A total of $24,000 has been awarded to four Huon Valley community projects through the council’s Community Liveability Fund.
The four projects were chosen from a pool of 15 applicants, each demonstrating a collaborative and grounded approach with aims built to continue beyond the funding period.
Friends of Garden Island Creek plans to bring people of all ages together to form a Waterwatch group that will monitor the health of Garden Island Creek and contribute to the national Waterwatch network.
Circular Economy Huon (CEH) will conduct a study across the Huon Valley to identify gaps in transport accessibility, training local volunteers to gather the first detailed, behaviour-based evidence on transport disadvantage across the region.
Gerry White, from CEH, said:
“We’re really pleased the Huon Valley Council has backed this work.
“Transport is a real barrier for people here – getting to doctors, shops, and work.
“We’re spending the next few months talking to residents across the valley, understanding what’s broken and what would actually help.”
The Huon Valley PCYC will channel its funding into a Friday night program that gives young people a safe place to hang out, connect and create.
The final fund recipient is the Huon Women’s Health Collective, which will deliver a six-part workshop series connecting women across the valley with evidence-informed education on mental health, menopause, and pelvic health.
“We’re incredibly grateful to receive this support,” said president Lucy St Jack.
“It means we can deliver 12 months of free health literacy workshops across the Huon Valley, making holistic health education and supportive community spaces more accessible to everyone.
“It’s an investment not just in health education, but in community wellbeing, belonging, and the collective wisdom that already exists within our valley.”
Mayor Sally Doyle described the projects as ‘community leadership in action’.
“These are local people who know their valley, have spotted a real need, and are rolling up their sleeves to do something about it,” she said.
“We’ve made a deliberate choice to move away from one-off grants and towards seed funding – backing ideas that can stand on their own and keep growing long after our contribution ends.
“That energy and commitment is exactly what the Community Liveability Fund was designed to support, and Council is proud to play a role in making it happen.”
A new round of Community Liveability funding is anticipated to open towards the end of 2026.
