January 2025
Welcome to the first newsletter of 2025. We hope you had a great holiday season and enjoyed some quality time with your favourite people.
The Cholmondeley team are looking forward to providing respite care for children and support for their families again this year. We're here to give families time to breathe and make decisions for their future, while children get new experiences and a safe and friendly space to enjoy their childhood.
Here's a look at what's been happening at Cholmondeley over the past month and what we've got coming up in 2025 - our 100th year serving the Canterbury community. We'll be sending out monthly newsletters this year and future editions will also include a story from former Cholmondeley children.
Our Christmas Car Raffle wrapped up just before the end of the 2024 with the two prize winners pulled from a live draw at ILAM Toyota on December 23rd. Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who bought a ticket.
René and Mary Heyde popped into the centre for a visit after finishing up their travels around Australia. In August last year René completed a 3,800-kilometre fundraising ride on his bicycle from Perth to Melbourne for Cholmondeley.
Inspired by René's journey, Cholmondeley's Patron Nuk Korako and Chairperson Nettles Lamont took on their own challenge, 'The Great 100 Year Ride for Cholmondeley.' Together they spent two weeks in January cycling from Cape Reinga to Wellington to raise money for the Centre and connect with alumni along the way. What an incredible journey!
The next couple of months are packed with a full schedule of events to celebrate Cholmondeley's centenary. We'll be hosting a family movie night, an evening gala event aboard a ship, a centenary golf tournament and an open day between now and the end of March. These are shaping up to be fantastic events which will bring the past and present Cholmondeley community together to mark the Centre's significant milestone.
We’re excited for what this year will bring and can’t wait to have you with us on this journey.
Christmas Car Raffle Winners
With the help of the Canterbury community we sold almost all 3,000 car raffle tickets within the final seven weeks of 2024.
Drawn in a live draw on December 23rd at ILAM Toyota the first prize of a 2022 Toyota Corolla went to Jani-King New Zealand, and second prize of one night's stay for two in a Canterbury Purepod went to Ruth M.
Jani-King bought 100 tickets from Cholmondeley and gave them out to staff as Christmas presents.
The lucky Jani-King employee said he was, "overwhelmed with gratitude and humbled" by the win, and incredibly thankful for both the prize and the work Cholmondeley does in the community.
He also shared a personal connection to Cholmondeley's mission - over many years, he and his wife had fostered young children in need of loving homes.
What a wonderful story!
René Heyde's visit to Cholmondeley
During René and Mary's visit they shared stories and answered questions with our children and together they presented the Centre with a photo-book about the ride. It's hard to believe the scale of René's journey across Australia!
To keep up to date with René's adventures follow him on Facebook.
The Great 100 Year Ride for Cholmondeley
Congratulations and thank you to Nuk Korako and Nettles Lamont on completing their ride from Cape Reinga to Wellington over the weekend.
Together they cycled more than 1,000km in less than two weeks to raise money for Cholmondeley Children's Centre.
What a ride! Thank you so much for putting in such an incredible amount of effort to support Cholmondeley.
Cholmondeley’s Centenary Events
In March 2025, we’re pulling out all the stops to celebrate 100 years of care at Cholmondeley Children’s Centre. Over 33,000 children have stayed with us, thanks to the incredible vision of Hugh Heber Cholmondeley and the ongoing support of our community, businesses, and families.
We’re marking this milestone with a series of events themed around Honouring Our Past, Celebrating Our Present, and Building Our Future. We can’t wait for you to join in and share your stories.
Gala Event - February 21st 2025
Join us as we celebrate 100 years of Cholmondeley Children's Centre with an unforgettable evening aboard HMNZS Canterbury.
Experience a night of elegant canapés, flowing drinks, and live music under the stars, set against the extraordinary backdrop of this iconic navy vessel.
Cholmondeley Centenary Golf Tournament - March 6th 2025
Get your team of four together and join us for a fantastic afternoon of golf as part of Cholmondeley’s Centenary Golf Tournament presented by ILAM Toyota at Russley Golf Club. More information here.
Dress up for Cholmondeley - March 7th 2025
Whether you’re at work, school, or with friends, show your support by dressing up - anything goes from the 1920s to the 2020s — or as superheroes. Express yourself and post your pics with #100YearsOfCholmondeley for a chance to win prizes. For more information email us.
Open Day - March 15th 2025 - 10am - 4pm (please note the change in date)
Explore Cholmondeley like never before! Our Open Day, will offer guided tours, live music, and market stalls, all in support of the Centre. Bring your family and friends for a glimpse into our history and future! Free Entry.
At 10.30am New Zealand's Governor General will visit the Centre to meet the children of Cholmondeley and our Governor’s Bay community.
Then the famous 'What Now' gunge machine will be in action on site and Christchurch City Council mayoral candidates are getting gunged!