Beautiful rooms for a great cause
Stunning, amazing and beautiful – the rooms decked out for Christmas not only looked great but also raised money for a good cause.
Deck the Rooms for Refuge is a fundraiser for Taranaki Women’s Refuge that runs every two years.
All 1000 tickets sold well in advance of the event, which features rooms in eight New Plymouth homes that are decorated in a Christmas theme.
It was the sixth time CityLife Church on Egmont St had taken part in the fundraiser.
The church was first of the eight homes Kay Shewry visited and she said the display was ‘‘stunningly beautiful’’.
Many visitors stayed for the complimentary morning tea, with hot drinks served in china cups.
Julie Stevenson said the display was amazing.
‘‘They have left no stone unturned in thinking of things like the silent auction, the morning tea, the little Christmas tree you can write on.’’
Downstairs there were two Christmas trees to hang little cards – one for people to write something they were grateful for, and the other for things people wanted to leave behind.
‘‘All of us have something to be thankful for or something we need to let go and forget about,’’ Stevenson said.
Jill Kennaugh said a huge amount of work had been put into the rooms ‘‘It’s beautifully done, nothing is just thrown together.’’
Interior designer Marian Hodgkinson, who created the woodlands theme, said the church loved being part of the community and supporting Taranaki Women’s Refuge.
It took a week to put the rooms together, she said.
‘‘Many have come far and wide in the Christian community to lay the table, put up trees, help create things I had planned. I think people have been pretty inspired.’’
Taranaki Women’s Refuge relationship manager Shona Smith said this was the ninth time the fundraiser had been held and it raised $35,000.
‘‘I think it’s a fantastic day out. I ran it for the first time two years ago and met people who had never been before saying they were now going to go every time.’’