Chris Barton
Glenwood residents ’ pride on for many it ’ s incredibly hard to be able to this , even with practice . Chris believes walking provides similar benefits to calming exercise such as yoga or tai chi both of which focus on slow deliberate movements and breath work to connect you to the here and now .
“ Walking is like active meditation for me , it helps my personal mental health . Most people have a baseline of anxiety and walking is good because it actively lowers that baseline which is important .”
Chris has been approached by local council and politicians who have remarked on how well the Step into Action event went and he is hoping to do a similar event next year with greater community involvement . He is delighted at the
response the public had to the event and is considering how else he can help the local community ; organised walking groups may be on the cards .
You can keep up with what Chris plans to do in the future by going to his website www . chrisbarton . com . au and clicking on walking events or Step into Action . He also hosts a podcast , where he talks to other inspiring people to find out what builds their resilience and share the wisdom they have found along the way ( perfect to listen to while you are out enjoying your daily walk !).
If you are interested in finding out about BREED , their website is www . breedaustralia . com . au to see all that they offer to the community .
Chris walked nonstop for 30 hours , raising nearly $ 20,000 . show at Graffiti Clean Up Day
Glenwood residents have learned how Blacktown City Council keeps their suburb beautiful at a Graffiti Clean Up Day .
Local residents used brushes and paint to clean a demonstration wall at Alwyn Lindfield Reserve , Glenwood , on Sunday as part of learning about prevention and removal .
Children and parents gained firsthand experience of the time and resources required to clean graffiti and how they can protect their community by reporting it .
The removal task is a constant challenge . Council staff regularly inspect public spaces and have carried out 8,650 graffiti removal jobs this financial year ( to 10 April 2024 ).
Graffiti costs Council more than $ 1 million per year .
Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM says everyone can play a part in keeping their neighbourhoods beautiful .
“ Our community is proud to call Blacktown City home , and we want to keep it that way ,” he said .
“ I encourage people who see graffiti to report it to Council for removal .
“ Staff will respond promptly so we can all continue to be proud of where we live .”
The community can request removal via Council ’ s webpage : www . blacktown . nsw . gov . au / ourenvironment / pollution / graffiti or by calling its customer service centre on 5300 6000 . In addition to Graffiti Clean Up Day , Council runs other prevention and removal programs .
About 15,000 primary school students have participated in the Respect It , Don ’ t Wreck It program .
There is a free removal service for residents and owners of Blacktown CBD properties . Council staff have planted many native shrubs along fence lines to screen out graffiti , and run preventative projects to help young people participate in legal art murals .
BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT theindependentmagazine . com . au ISSUE 38 // MAY 2024 7