Mad hatters donate thousands

Getting their glam on at the donations table

An enthusiastic group of Cambridge ‘mad hatters’ will hand over $5410 to the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ this week to go towards its Pink Ribbon appeal.

The money was raised at a Mad Hatters Tea Party held by Cambridge Oaks Lifestyle Village residents at their recreation lodge earlier this month.  The whimsical theme, complete with men and women decked out in crazy hats and outfits, mostly in shades of pink, saw around 100 attendees sip their tea from deliberately mismatched vintage teacups.

Guest speaker Anna Campbell with the niftily dressed emcee for the event, Gary Edgar. Photo: Viv Posselt

Cambridge Oaks’ owners, Freedom Lifestyle Villages, also contributed towards the total raised.

The event was organised by resident Cheryl Newman, with guest speaker Anna Campbell talking on her life and ‘Fashion in the Fields’, and a fashion parade by Gabriels of Cambridge in which the clothes were modelled by villages residents.

Campbell, who lives outside Cambridge, made a name for herself a couple of years ago when she was selected to represent New Zealand at the Melbourne Cup’s Fashion on The Field event in 2023.

Newman told The News she was delighted by the turnout and the result.

“We try to do something for Pink Ribbon every couple of years,” she said. “When I saw something on television about a Mad Hatters Tea Party, I thought it was a great idea for us this time.”

She said many Cambridge businesses and organisations donated over 30 items for raffling during the event.

“It is an excellent result … we will pass on the $5410 to the Breast Cancer Foundation this week.”

Mad Hatters Tea Party organiser Cheryl Newman, left, with guest speaker Anna Campbell, turned on the pink for the fundraiser.

Getting their glam on at the donations table before the event are Cheryl and Ernie Newman, seated, and emcee Gary Edgar, Carol de Joux and Lynne Scarlett. Photo: Viv Posselt

More Recent News

Make your News our News

News contributions: At Good Local Media we can’t always be at your event or assign a reporter to do interviews – but you can still get your story in the Cambridge News, Te Awamutu News…

Shaking up the berry harvests

Thomas Hocking knows first-hand how small adjustments to harvesting equipment can have a big impact on fruit quality and orchard returns. The 20-year-old former Cambridge High School student has worked in commercial blueberry harvesting and,…

High notes for festival

What turned out to be the biggest concert band festival in the event’s recent history, held in Cambridge for the first time last month, has been declared a massive success. The weekend event, held annually…

Life and times of Naomi

A celebratory lunch last Saturday marked the 100th birthday of one very stylish and sprightly Cambridge resident, Naomi Broadbent. The centenarian reached her landmark last Friday, but it was on Saturday that family and friends…