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The Harbour Hospice fundraiser Catwalk Arts has been cancelled due to a lack of entries, and it unlikely to resurface in the foreseeable future.
The show was scheduled to happen in Warkworth on June 26 after being cancelled last year. Harbour Hospice fundraising manager Amber West says entries were about one-third of what was needed to make the event the “showstopper” hospice had hoped for.
Catwalk Arts started as a fundraiser between Mahurangi College and Tui House in the early 2000s and was handed over to Harbour Hospice as an annual event in 2018. It has raised an average of $30,000 per show over the years, which has helped to support the charity’s delivery of community nursing support and day respite care for local families.
“We’re hugely grateful to everybody who has been involved over the years, from our wonderful volunteers Lesley Ingham and Shona Pickup to the fundraising volunteer committee,” West says.
Special thanks were also extended to generous local sponsors, particularly Mason Containers and Northland Waste, and Morris & James, which donates bespoke ceramic tiles for winners.
“The event was a fun and creative way for locals to get involved with hospice and support the service. Some wonderful creations were produced over the years and audiences certainly enjoyed some very special moments – one highlight being the 2022 show where one of our entrants was proposed to on stage.
“But the lower entry numbers indicate that perhaps people have less time to put into creating entries now, and perhaps the community has less of an appetite for this event. They have shown their support in many other ways, though, which we are grateful for because this helps keep our services freely available to all in the community.”
West says there are lots of ways for the community to continue to support hospice, moving forward.
“We have Calendar Girls coming up at the end of this month, which is being put on by the Warkworth Theatre Group – 10 percent of ticket sales will be donated to Harbour Hospice. We also have lots of local activities planned for Hospice Awareness Week, from May 13 to 19, and we’re excited about our 2024 Homes and Gardens Tour, which is coming up in November.”
