'Bachelor' car gifted to refuge auction

ROCKET BOOST: Women's Refuge Whanganui board members Sharon Warburton (left), Keryn Amon and Paula Wade with the well-known red car. PHOTO/STUART MUNRO

A red hot TV star has come to the aid of Women's Refuge Whanganui.

Fans of the TV3 dating programme The Bachelor will recall the Suzuki Swift known as "the red rocket" which featured on the reality show.

Suzuki and David Jones Motors have now donated the $24,000 car to Women's Refuge to help raise funds for a hub in Whanganui's central business district.

The hatchback, which will be auctioned online, has a five-star fuel and safety rating and just 4000km on the clock and comes with a three-year warranty.

Women's Refuge hopes the money raised from the auction, together with those from the Great Ball at the War Memorial Centre on August 13, will provide enough for a new premises.

"Our current premises are inadequate - we have simply outgrown our environment," chairwoman Paula Wade said. "We are so grateful to Suzuki, David Jones Motors and our other generous sponsors to ensure we raise at least $50,000 to help us move."

She said that Women's Refuge in Whanganui processed approximately 1500 police incident reports each year, but received government funding for only 49 of those reports.

Great Ball committee chairwoman Sharon Warburton said the funding shortfall was one of the reasons for the creation of The Great Ball.

"We need to raise a significant amount of funds to allow Women's Refuge Whanganui to help more women and children."

Tickets for the Great Ball have sold out but Ms Warburton said people could still bid for the car or any of the many other auction items on offer, or make a donation.

More information is available on thegreatball.nz or people can follow events on The Great Ball Whanganui Facebook page, while donations can also be made by calling Women's Refuge Whanganui on 06 3442204.