Saturday October 27 will see a host of Cromwell homes and gardens open to the public in an event organised by Cromwell Rotary in support of Cromwell St John. The selection of homes generously opened up to visitors by their owners include new homes, older homes, apartments, and beautifully restored villas and of course the visits include an opportunity to see their respective gardens as well. The tour starts at 10am on the day and continues until 4pm . Your own transport will be required.St John in Cromwell needs a new home and because the organisation relies on fundraising to build all its new buildings, Rotary has been approached to help. A small group of Rotarians have developed the House and Garden tour as a way to profile a selection of interesting and unique homes in our area. Visitors on the day to the selection of addresses will, through their ticket purchase, be making a significant contribution to this exciting St John project.
St John has identified the need for a new and innovative ambulance hub to help future proof its operations in this area given the rapid growth in both permanent and temporary population. As we are all well aware, Cromwell and surrounding Central Otago areas are becoming a very popular destination - and of course both domestic and international tourism is increasing rapidly as well. In this increased growth, St John reports that demand for emergency services is up almost 5% per annum and planning is well underway for managing that likely continuing trend. They are looking to the 'hub and spoke' model developed in Christchurch after the 2011 earthquake as the likely solution. The planned new ambulance station will be built to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake, and could be easily converted to a post event response location, acting as a community meeting space. The proposed design reflects the unique character of the Cromwell region, using materials and vegetation that will evoke both the natural and cultural landscape of the area. Because the value of having a strong St John in our community is so universally supported, lots of wonderful sponsors are supporting Rotary in this venture. They include Harcourts, Metro Graphix and Design, NZ House Surveys, Guthrie Bowron, Nichol's Garden Centre, Shoes Unlimited, John Wekking Electrical, Begg Security, Trends Kitchen, Golden View Lifestyle Village and Aitken Joinery. They are helping ensure that funds received through ticket sales can go straight to St John.PLEASE NOTE : Because of the nature of the terrain at some houses, there is no wheelchair access, nor are the visits in general, toddler or young child friendly. There are 2 ways to get tickets for the House and Garden Tour tour. You can phone 03 262 7999, or you can call in to any Central Otago I-SITE Centre (Cromwell, Alexandra, Ranfurly and Roxburgh)to collect a ticket. Ticket price is $45 per person. Any queries about the tour to Paula Jackson on 0275 725 457.