Join us to celebrate the launch of the FIFTH ROUND OF PROJECTS that aim to make Launceston one of the great regional cities of the world.
Since 2020 the Great Regional City Challenge (GRCC) has raised over $650,000 to fund over 40 community projects in themes of:
To celebrate these wonderful projects our launch will feature an art exhibition highlighting 25 of these projects that have made a real difference. There will be brief updates from the project leaders to explain what they've done and the impact tey've made.
We will also be launching our new direction for 2026 aiming at making Launceston the most connected city in Australia to combat the negative impact of loneliness and social isolation. These statistics are shocking:
Launceston/Tasmania has higher self-reported loneliness rates (around 37%) than other states.
29% of Tasmanians live alone and 29% of young Tasmanians (15-19) report feeling lonely “all or most of the time”.
Being lonely is comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes every day. Lonely people have a 300% higher risk of depression and anxiety and a 26% increased risk of premature death.
A Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre report calculates the extra healthcare use (GP and hospital visits), risky health behaviours, and poorer physical and mental health outcomes costs around $1,565 per lonely person annually.