ASH WEDNESDAY COMMEMORATIVE Youth mental health service given $300,000 grant

A special youth-centred wellbeing support service is being developed by a partnership between Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health, Macedon Ranges Health and the Macedon Ranges Shire Council.

The service aims to reduce barriers and improve access for young people to services and activities that can help them to feel supported and connected to their peers and their community.

To enable the development of the project, it has been awarded a huge grant of close to $300,000 by Bendigo Bank’s Gisborne and District Community Bank.

The three-year project will address a significant gap in mental health support for youth in the Macedon Ranges and support an additional 180 young people over three years. Mental health is considered the most important issue for young people living in the Macedon Ranges with one in three students reporting feeling unhappy or depressed, according to council and other survey documents.

“Exactly how the model will look will be decided by local young people themselves,” the Community Mental Health manager at Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health, Adam Stefano, said.

“Over the next few months council will be coordinating

Post Office warns about payment scam

Gisborne Post Office is warning people about a delivery scam increasingly doing the rounds lately. Manager Joe Vella said that in recent weeks there had been a large increase in customers calling in to the Post Office making enquiries about parcels that required a payment for delivery.

“Please DO NOT under any circumstances click on any link or enter any form of payment into these emails,” he said.

“Australia Post will NEVER request a payment to deliver, redeliver or hold a parcel.

A word from the Reverend Dennis Webster

“As a fire is meant for burning with a bright and warming flame, so it can bring much discerning as we prepare once again. Not to preach our creeds or customs, but to build a bridge of care, we join hands across ancient lands, finding neighbours everywhere.”

Based on a hymn by Ruth C Duck