A group of passionate community leaders have plans to improve accessibility at three south-west beaches.
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Accessible Beaches Great South Coast project lead Ashleigh Glennon said they wanted to "increase the accessibility of the region's beaches to foster inclusion and equity for all members of our community".
Group members, who are part of the 2021 Leadership Great South Coast program, completed an investigative project earlier in the year to assess what was already available in the region and how accessibility could be improved.
From the research, team members found accessibility could be improved at Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Port Campbell's patrolled beaches.
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"It's something that definitely came back that there was a need for it," Miss Glennon said. "We're now working with those key stakeholders to try and come up with some solutions and actions that we can implement in the local community."
She said a big focus was how the group, in partnership with Warrnambool, Moyne and Corangamite Shires, local surf lifesaving clubs and the disability sector, could remove some of the barriers to participation.
"It's something we don't really think of," she said. "We just jump in the car and head down to the beach, but other people in our community aren't as lucky in that regard. If we can make it as least challenging as possible we'll consider that a great success," she said.
A series of accessible beach trial days will be held in December as part of the pilot program. It is also hoped the region's beaches will be listed on the accessible beaches national website as a result of the program.
More than $30,000 in scholarships are available to applicants for the 2022 Leadership Great South Coast (LGSC) program. Registrations close on October 31. For more information go to lgsc.org.au
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