Donations for Deidre

Kevin Bannan is a car guy. Driving instructor, petrol head and ex mechanic, Kevin also puts on the annual Hira Hop Classic Car Show as a committee member of the Nelson North Country Club.

Kevin doesn’t put on the Hira Hop alone, on the day he has a team of twelve helpers, and for the first two years of the event he had the help of a dear friend Deidre Prattley who would help him organise things. Deidre passed away on Nelson Tasman Hospice services before the third Hira Hop in 2024, but even in her illness wanted to help out Kevin and the Nelson North Country Club.

The 2023 Hira Hop event donated their entry fee to Nelson Tasman Hospice, but Kevin says that giving the 2024 entry fee donations felt even more fitting this year because of Deidre. “Cancer is so discriminant anyone can be cut down with it, the Hospice do an amazing job helping people with this horrible disease,” Kevin says. 48% of Nelson Tasman Hospice admissions during our 2022/23 financial year were non-cancer related, but regardless of the diagnosis the patient and whānau still receive the same standard of care.

Kevin speaks on how events can help remember a loved one and bring people together for a good cause, “the community gets behind events so it’s great to be able to give something back.” Nelson Tasman Hospice’s services are free to patients and are funded to approximately 52% of their operational costs by Te Whatu Ora Nelson Marlborough, leaving around $3.5M a year (or around $9,600 a day) to be raised from our community.

Each dollar raised locally stays in our community and supports people across the region when they are at their most vulnerable. If you think you could create an event to help fundraise for Nelson Tasman Hospice, we would love you to join our compassionate community. Please contact fundraising@nelsontasmanhospice.org.nz