Poor response forces Alzheimers Gisborne Tairawhiti to cancel festive fundraiser, spuds still on

Tracy Robinson (Alzheimers Gisborne manager), Philip Dymock, and Tom Hindmarsh with seed potatoes, ready for the annual Spud in a Bucket fundraiser. Picture by Liam Clayton

September is World Alzheimers month but for Alzheimers Gisborne Tairawhiti it is not quite the glitzy, high profile month they were hoping for.

Alzheimers Gisborne Tairawhiti has had to cancel its proposed major fundraiser on September 2, due to a lukewarm response from the business community.

“We had budgeted a set amount that we needed to get from sponsorship in order to ensure the event did not end up costing us money,” manager Tracy Robinson said,

“We could not reach our budget and were certainly not in a position to gamble that the community could top us up with ticket sales and auction purchases. It is hugely disappointing. We wanted to showcase our organisation with an evening that was memorable for its ticket value and quality as well as highlighting the worth our work has in the community.”

Over 10 local business were approached with generous responses from only two.

“I want to thank Mitre 10 for their ongoing support of us and Plumbing World for coming to the party. Two other businesses agreed to contribute smaller amounts to the sponsorship, but collectively it was not enough.

“We decided to pull the plug while our outgoing costs were still low. Ironically, we are now holding a beautiful piece of artwork donated to us by local artist, Norman Maclean for the fundraising auction. We will have to put our thinking caps on to see where we can go in the future,”  Ms Robinson said.

“Thankfully, people affected by dementia are still able to access our services and World Alzheimers Month in September will hopefully generate some interest in and support for us.”

Among other fundraising and celebratory events planned in September, Alzheimers Gisborne Tairāwhiti is back with its annual Spud in a Bucket competition, opening on August 21,  with the distribution of spuds and their bucket.

“It’s $15 an entry with a selection of prizes sponsored by Bunnings. Entries can be collected for the Alzheimers offices from August 21 or from the foyer at Bunnings on August 26 and September 2 and 9, and the Farmers Market on September 23.

“I hope the community will take this an opportunity to not only grow some spuds for Christmas but also show some support for us.

“Meantime, if there is a business out there who would like to be a major sponsor of us, we would love to hear from you,” Ms Robinson said.