Record donation enables Cholmondeley Children’s Centre to meet growing demand

A wildly successful community sculpture event has donated $100,000 to Cholmondeley Children’s Centre in Governors Bay.

From humble beginnings, the tenth Sculpture on the Peninsula event has raised a record amount, after more than 6000 people attended the November event.

Organised by the Lombardy Charitable Trust, the ten events held since 2000 have now raised over $660,000 for Cholmondeley.

Event organiser Gill Hay says the extraordinary amount represents the goodwill of everyone involved, and the quality of the works provided by the sculptor community.

“This was our tenth anniversary, and we wanted it to be something special.  We felt it, from the minute our opening night began, and right through the weekend.  74 artists and 300 volunteers came together to make the event such an outstanding success,” she says.

“It’s the friendliness, and eccentricities, of the volunteers rolling the ice creams, parking the cars, making the pizzas, playing every part they are asked, that all came together to make Sculpture on the Peninsula such a fantastic event,” says Gill Hay.

“We had a wonderful collection of sculpture on display. A record number were sold, and people enjoyed picnicking amongst them, enjoying the ambiance of the historic Loudon farm.”

Cholmondeley’s chief executive Arron Perriam says he is humbled by the contribution, which will make an enormous difference to the Children’s Centre.

“Nearly 80% of our funding comes from within our own community, and so this $100,000 donation is incredibly significant for us.  Demand for our services, providing short-term, respite care for children in crisis, is sadly increasing, and this contribution will help us meet this growing need.

“Being new to Cholmondeley, this was my first opportunity to attend Sculpture on the Peninsula.  I was captured by how innovative and professional the event was, with many people saying to me that this is the best event of its kind that they have been to,” he said.

Those who missed out this year will need to be patient – Sculpture on the Peninsula is held bi-annually, with the next event to be held in November 2019.

For further information please contact:
Gill Hay
Event Organiser
gill@sculpturenz.co.nz     
021 0227 1157