HighLight: Carnival of Lights has chosen Te Omanga Hospice as its charity partner for 2018, raising money to help with the rebuild of its earthquake-prone building.

HighLight is a free annual event that illuminates Riddiford Garden in central Lower Hutt over Labour weekend with a carnival of live entertainment and performances, interactive light installations, fireworks and food trucks.

Te Omanga Hospice, established in 1979, provides care and support to people, and their families, living with a terminal or life limiting illness in the Hutt Valley. It is fundraising $10 million to rebuild its earthquake-prone building in central Lower Hutt.

The inaugural HighLight event in 2017 saw more than 100,000 people in attendance and raised $20,000 for its 2017 charity partner Alzheimers Wellington.

Event organiser Carla Steed says she hopes this year’s event can help Te Omanga Hospice with its fundraising efforts to rebuild its earthquake-prone building.

“We were thrilled with how much money we were able to raise for our charity partner last year, and believe the local Hutt community will see the value in helping raise money for the rebuild effort.

“Te Omanga provides essential palliative care services in our community, and they have a big target this year, so it was an obvious choice for us to partner with them.”

Chief Executive of Te Omanga Hospice, Biddy Harford, says she is looking forward to seeing what’s in store for this year’s HighLight: Carnival of Lights and is grateful for the assistance in helping their fundraising efforts.

"Being a charity partner at HighLight will help Te Omanga light up lives in our community. With the rebuild of our earthquake-prone hospice, we need our community right now as much as the community needs the hospice."

HighLight returns to Riddiford Garden in Lower Hutt from Friday, 19 - Monday, 22 October, 2018 from 8pm - 11pm nightly. Free entry.

ENDS

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