A good yarn for Mercy Hospice
Despite a stormy Friday night, Auckland’s weather put on a good show for its first Fabric-A-Brac event held at the Freemans Bay Community Hall on Saturday 18th August.
This popular annual fundraising event for Hospice, where buyers and sellers of vintage, modern and unusual fabrics converge, started in Wellington just three years ago. Since its conception Fabric-A-Brac has also become a mainstay on Palmerston North calendars, as well as across the Tasman in Sydney and Brisbane.
According to Sandy McGregor, Mercy Hospice Auckland’s Fundraising Team Leader, its transition to the City of Sails couldn’t have gone any smoother.
“It is not a question of if we will hold the event again,” Sandy says, “It’s more a case of just how many Auckland Fabric-A-Brac events will we hold in a year?”
Organisers are now in discussion as to whether quarterly events, including a pre-Christmas event, would help feed Auckland’s love and burgeoning revival for all things home grown and sewn.
The brainchild of Josie Brennan (aka Fabric-A-Brac Girl) Fabric-A-Brac connects the treasure troves of fabric, zips and buttons in communities with the craftspeople who love and use them. Its Auckland debut attracted more than 40 exhibitors and event organisers guesstimated that some 300-400 sewing enthusiasts and bargain hunters, from as young as five years, attended. Not surprising when one considers everything from faux furs for teddy bears to turn-of-the century sewing machines were available for sale.
Through this initiative Mercy Hospice was able to raise more than $3,000 in donations to help fund its on-going work. Every year the charity provides hundreds of Auckland residents dealing with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their loved ones, with the very best palliative care and support.
Mercy Hospice staff together with an impressive team of volunteers certainly had their work cut out for them (no pun intended) on the day. From 9AM to the small hours of the afternoon they were kept very busy running three Mercy Hospice stalls as well as the kitchen and café. Here punters could put their feet up and exchange a good yarn over a hot cuppa and delectable delights that included cupcakes, ginger crunch and caramel slice. Kindly donated to Hospice by the Hospice Bakers’ group, all proceeds from these refreshments were gratefully accepted by the charity.
Kitch Cuthbert, a long-time Mercy Hospice supporter and event volunteer, also whipped up one hundred and fifty chocolate mud cake cupcakes to contribute towards fundraising efforts.
Kitch, who also creates jackets made from fabric sold at Hospice shops, was glad she “came with a budget for the event!”
“I was like a child let loose in a candy store,” she says. Coming from a family of nurses and knowing her mother received excellent palliative care, Hospice is a charity that’s very close to Kitch’s heart. “I can’t wait for the next Fabric-A-Brac event,” the Herne Bay resident says.
Even attending to tray loads of dirty dishes didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of those involved on the day. Mercy Hospice’s new CEO, Lynda Smith, gladly rolled up her sleeves and helped pitch in. Lynda says a highlight of the event was actually seeing attendees being treated with a cuppa the “Hospice way.” “From beautifully dressed tables to individual tea pots, Mercy Hospice has a wonderful way of making people feel welcome,” Lynda says, “I was delighted to play a part in this on the day.”
Mercy Hospice Auckland invites all those interested in attending future Fabric-A-Brac events to visit the charity’s website for updates: www.mercyhospice.org.nz. Surplus fabric stock from the event is also available for sale. It has been distributed amongst the charity’s six Mercy Hospice Shops. For store locations visit: www.hospiceshops.org.nz.