Dannevirke’s Christmas parade sponsor ‘giving back’

There are less than two months for local organisations to get their float ready for the Dannevirke Christmas parade. Photo / Leanne Warr

The company sponsoring this year’s Christmas parade in Dannevirke say they want to give back to the community in doing so, but reckon they have big shoes to fill.

Property Brokers have stepped up to sponsor the parade, committing to that sponsorship for the next three years.

With less than two months to go, the organisers behind Dannevirke’s Christmas parade are encouraging local businesses and organisations to start their planning now.

Last year there were 43 floats in the parade, organised by the Dannevirke Chamber of Commerce, and Suresh Patel is hoping to increase that number this year.

He believes part of the reason the number of entries were down was because of Covid still lingering, and many clubs and organisations were understandably cautious.

“This year things look a bit more stable.”

He says the calibre of the floats has been getting more creative and a lot of thought and effort goes into them.

One of the main obstacles in organising the parade was the costs involved and he was pleased to say that Property Brokers had committed to sponsoring the parade.

“We’re absolutely thrilled and delighted to have Property Brokers coming on board and giving us that assurance that we can go ahead for the next three years.”

Robynne Cload, from Property Brokers Dannevirke, says the company and team get such “terrific support” from the community.

“We see it as a terrific opportunity to give back to the community. And following in Shires’ footsteps. They did such a terrific job.”

Shires fruit and vege shop, as well as Mitre 10, sponsored the parade in previous years and Robynne says she hopes the company can continue that same level of support.

The Christmas parade is Dannevirke’s major event each year.

“It’s great to see a local company getting involved and giving us the support we need,” Suresh says.

“It is an event that everybody looks forward to each year. It would be a pity if we didn’t have sponsors, as there’s no way we would be able to host the event without them.”

That’s something Buffy Mabey, who is also on the committee, agrees with, saying that if it wasn’t supported, the town would lose it.

She says children get so excited as the day for the parade approaches, as well as older people.

“[You can] make someone’s day by giving them a magical day.”

Buffy believes Dannevirke puts on a far better parade than other town centres and is grateful for the support from a local business.

Robynne says the investment in the parade is “not insignificant”, with costs involved around road closures and other logistical things but the team were excited for the opportunity.

The parade is set for December 2.

Leanne Warr is editor of the Bush Telegraph and has been a journalist on and off since 1996 when she joined the Levin Chronicle, before moving on to other publications. She re-joined NZME in June 2021.