St. John's begins series of events aiming to connect residents with their neighbours

The City of St. John's is on a mission to get residents out and about, and it all started with its first Neighbourhood Connect event.

The event took place at Kelly's Brook Park on Saturday. The city's hope with it is to foster community while encouraging healthy activities for people of all ages.

"This came about from speaking with residents, who said they're finding it harder to be connected and social after COVID," said Coun. Jill Bruce, who serves as council lead for community services.

It was also an opportunity for residents to ask questions to staff.

Newfoundland's longstanding issue with convincing its population to keep their roots on island is something else Bruce and her colleagues hope to address.

"It's proven that people who feel connected to their cities, their towns, their parks and things like that, they want to stay," she said.

Among the offerings on Saturday were parachutes, cornhole, hula hoops, music and the usual playground amenities. The event was also accessible with wheelchairs freely available.

"The activities and recreational focus of it is important, especially for families," said Meaghan Ludlow, who has lived in the area for 15 years.

"I think it's super important as we become more isolated in terms of just being aware of who's around and meeting our neighbours. You don't really have a lot of opportunity to do that."

Though the event started slow, things picked up later in the day, partly because some attendees had only heard about it that morning.

Around midway through the planned three hours, the park saw approximately 40 residents at once enjoying the activities and a warm day out with the family and neighbours.

And it's only the beginning. Bruce said the city plans to hold similar events in 29 other neighbourhoods.

"We have trouble getting around so this is perfect for us," said Wendy Dyer alongside her husband, who both live nearby and are grandparents. "There are lots of places to sit, so we can keep an eye on the kids easily." 

Bruce encourages residents to check out the city's What's Happening Facebook page for all kinds of activities throughout the summer.

Some have included trail walks, an exercise competition known as the ParticipACTION Community Challenge and an educational gardening session.

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