Wanakafest’s celebrity auction begins tomorrow

Media release – August 14, 2006

Wanakafest’s celebrity auction begins tomorrow to raise money for breast cancer research

Bidding in the first celebrity bra auction begins online tomorrow as a prelude to Wanakafest’s bid to break the world record for the longest chain of bras.

The current Guinness Book of Record was set on April 30 this year by Cypriot women with a total of 114, 782 bras.

Wanakafest’s chain of bras will be hung on a temporary security fencing maze on Wanaka’s main street on September 16 and 17.

To highlight the world record attempt, the first of several celebrity bra auctions open on Trade Me tomorrow.

Wanakafest organiser Kerry Quin said today she was thrilled that Van Dyke, Langman, Lana Coc-Kroft, Lisa Lewis, the Edge radio station announcers JJ Feeney, Sharon Wakefield and Joe Cotton and Olympic skier Louise Corcoran had signed and donated their bras to the auction.

Lewis dashed across Waikato Stadium in her bikini in the dying seconds of the All Blacks’ recent test against Ireland. The bikini was later auctioned on Trade Me for $4000.

``Lana and Lisa will be the first from tomorrow then other celebrity women will join the auction before it ends next month,’’ Quin said.

Proceeds from the campaign will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research Trust.

Auckland-based lingerie designer Abracadabra is also playing a major part in the record-attempt by donating part of their sales proceeds to the BCRT during this campaign. They are running a competition online at www.abracadabra.co.nz which will add to the bra chain.

Abracadabra produces New Zealand’s fastest growing strapless and backless bras.

``We sponsor the champion Magic netball team and it’s great they have all become involved by donated their bras for this excellent cause,’’ Abracadabra director Vivian Zhong said today.

The campaign aims to get women from all over the country to send in their old bras with a donation via www.wanakafest.co.nz.

``Companies will also be invited to donate bras with a money donation along the way in our quest to collect 115,000 bras,’’ Quin said.

``We are thrilled Abracadabra are behind us. They are working hard to collect old second hand strapped bras for this event and trying to raise awareness of breast cancer, and will donate part of their sales when women post them their old bras.’’

``We would love all of New Zealand to get behind this world record attempt and auction because more people (600) die of breast cancer each year than those killed annually on our roads.’’

ENDS

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