NEWS DESK
Athletes on track for worthy cause
Garage sale to help feed the hungry
Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au MT ELIZA athletes Tilly Watts and Liam Hemingway are training for a cause close to their hearts. The pair – who live, went to school and work in Mt Eliza – plan to run in the Melbourne half and full marathons in October and are already on their way to raising their target amount of $10,000 for mental health support, awareness and acceptance. So far they have collected is $4400. They are “determined to provide mental health organisation beyondblue with funds to combat mental illness in Australia”. Watts says since re-meeting during their gap year and working for an educational and training company, they have found a shared passion in contributing to the cause and to those who need it most. They make an ideal team: Hemingway is a former state swimmer and lifesaver, and state and national athletics and cross county competitor. He has cycled in the Around the Bay in a Day race and is a triathlete podium finisher and half marathon and full marathon podium finisher – all before he turned 20. Through all this he understands the importance of physical exercise for mental clarity. “I’m inspired by the work of beyondblue and want to support them by raising money as part of my participation in Medibank Melbourne Marathon Festival 2018.” Watts suffered from clinical depression and, as a patient, was involved in beyondblue suicide prevention research. She is equally determined to work on the cause that “affects so many people”. “The money we raise will go to beyondblue to help establish hospital beds in emergency departments, as well as in psychiatric
wards for suicidal patients,” Watts said. “It will go to creating preventative apps and programs, delivering education, commercial advertising, running courses to train counsellors, and establishing more Lifeline suicide hotline and online service centres.” While promoting themselves and their fun-
On track: Tilly Watts and Liam Hemingway are running to support beyondblue. Pic: Supplied
draising, the pair is also spreading the “much needed awareness for the still stigmatised and trivialised topic that is mental health”. Their marathon festival training and fundraising is on their social media @Raising10k. Donations can be made at melbournemarathon2018.everydayhero.com/au/liam-1
A CHARITY garage sale next week will help raise money for Peninsula City Church’s new kitchen and hall refurbishment of its hall. The sale will be held 8.30am-2pm, Saturday and Sunday, 18-19 August, at 7/22a Green Island Avenue, Mt Martha. A sausage sizzle will run 11am-1pm and parking on the nature strip at the top of the driveway is preferred. The refurbishment will help Peninsula Christian Care provide emergency food relief. Every week homeless, hungry and struggling households on the Mornington Peninsula and in Frankston receive ready-to-heat meals cooked by volunteers of the kitchen team. The problem is that the home-style kitchen can no longer service the growing needs of the region. Since the City Life organisation closed down two years ago, Peninsula Christian Care has responded to the rising demand and continued to cook meals for those in need. There are 60 meals handed out each fortnight and a bigger kitchen will enable more meals to be prepared. “Most days of the week the office receives inquiries for food relief assistance,” Peninsula City Church pastor Natalie Clarke said. Through Peninsula Christian Care’s Pantry Plus, food parcels also help people get “back on their feet”. Most people take the meals home to heat and eat, although, in the case of the homeless who have no access to a microwave, meals can be heated up on site. Kitchen team member Hans Jansen said food was cooked to “council standards and regulations”.
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Frankston Times
13 August 2018
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