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Tuesday 18 February 2014
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Wine and food fest
Busy bank empty, needs help Despite an improving economy, it’s still tough going for some locals with more people reaching out for help, according to local agencies which are being “inundated”. Last week a Bishopdale woman, who is living on less than $20 per week, was given a food bag with rotten fruit and other goods that were weeks past the used by date. Mike Gibson, coordinator of a local food bank, says in just three weeks in January, more than 100 parcels were given out and last week alone saw more than 26 recipients. “It’s getting quite usual to see that.” He says that while demand for the parcels is increasing, donations seem to be going the other way and that may be to blame for the off food. “People aren’t donating to the extent that they used to, times are hard. People put quite a few items in a bag and it looks pretty big, but when
Page 28-29
A District Branch of Mainland Football
Mud Rookies form new club
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Sinead Ogilvie Reporter
reporter@nelsonweekly.co.nz
it comes into the food bank and we put it on the shelf, it’s not much in the scheme of things.” He says the more support from the community the better. The Bishopdale woman, who is on an invalid’s benefit, would only go by her initials JC for this article. She says that after her rent and other bills are paid, she is left with exactly $18.81 to feed, clothe and look after herself. “I don’t have money for food. By the time I pay my rent, my insurance and other bills that is all I am left with. “I usually ring my son up, but I don’t like to do that all the time. He’s got his own bills to pay. He shouldn’t’ have to look after me. It’s horrible.”
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Opera in the Park musical director Pete Rainey is hoping for feedback from this year’s event which is this Saturday night at Trafalgar Park. Photo: Phillip Rollo.
Where to for Opera in the Park? Saturday night’s Opera in the Park will be the 15th time it’s held and musical director Pete Rainey is hoping for some feedback from event-goers as to how it should look in the future. The popular event attracted close to 7000 people to Trafalgar Park in 2013, and with this year’s show headlined by Pene Pati, one of the stars of opera trio Sol 3 Mio, it is expected to draw similar numbers again.
spice up the line-up with even more renowned acts. However, that would result in more expensive ticket prices. “It’s always been an eclectic mix of classical music and contempory music, but which way should we go? If we up the budget and put the ticket price up a bit to get a significant range of acts, would people actually respond?” Pete says. To purchase tickets, and for more information, visit www. nelsonfestivals.co.nz
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While the venue has changed over the 15 years, with shows in Tahunanui and at Saxton Field, the artist budget has generally remained the same, keeping tickets at a reasonably cheap price – this year it will be $15 for an adult and $5 for a child, although booking fees do apply. So Pete is hoping that at the end of this year’s show people will let him know, via his email, pete.rainey@ ncc.govt.nz, if it’s time to perhaps
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