Warrnambool City Council has partnered with South West Sport to light up a popular local reserve during the early mornings and evenings to help create a brighter and safer space for women and girls to be active this winter.
By improving lighting and visibility, the Light the Night initiative aims to support women and girls to feel more confident walking, running, exercising, or participating in activities at Brierly Reserve, while also creating a welcoming space for the broader community to stay active during the colder and darker months, the Council said in a statement.
South West Sport Executive Officer, Will Jamison said the idea stemmed from its Women and Girls Strategy and aligns with Council’s Active Warrnambool Strategy.
“It’s a really exciting opportunity where we’re collaborating with Warrnambool City Council and looking at how we can develop better access for women and girls, and make the opportunity to do their recreation and their sport a lot more accessible,” he said.
“This it the initial pilot, and we’re doing a survey as well to find out what sort of access women and girls want.”
Warrnambool Mayor, Ben Blain, encouraged anyone interested in the program to take a short survey to help determine the days and times the initiative will run, and also whether they would be interested in other aspects like fitness classes or a coffee van.
“Do you want to see the lights on in the morning? Do you want to see the lights on at night? Go to the survey and let us know what you think,” he said.
“This is a really important initiative to make sure we are getting maximum utilisation of our facilities. We want to have a safe space for everyone.”
Mayor Blain said the initiative also highlighted the desperate need for a sports and community hub at Brierly, including accessible, female-friendly facilities. Council is currently lobbying for State and Federal funding to make this hub a reality.
“It’s a really important facility and we are seeing more utilisation of the Brirly Reserve, and without that hub, we’re not quite there,” he said.
“We need somewhere that’s safe for women to be able to get changed safely.
“It also highlights the need for a Community Infrastructure Fund across councils to be able to deliver these critical facilities as well.”
To take the survey, visit www.yoursaywarrnambool.com.au.
