Rotorua locals gear up for Loud Shirt Day

Rotorua children left the Children's Art House on Saturday wearing brightly coloured, handcrafted T-shirts and even brighter smiles.

About 60 people visited the art house by noon yesterdayto decorate a T-shirt in preparation for Loud Shirt Day, a fundraiser to help deaf children learn to listen and speak.

Sisters Loralie Packham, 6, and Emily Packham, 4, had fun turning their white T-shirts into colourful masterpieces.

Loralie said her favourite thing about the day was creating her T-shirt using pink, gold and silver paints and putting love hearts and stars on.

Emily said the best part was painting her name on her T-shirt.

Their mum Jenny Packham, who is an audiologist, said it was a fun activity for her daughters to take part in but she also wanted to support the charity because of her line of work.

Everyone who decorated a T-shirt made a gold coin donation and the proceeds would go to The Hearing House and the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme.

Rotorua Museum events and engagement co-ordinator Tori Williams said it was the first time the museum had partnered with Loud Shirt Day, and the day had been a success.

"Today was a trial but it's been successful so I hope to continue with something similar next year," she said.

Williams had seen a wide range of different creations from the children including tie-dying and painting castles and dragons on T-shirts.

Loud Shirt Day is on Friday. For more information or to donate to this charity go to www.loudshirtdaynz.org