Donations boost Plunket car seat hire

CARTERTON CARES: Karen Gardner (left), Sylvia Wildermoth and Tim Gardner from LJ Hooker Carterton, Plunket car seat technician Viv Bird, and master of the Greytown St Marks Freemasons, Gordon Reid. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Carterton organisations are getting behind Plunket to help children travel safely.

LJ Hooker Carterton and the Greytown St Marks Freemasons joined forces this week to purchase six brand new capsule car seats for Plunket.

Branch manager of LJ Hooker Carterton Sylvia Wildermoth said the company had been raising money for Plunket for the past month.

Every time an LJ Hooker sign was placed on a property a donation was made to Plunket.

"We like to be involved with what's going on in the community and this is a good way to get involved. It's an initiative that will benefit everybody."

The Greytown St Marks Lodge picked up on the idea and matched their donations, she said.

Plunket car seat technician Viv Bird said the capsules would be hired out to parents who might have struggled to afford their own.

"They are not cheap, not cheap at all. There are a lot of people that can't afford it and that's the beauty of hiring these - and some babies will only be in them for six months or a year."

Car seats allowed parents to be able to get out and about more freely, Ms Bird said.

There are about 50 available for hire in the Wairarapa.

Plunket receives no government funding for its car seat programme so it was great to know the community supported it, she said.

"It's been very exciting that other organisations get behind us," she said.

The law requires that children under seven years old are properly restrained by an approved child restraint.

Plunket helps parents to choose and install car seats, with both short and long-term hire options available.

For more information on the Wairarapa car seat service ring the local Plunket's office on 06 378 6101 or email them at wairarapacsrs@xtra.co.nz