Boreham Park receives another award

The fabulous Boreham Park has won a second national award in recognition of upgrades undertaken as part of the Active By Community Design (ABCD) project. The Boreham Park redevelopment project has been recognised by Parks and Leisure Australia with a 2015 Award of Excellence in the research project category.

Health and Regulatory Services portfolio spokesperson Cr Wayne Honor said the project was designed with the aim to increase no-cost opportunities for being physically active.  The Active By Community Design initiative was applied to Boreham Park to enhance the use of existing infrastructure to increase physical activity levels.

The Boreham Park redevelopment project has involved a number of key local organisations dedicated to increasing local park use and Council would like to acknowledge that the project was made possible due to their involvement.  Funding was received from Wide Bay Medicare Local of the Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANPHA) to work in partnership with local stakeholders including the Bundaberg Regional Council, Queensland Police and CQ University, Australian Sports Commission Active After School Program and IMPACT Make Your Mark.

The initiative has not only seen park leisure use skyrocket, but the number of people using these areas for physical activity has also significantly increased.  Hundreds of people visit Boreham Park each week to use the area for physical activity.

The outcomes of this project demonstrate the effectiveness of translating research into practice in relation to increasing physical activity by deliberately redesigning parks to meet the needs of the local community.  It’s also a great example of how extensive community consultation has resulted in the development of a community asset that locals can call their own.

Boreham Park was recognised earlier this year with a national Obesity Prevention Implementation and Evaluation Award.