FULL HOUSE: Ella Grant (left) and Dawne Morton need to raise money for day-to-day costs and larger facilities
for their birds, such as this kereru. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY 260715WCBRCBIRD01
FULL HOUSE: Ella Grant (left) and Dawne Morton need to raise money for day-to-day costs and larger facilities
for their birds, such as this kereru. PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY 260715WCBRCBIRD01
A shy kiwi, a handful of restless hawks and a somewhat aggressive - if talkative - magpie are just some of the residents of Turakina's bird rescue that need more money coming their way.
So the Wanganui-Manawatu Bird Rescue Trust workers are organising an art auction in several weeks' timeto raise money for their facilities.
"It really started a year ago, but then all sorts of things fell apart," fundraising co-ordinator Ella Grant said. "We sent out emails to everybody that was in last year's Artists' Open Studios and we got a very good response."
So far, Mrs Grant has gathered 15 pieces of artwork, from Open Studios artists and also friends and family. She expects another 15 before the auction.
They will be looking to set up pop-up shops to display the artworks in and they will be putting them online for people to see before the auction.
They were hoping to raise as much money as possible, and expected they could get about $3000-$4000 for 30 pieces of art. "We're desperate," Mrs Grant said.
Bird co-ordinator Dawne Morton said the bird rescue began 27 years ago, with about 30 birds per year. Now they were getting close to 1000 birds each year.
The rescue is funded by donations and their charity shop in Turakina.
Because vet students came to their rescue to practise on the birds, it meant they had more birds coming in with six or seven broken bones, she said.
"It's not a quick in and out." Some of the birds are at the rescue for six months.
"It's quite hard to get grants for food and petrol, in fact, it's just about impossible," Mrs Morton said.
Those costs were funded by the shop, but they were hoping the auction would "relieve the pressure".
Mrs Grant said they needed to "really get out there and get the people who have got some money interested".
They were getting a new bird rescue centre designed, as the one they had was too small, especially in winter when more birds needed to be kept inside. They were also hoping to build an accommodation centre for the students coming to stay and learn. Mrs Morton said the centre also needed a ventilation system to beat condensation.
