Belgravia inclusion achieving excellence through community engagement at The Rex Barossa Aquatic & Fitness

Belgravia Leisure has a five-year plan to achieve World Best Practice in Access and Inclusion. Our plan aligns with our five P's, People, Programs, Profile, Processes, Partnerships and Growth.

The Rex Barossa Aquatic Fitness, located in the iconic Barossa Valley, South Australia, serves multiple communities of around 20,000 people.

South Australian Regional Manager Barossa and Riverland, Craig Wilson, said "we desire to connect ALL in the community to leisure, so no one misses out. Our approach to community engagement and partnership is through events and activities where we raise awareness and create partnerships with families, carers, organisations and Council."

"We also offer a range of programs and services at our venues, we promote awareness and understanding, team member engagement and community contribution" Wilson continued.

After the Belgravia Foundation launched in late 2017, The Rex Barossa wanted to see what they could do with the community to make a difference. The aim was to build community awareness, leading to increased engagement in swimming and aquatic programs. The venue had enjoyed fundraising success supporting a member who led a 5km Run fundraising campaign to support people with a disability living in the community.

Community Engagement Event

A community engagement event hosted by The Rex Barossa was a local competition. The winner won a 30-minute swim lesson with Olympic Gold Medalist, Belgravia Leisure Ambassador and Belgravia Foundation Board Member, Brooke Hanson.

All money raised went to Belgravia Foundation, which was reserved exclusively for The Rex to purchase a chairlift for their venue.

"This campaign raised awareness for The Rex, promoted enrollments in or aquatic programs and provided an exciting event for our community to engage in. Our fundraising efforts achieved $550, with 250 attending the event, including Council.”

"It also sparked a culture among The Rex team and community to partner to help others," Wilson concluded.

This culture has led to boundless energy among staff to support the local community.  One key achievement in partnership with Barossa Council and Barossa Leisure Pools was to fundraise and generate in-kind contributions to install a new chairlift, valued at $11,000+.  As Craig said “From small things big things grow”, and this has never been more evident than at The Rex Barossa.

Tax-deductible donations to the Belgravia Foundation can be made by heading to our donation page. Please click here to support.