Preparations under way for The Great Ball - Women's Refuge Whanganui fundraiser

Refuge board members and ball organisers (from left) Sharon Warburton, Maureen Johnson, Dean McFater, Paula Wade, Helen Craig, Jan Rose, Warren Ruscoe and Gareth Jones, of David Jones Motors.

It's black and shiny and all suited up for a major Whanganui fundraising event.

Zipping around town is a Suzuki Swift GL CVT automatic with 17-inch alloys, tinted windows and black tie outfit on its bonnet in preparation for The Great Ball 2019, a fundraiser for Women's Refuge Whanganui.

The Great Ball organising committee chairwoman Sharon Warburton said the car would be one of the prestigious items to be auctioned on the night of the ball.

"The live auction is the powerhouse at the centre of The Great Ball," Warburton said.

"Of the $90,000 we raised last time, our 11 prestigious items contributed a whopping $43,800.

"It's the second time David Jones Motors has sponsored us with a car and it's a big part of our live auction, having this car. People will see it around town for the next 16 weeks. If someone wants to bid on the car but isn't coming to the ball, they can contact us."

Women's Refuge Whanganui used the $90,000 raised at the inaugural Great Ball in 2016, plus $33,000 raised at The Cocktail Lounge in November 2017 and a grant from Four Regions Trust, to buy its own building for a refuge hub/administration/education centre.

The money raised at The Great Ball 2019 will go towards the refuge's ongoing goal of continuing the essential service it provides to victims of domestic violence in Whanganui in the face of reduced government funding. The secondary goal is to raise funds to pay back a benefactor who loaned the refuge the balance for the building purchase.

• The ball will be held at the refurbished War Memorial Centre on Saturday, August 3. Details about how to buy tickets will be available soon at www.thegreatball.nz or on The Great Ball 2019 Facebook page.