Fantastic turnout at lakeside concert

Dancing duo Silhouette performed at Lakeside at the weekend, where more than $8000 was raised to help kidney dialysis patients receive treatment locally. Photo/Stephen Parker

Lakeside concert-goers have been praised for their generosity after they donated $8500 to help kidney dialysis patients receive treatment locally.

Te Whakapono Trust, with the help of volunteers from Rotary Sunrise Club, collected donations at the annual music show on Saturday night for a new state-of-the-art dialysis machine for the Maharo Kidney Dialysis Unit at Rotorua Hospital. The new machine would mean elderly patients, those with heart conditions and more complicated cases would no longer have to travel to Hamilton to receive their treatment.

Te Whakapono Trust chairwoman Philippa Wills said she was blown away by the generosity shown by Rotorua locals at Lakeside.

"It was just brilliant, I was so amazed by the support Rotorua locals showed," she said.

"They were very receptive and enthusiastic about the cause, people came up to us emptying their pockets and wallets, giving us coins, which was great to see."

The money raised added to the $17,000 that the trust has already collected and while it was not enough to buy the $33,000 dialysis machine, it was still a "huge help", Ms Wills said.

"Every dollar counts, $8500 is an awful lot of sausage sizzles, so to be able to raise that in one night, it's fantastic."

Ms Wills said the trust would hold a committee meeting this week to discuss how the remaining $7500 needed for the machine could be raised.

At the moment, Ms Wills, also general manager for Credit Union Rotorua, said the company was selling cook books from its office on Ranolf St with the proceeds going towards funding the machine.

She hoped the Te Whakapono Trust would have enough money together to purchase the machine by the middle of this year.

"There's a huge need [for a new dialysis machine] in Rotorua. It will make it so much easier for patients, they will no longer have to travel for treatment and it will just make such a big difference for them."

She said she was grateful for the support of the Rotorua Lakeside Concert Charitable Trust and everyone else who helped get onboard with the organisation's efforts.