outdoor lighting program until Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, October 5.
The venues have been lit up on Monday nights since the end of May as part of the Northern Gramps Girls Can campaign, which ran until July 16.
Council created the campaign, which was modelled on state health foundation VicHealth's This Girl Can campaign, in partnership with Wimmera Regional Sports Assembly.
Along with the outdoor lights program, the campaign also included a range of activities throughout the shire that attempted to remove barriers preventing women and girls from being physically active.
"The decision to extend the lights beyond the eight weeks of the original campaign followed positive feedback from the community," Cr Hyslop said.
"Not only did residents want to see the lights extended, some also requested a morning session to help cater for their shift work schedules.
"We hope having a morning and evening option will cater for more families, shift workers, and people preparing for sporting finals or wanting to remain active in the off-season.
"Despite the lighting program initially catering for women and girls, it is a fantastic opportunity for anyone in the community wanting to be active in a safe and welcoming space."
Cr Hyslop thanked Stawell and St Arnaud police officers for supporting the Northern Gramps Girls Can campaign with an increased presence.
She said she was pleased to see so many women and girls taking up the various opportunities made available to them throughout the campaign.
"More than 25 girls attended free Wednesday afternoon gym sessions at Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre, including several girls who game from outside our shire to participate," she said.
"A lot of these girls had not stepped foot inside a gym before because they didn't feel confident or capable. They said they were unsure about how to properly and safely use the gym equipment and would have felt uncomfortable around male members.
"Feedback on these sessions was great. The girls said they thoroughly enjoyed the classes, which were well-run by excellent instructors. We've loved hearing that so many girls felt safe and supported and appreciated the campaign."
Organisers gave away a one-month Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre membership to the person who attended the most gym sessions, which was won by Sophie Buijs.
Cr Hyslop said the SSAC team would look at the possibility of running female-only gym, swim and stadium times to encourage women and girls to remain physically active across different disciplines.
She said this was one of the questions on the Northern Gramps Girls Can public survey, which closes at 5pm on Sunday, August 31.
People who complete the survey, available online here, at www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/Community/Northern-Gramps-Girls-Can, go into the draw to win a three-month membership to the gym of their choosing.
The survey is aimed at the people who participated in the Northern Gramps Girls Can social media campaign by completing weekly fitness challenges.
