It might still seem like a long way away, but the countdown has well and truly started to Christmas and what our festivities might look like with the easing of COVID restrictions.
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It's always a special time of year, but I think our celebrations will take on extra significance with the enduring social impacts of lockdowns and the importance now of bringing people back together.
So I was pleased to move a Mayoral Minute at this week's Council meeting to provide $600 for the Samaritans Christmas lunch, an annual tradition in Singleton that delivers a merry Christmas to those in our community who need it most. This year's event promises to be extra special with food and beverage hampers designed for a family of four and including a picnic blanket for people to enjoy an outdoor Christmas Day picnic at Singleton Showground.
And, like the busy elves they are, Council staff are cramming months of planning into mere weeks to deliver the beloved Christmas on John Street on Friday, December 10. Uncertainties around restrictions made it risky to book in advance, so the next six weeks will be jam-packed with organising everything from traffic management to food trucks to face painting. Make sure you mark the date in your diary.
Christmas usually means holidays, and the NSW Government's road map out of lockdown may have inspired people - at least tentatively - to start planning a getaway.
There's a lot of work being done across our local government area to position Singleton to take advantage of the new freedoms for all of NSW afforded by the 70 per cent vaccination target, including a campaign by the Hunter Valley Wine Tourism Association to ensure all roads will lead to Singleton for the double vaccinated to bolster our tourism and hospitality businesses.
Council is also helping the recovery of our local businesses with the launch of Singleton Business Builder, a free mentoring and business development program to support business owners, managers and their employees in the Singleton local government to grow and rebuild their businesses with access to practical advice, coaching, training, action planning and business development in response to a range of impacts, including COVID-19.
The program is run by Council and funded by the NSW Government's Resources for Regions program. The first event kicks off on October 26 with the Rebuilding Your Singleton Business webinar. For more information visit www.singleton.nsw.gov.au