Boost for new playground

VITAL: Countdown staff present a cheque to a team from MidCentral Health. PHOTO: KARLA KARAITIANA

Palmerston North Hospital's children's ward will soon boast a new playground, thanks to a $34,000 contribution from Countdown's Active in the Community initiative.

For a decade Countdown has been running the nationwide Kids Hospital Appeal, raising over $10.4 million towards equipment for 11 New Zealand hospitals.

This is the second time the Palmerston North Children's Ward has benefited from the initiative.

"The last time it funded training equipment, which was a huge benefit to staff," Midcentral District Health Board service manager for woman and children Robyn Williamson says. "This time we get to directly benefit the children which is fantastic."

Presented with a giant cheque at a ceremony last Thursday, Palmerston North Children's Ward charge nurse Tracy Stone says it'll sit proudly in the ward where patients and families will see exactly where funds for the playground came from.

"We need to provide the safest playground we can - it all has to be regulated which isn't cheap. This will make an incredible difference to what we can do and will benefit our children, as well as the wider family like siblings who frequent our wards also."

Countdown Broadway store manager Karlene Ormsby co-ordinated fundraising activities across Palmerston North branches and says it wasn't hard to get other staff behind the appeal.

"We have about 100 people employed at each store, many of who have been helped out by their own communities. This is our way of returning that back to the communities who support us."

Nationwide activities include Bollywood Nights, carpark runs and book sales. Countdown Invercargill hosted a competition to find Gore's Biggest Bogan, winning the title of Most Unique Fundraising Effort.