By Gabriella Vukman
Commencing in May, the Victorian Government and Knox Council are partnering with Coonara Community House and the Ferntree Gully Market to deliver a program titled ‘Empowering Community.’
The project will run six, monthly markets at the Ferntree Gully market space with the aim of increasing traffic to and from the Ferntree Gully village.
Project Officer and Coordinator Adriana Ferrarin said, “This project is a great opportunity to showcase local community groups, local businesses, and showcase some of the traders as well.”
“We’ve got some traders that are attending some of the markets and stallholders too to promote their local businesses.
“It’s really about building connections within the community and getting to know your neighbours and seeing what is around.”
The project came about as a result of the Knox Council’s ‘Connecting Community to enhance safety’ initiative and is funded by the ‘Empowering Communities’ project funds.
Ms Ferrarin said, “the council reached out to Coonara Community House to deliver the project.”
“My job is to find stallholders, book them in, do all of the marketing. I have been doing a lot of liaising and organisation as the project coordinator.”
From its first market in early May the project has been a success.
“Already with our first market we were really amazed with how the community came out to support the market,” Ms Ferrarin said.
“Around 1000 people actually visited our first market which was amazing, so it’s all about bringing people into the Ferntree Gully Village, encouraging traffic as well to local traders too.”
We hope that by having the market and bringing in those people, we are able to generate a flow-on effect,” Ms Ferrarin said.
Finishing on the first weekend of October, the project aspires to kick-start these monthly markets so that they continue on for years to come.
Ms Ferrarin said, “The best possible outcome would be for people to continue the market.”
The project is an initiative to keep it going, but also encourage people to come in and see what the village has to offer as well, so having people come back and visit the village at the end of the project would be amazing.”
