News in brief

School fair a success

The sun was shining and the crowds poured in for the 25th Appleby School Country Fair on Saturday. The fair is run by Friends of Appleby School and boasted traditional fair-ground games, homemade baking and farmers’ market stalls. Organisers say the event was well-supported and want to thank everyone who attended.

Indian Ink returns to Nelson

Indian Ink’s multi-award winning play Guru of Chai is coming to Nelson on 14 and 15 September. Jacob Rajan plays a hilarious and slightly suspect guru who promises to take all your problems away – guaranteed. Described as a work of genius by numerous reviewers, Guru of Chai is beautiful, funny, sad and true.

Stoke church sold

The Whakatu Presbyterian Church on Songer St has been sold. The new owners are the Samoan Congregational Christian Church who have been hiring the church and hall. They will take possession of the 1600m2 site on 17 September. The building was listed for sale in October last year after the church built a new premises on Champion Rd to serve the region, combining their parishes of Stoke, Tāhunanui, and Richmond. The Songer St church was built in the 1950s which was the original church, and the present ‘A-frame’ church building opened in 1968.

Swinging high on community grant

A Motueka school is missing a vital part of their playground - but that is soon to be fixed thanks to a $10k grant. St Peter Chanel School has received the funding boost from New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) for new playground swings. Board of Trustees member Megan Strong, says the last addition to their playground was in 2015, and it has been “in dire need” of an upgrade for some time. “We surveyed our students, and the clear message was that swings were what they missed most.” The new swing set will feature two typical swings plus a ‘lillypad’ swing. The swings will offer numerous developmental benefits, including improved motor skills, coordination, and stress relief. The playground is popular outside school hours, so the swing will be well used on weekends and during school holidays by the wider community. NZCT’s general manager of grants, marketing, and communications, Ben Hodges, says they are “delighted” to help to complete the playground. “All kids love swings, and they are especially valuable for neurodiverse children to decompress. “NZCT is grateful for the responsible gaming fundraising partnership we share with Hotel Motueka that made our grant possible.”