Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group’s Connecting Communities fund has gone out with a ‘bang’, granting a record $100,000 towards community-led wellbeing activities and events set to take place in the next few months.

The eighth and final funding round was spread across 117 groups, each receiving up to $1,000 to facilitate activities that help people connect, look after themselves and each other, and have some fun.  

Recipients included Community Networks/LINK, which received support for ‘WānaSoup’, a new ‘winter warmer’ initiative at the Wānaka Community Hub which will run every Wednesday lunchtime (11am-2pm) from June 5 to August 28. 

“WānaSoup will provide a great opportunity to get together and strengthen our sense of community over the winter months,” Community Networks/LINK manager Kate Murray said.

“Volunteers from St Columba Anglican Church and others will prepare and serve different soups and anyone in the community who wants to come will be offered a warm welcome, a cup of hot soup and the chance to make new friends over table talk and games.”

Since launching the Connecting Communities fund in November 2021 as part of its efforts to combat the ongoing mental health impacts of Covid-19, Te Hau Toka has distributed more than half a million dollars to 556 groups across Queenstown, Wānaka, Cromwell, and Te Anau/Fiordland.

“Seeing the positivity Connecting Communities has generated in the face of adversity, how much our Southern Lakes communities care about each other, and their innovative ideas to combat local mental health and wellbeing challenges, has been incredibly inspiring and rewarding,” Te Hau Toka chair Adell Cox said.

“We’ve worked on a range of initiatives with community partners and our independent evaluation, which will be released next month, shows that the Connecting Communities has been one of the most successful.”

A record number of applications was received for round eight and Te Hau Toka focused on spreading its remaining funding as widely as possible.

Other local recipients included Kahu Youth, for its Matariki celebration; Volunteer South, to hold an event matching up prospective volunteers and organisations; and M!NT Charitable Trust, for its mid-winter community ball, among others.

PHOTO: Supplied