27 March 2024
What goes with gin? Sunflowers and calendar girls, of course.
Puhoi-based gin makers, Batch10, have joined forces with the Warkworth Theatre Company to raise funds for Harbour Hospice. The theatre company will stage Tim Firth’s production, Calendar Girls, in April-May, with 10% of ticket sales going to Harbour Hospice.
Calendar Girls is based on the true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who created a nude calendar to raise funds for leukaemia research in the UK. The theatre company’s actors, many of whom have been personally touched by hospice, will rely heavily on sunflowers to conceal parts of their body during their performances.
Meanwhile, Batch10 will sell a specially created blend of gin, Sunflower Gin, at the show, with $10 from every bottle going to Harbour Hospice. In keeping with the show’s sunflower theme the classic London dry with extra notes of lemon and lime is inspired by sunflowers.
This special collaboration was formed after the theatre company approached Batch10 for support. Batch10 managing director Brent Robinson was happy to get involved, saying, “My background is in the health sector in funding, so I’m well aware of how underfunded hospices in New Zealand are. It's really important for communities to get around organisations like hospice.”
Brent says he’s seen firsthand the exceptional care that hospice provides, after both his parents were cared for by the service.
And after losing his family home during Cyclone Gabrielle last year, then having 75 huge-hearted individuals arrive three days later to help his family clear the carnage, he knows better than anyone the true power of communities coming together.
Brent and his team will be at the Calendar Girls shows every night with sunflower gins to sample and plenty of bottles available for purchase. Their special Sunflower Gin can also be purchased online from Batch10’s website.
Calendar Girls will be on at the Warkworth Town Hall from 26 April to 4 May. Tickets are available from: trybooking.com/nz/ or the Mahurangi Matters office at 17 Neville St, Warkworth.
