$3000 raised for Guide Dog Services from Warkworth A & P Show auction
Wednesday 20 January 2010, 1:08PM
By Bayleys
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Generous Rodney residents and visitors to the Warkworth A & P show at the weekend helped raise an impressive $3000 for the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s (RNZFB) Guide Dog Services through two charity auctions.
The fundraising activity was organised by community-spirited country specialist real estate agent John Barnett from property sales agency Bayleys. Items which went under the auction hammer included boat cruises, sports gear, gardening and DIY equipment, wine, dinner and accommodation packages, homeware, and children’s toys.
John Barnett was helped out on the day by his Bayleys colleagues, and by young sons James and Daniel who walked around the show-grounds with a collection bucket seeking any spare coins and notes. They were joined by guide dog Macey who is the most recent puppy sponsored by Bayleys North of Auckland. RNZFB’s Guide Dog Services is Bayley’s nominated corporate charity – with the company raising in excess of $1million for the cause over the past five years.
This is the second year John Barnett and his team from Bayleys have been raising funds for RNZFB’s Guide Dog Services at the Warkworth A & P show. Last year the auction raised $2500.
“It was a cracking summers day, and visitor numbers to the A & P show were high. That helped create a lot of interest in the silent and live auctions we ran,” said John Barnett.
“The enthusiasm peaked during the live auction when we broadcast the event over the show’s public address system – which created a lot of interest and pulled in plenty of opportunist bidders who helped push bidding up,” added John.
“The generosity of all the Rodney companies which supported this activity was simply fantastic, and I’d like to thank all of them for helping make this fundraiser such a success. I think it just goes to show the heart of the community here.”
Companies which donated items to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s Guide Dog Services charity at Warkworth A & P show included: Wharehine Group, Sheepworld, River Nile Linens, Queen Street Cafe, Matakana Cinema, The Vintry, Matakana Smokehouse, Generation Kids, Quince Licensed Cafe, Franklins Pharmacy, Mitre 10, The Bach, Omaha Beach Golf Club, Coast and Country, New World, Farm & Lifestyle Centre, Omaha Bay Vineyard, Unichem Lee & Hart Pharmacy, ITM Matakana, The Backroads Press, Signmasters, McEntee Hire, Red Letter Day, Tapiano, Warkworth Vets, Stubbs Village Butchery, Warkworth Golf Club, Morris & James, Brick Bay Wines & Sculpture Trail, Reubens Cruises, Tahi Cafe & Bar, Taste, Sportsworld, Dick Smith Electronics, The Bridgehouse, Kodak Express Warkworth, The Castle Matakana, Matakana Olive Co-operative, Hunting & Fishing, Salty Dog Inn, Vet Farm & Pet Clinic, Digital Mobile, Autohaus European, and Harvey World Travel.