SHELLEY INON
TIMARU COURIER

A group of local mums have raised a ‘‘wee bit shy’’ of $4500 for CPlay from online auctions. Goods for the auctions were donated over a three› week period and included children’s clothes, toys and baby gear like Jolly Jumpers. Organiser Brittney Bowie said they were thrilled with the amount they had made. The group had originally aimed for $3000, but had blown that ‘‘out of the park’’. She was proud of the effort put in, ‘‘particularly for a group of mums with young children and jobs’’. With 850 photos uploaded — most having three items for sale in each — Mrs Bowie said she estimated the five mums had put in a combined 200 hours into last week’s effort...

She said the mothers had met as part of an antenatal group and they had made the huge effort to raise funds for the playground as they could see how their children would benefit from it.

She had not realised quite how much time would go into it, but ‘‘once we got into it, we had to see it through’’.

While some people ‘‘tended to muck you around on Marketplace’’, they had not had to contend with that kind of behaviour with their auctions.

‘‘People were amazing,’’ Mrs Bowie said.

They were thankful tothe community for their good spirit with the auctions.

Everybody was ‘‘having fun with it’’.

They had also received a donation from O’Rourke Foliar Fert Spreading for four Easter egg hampers to be raffled, which they were incredibly thankful for.