Community Christmas window at Hakeke Centre

Mixing it with the Hakeke St Community Centre and Library Christmas window are Benji (left), Jayde, Jethro and Danielle. Photo / Paul Brooks

Hakeke St Community Centre and Library has teamed up with its neighbour, Love and Learn Care and Education, to design and create a Christmas window at the centre.
"There is so much not happening that we wanted to give our community something," says Jane Bilderbeck, centre manager. "So Danielle [Stephens] and her crew from Love and Learn have done an amazing job in there."
In conjunction with the window, they ran Elf on the Shelf, a competition that runs until December 22.
"The kids come and look in the window and try to find the elf. The elf will be moved every day," says Jane. "This gives the community something to smile about."
"We always have the best grotto in town, but we can't have that this year, so we have the Christmas window."
Danielle says they must thank Scafit Ltd, the firm that donated all the framing on which the window display rests, and Shylo from Caroline's Boatshed for helping put the window together.
"That's their contribution to the community this year," says Jane.

The window is a work of Christmas art, with colour, lights, inflatable characters, tinsel, trees and elves. The display will remain until the new year.

Also on site at Hakeke St Community Centre and Library is a playbox, filled with sports equipment and available for use by anyone.

"This is an initiative with Sport Whanganui," says Jane. "The idea is that people come and get a key from us, go into the box and borrow whatever they like, footballs, swingball, touch, cricket, bats and balls ... all sorts of things."

They are free to take them across the road to the park or take them home, play to their heart's content, then return them.

"It's being trialled here to see how successful it is."

The Community Playbox is filled with sports equipment for the community to borrow and use. Photo / Paul Brooks

The large, strong wooden box was made by people at Kaitoke Prison and has been placed near the centre's shared community garden.

"Replay from Sport Whanganui provided all the balls, and then we got a grant from Te Manawa, which is how we got the rest of it," says Jane. There are bats, balls, wickets and all sorts of play equipment, including frisbees, perfect for throwing at "the rec" across the road.

There's a notice on the inside lid of the box with terms and conditions, namely, return the gear by 10am the following day.

Hakeke St Community Centre and Library is permitting both vaccinated and unvaccinated people on the premises, partly to allow staff to print and laminate vaccine passes for those who need them, getting around that catch-22 problem of people needing to download and print a pass, but haven't got a pass to gain admittance to premises that have that facility.