Surprise gift brings cheer to Featherston

CHRISTMAS CHEER: Featherston Christmas Market in 2014.PHOTO/FILE

A Featherston Christmas Market organiser was taken by surprise last Friday when broadcaster Mike Hosking called him, offering a $2000 donation to fund the purchase of a sound system for the town's festivities.

Marc van de Loo, who has been involved with Featherston's Christmas Market since 2007, said he was "really grateful" for the phone call and donation, especially considering a different organisation had turned down their funding application for the sound system the day before.

He said the cost last year to hire a sound system for the event was $1500, "so this will really be helping us".

"Without me knowing, my partner decided to call Newstalk ZB based on the fact that our group has been putting so much effort into getting the Christmas Market up to the next level," he said.

"So this morning it was a big surprise given the disappointment of yesterday where I was thinking, 'oh my God where am I going to get the money from?'

"So now we're basically set up for a few years with this sound system, and it will save us quite a bit of money in hiring."

Mr van de Loo's partner, Nifo Ili, had arranged the donation in her submission to Newstalk's ASB Good as Gold segment.

"Marc is currently running around, organising every aspect of the Featherson Christmas Market," she said. "He arranges the event as a volunteer to help local retailers, and to see our little community enjoy the spirit of Christmas.

"As long as I have known Marc he has always put others before himself. He is fundraising for the event, but pays a lot of the costs out of his own pocket."

Mr van de Loo said it was good they could now give back to the musicians that were donating their time to the event.

"It's actually really good that we can give something back to them in that they don't have to cart gear around or worry about what system is going to be there," he said.

He said some of the musical acts performing at the Featherston Christmas Market this year were members from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's brass section, Wairarapa choirs and bands and Warren Maxwell.

The Featherston Christmas Market will be held on December 12 straight after Featherston's Christmas Parade which will start at 3pm.