On Thursday June 18, nearly 80 locals gathered at the Clarence Town Bowling Club to launch our newly minted Community Builders Action Plan. It was incredibly encouraging to see nearly 30 new faces in the room ready to help! Getting to this point has taken two years of hard work. Under the expert guidance of Steph from Rural Aid, and driven by a small but mighty group of volunteers, we now have a clear roadmap. Clarence Town is the largest village in the shire. It is a fabulous place to live, but we must actively advocate for what it needs to thrive. Facing the realities of an aging population and limited facilities, it is entirely up to us to back our local economy. Our roadmap to do just that is grouped into six main themes – put simply: Bringing Locals Together, Town Pride, Backing Our Youth, Upgrading Our Spaces, Supporting Our Seniors, and Teaming Up With Shire Neighbours. During the meeting, attendees were encouraged to join a focus group that best matched their interests. The task was straightforward: hash out a key priority and figure out the best way to get things moving. The goal is to present this initiative at our next community gathering. To get these initiatives off the ground, we need you! All focus groups and interested residents are invited to our next Task Team meeting at 6pm on Thursday, 13th August at the Bowling Club. We will be locking in immediate priorities and unlocking the $10,000 seed funding from Rural Aid. If you want to see our community grow, step up and help us put this plan into action. Please follow the CT Community Builders on Facebook and email ctowncommunitybuilders@hotmail.com to sign up for our email newsletter. — Your Editor, Cathy Schneider x
