Crusaders turn out for CHCH Heart Trust

The red dominated the black when Canterbury’s Crusaders trained yesterday. The team turned out in new “Chch My Heart is here” red t-shirts produced by the CHCH Heart Trust.

These are the folks that brought New Zealand the black “Chch Our Hearts are with You” fundraising t-shirts.

Organiser Deborah Kelland says the black t-shirt programme reached its target of $150,000 with around 12,000 garments sold.

“Those funds have been targeted at people in urgent need of financial help in Christchurch. Our new project is designed to help build morale in the Garden City.”

The new red t-shirts are being sold at cost price of only $10 to all Christchurch residents.

“Plus, for every black t-shirt we sell nation-wide we are giving a red t-shirt to Christchurch kiddies,” Ms Kelland says. “We would love to see every child in Christchurch wearing one and embracing the city they are growing up in.”

Ms Kelland says she is amazed and overwhelmed by the efforts residents of Christchurch have made to buy the Chch Heart black t-shirt.

“So much so I felt compelled to design one just for them. This new Chch red shirt is for the extraordinary people of Christchurch who are passionately staying to rebuild their wonderful city. As Dame Cath Tizard so rightly said, ‘a city that will again be beautiful’.”

In a direct message to the citizens of Christchurch Ms Kelland says she hopes the red shirt expresses their conviction that Christchurch will be rebuilt, stronger and proudly flying its colours.

“The black t-shirt has been very Auckland-focused. We are asking the entire country to get on board this one. You can’t have too many t-shirts and every Christchurch person needs a red one in their drawer.

“We are delighted to be still reprinting and sending out the originals all over New Zealand and to proud Kiwis and their mates world-wide. We promise to keep going and continue to assist those in need for as long as New Zealanders want us to.”
The new shirts can be bought online and information is available at www.chchheart.co.nz

They are also being stocked in Christchurch malls at Riccarton, Merivale and Northland.