To find out about the latest developments at Nurture, simply click on the "What's New" icon each time you visit the site.
Update in Pregnancy Care and Women's Health
A conference for GPs, midwives and practice nurses took place on November 7th and 8th. Simon Rowley made a presentation titled "The Newborn Infant" and you can download a pdf version of his presentation by clicking The Newborn Infant.
This link will be on the Nurture website for the next few weeks, so please download Simon's presentation soon if you are wanting a copy.
New Idea Run 4 Mums 2009
More than 900 people took part in Run 4 Mums this year, which was a fantastic turn out! The prestigious 10km run was won by Rosanna Balle with a time of 38:31, while Nurture Trustee Andrew Shelling was the first male at 38:32. The 5km run was won overall by Courtney Varney - who was in the Female Under 12 division - with a time of 20:58. The first male in the 5km run was Will Porter, coming in at 21:07. It was wonderful to see so many families enjoying the event and competing with each other. The Ladybirds added some sparkle to the 10km walk with their red and black outfits, including wings. New Idea Run 4 Mums raised $15,000 for Nurture this year - our thanks to sponsors New Idea, New World, Johnsons and The Breeze - and to everyone who took part or raised funds for Nurture. We hope to see you all again next year.
Twinings Mother's Day Afternoon Tea
With Allyson Gofton as our host, three hundred guests were treated to the occasion of a Twinings High Tea in the Heritage Auckland Grand Tearoom on Mother's Day 2009. Matt Greenwood, New Zealand's only tea taster, matched Twinings teas with recipes from Allyson's new book 'Bake'. Allyson also shared her personal journey towards motherhood, and the struggles she overcame to have her precious daughter Olive-Rose. The Afternoon Tea raised close to $12,000 for Nurture - our thanks to Twinings, Allyson Gofton, Heritage Auckland, Herald on Sunday and Maxwell & Williams for their generous support - and to everyone who kindly donated items for the live and silent auctions.
Team Kiwi's London Marathon success
Six months ago ten Kiwi runners decided to take on the 2009 London Marathon and raise $50,000 for charity at the same time. Each runner chose a different charity, and Tim Appleton elected to run for Nurture. On the morning of the Marathon it was near summer conditions for the 36,000 participants. And while the scenery was amazing, the highlight for Team Kiwi was the supporters. For 42 km there was non stop shouting, whistling, singing and clapping. They passed 12 pubs en route and each had a band playing outside. There were also belly dancers, brass bands, Indian drummers, choirs and 1 million people to offer encouragement along the way. Tim finished the London Marathon in 3 hours 37 minutes - and has raised more than $7,500 for Nurture as well. Our congratulations and sincere thanks to Tim and Team Kiwi for their amazing efforts.
National Women's Ball raises $9,000 for Nurture
With a theme of "A Night at the Oscars" the National Women's Ball, held on March 14th 2009, was an evening of glamour and good fun. Doctors, midwives and staff from National Women's joined their colleagues from private practice to enjoy a social evening together. Nurture organised live and silent auctions on the night, which raised $9,000. Highly sought after was an original artwork by renowned New Zealand artist John Reynolds, painted in the Nurture colours and titled "Chrysanthemum". Thanks to all the organisations and individuals who generously donated items for the auction.
Bella Mama tees for mums-to-be
These gorgeous Bella Mama t-shirts come in sizes 10 to 16 and are cut extra long to encompass growing bumps. They have a high lycra content for a comfortable stretchy fit and are suitable for both pregnant and non-pregnant mums. You can choose betweeh pink (short sleeves) or olive green (three quarter length sleeves). Bella Mama is generously donating the proceeds from the sale of each t-shirt to Nurture.
Bella Mama is a massage company specialising in supporting women through pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Whether you are expecting a baby, recovering from a birth or just in need of some relaxation, Bella Mama can help. To find out more please visit www.bellamama.co.nz
To purchase a Bella Mama t-shirt please click here
The Ultimate Rally Experience
Nicola Wright was the lucky winner of the Ultimate Rally Experience - a prize drawn at Run 4 Mums on Mother's Day 2008. Nicola spent a day in the Maramarua Forest with the Andrew Simms Mitsubishi rally team, and had the opportunity to co-drive with national rally champion, Chris West. "The ride was more exciting than any of the theme parks in Australia" according to Nicola. She was on Cloud 9 after the experience, and was delighted when her husband also got a ride in the rally car as a birthday present. We hope Nicola enjoyed her prize experience!
Run 4 Mums raises $15,000 for Nurture
The inaugural New Idea Run 4 Mums event was held on Mother's Day, Sunday May 11th 2008. Close to 500 participants took part in a 5 or 10km run or a 5 km walk through Auckland's beautiful Cornwall Park. Competitive runners and families all took part, with prams being pushed around the 5 and 10 km course.
A sausage sizzle and orange juice were provided free of charge by More FM, Carnation Milk mixed up sample smoothies, and complimentary massages were available in the New Idea marquee. Smaller children enjoyed a bouncy castle, face painters and balloon sculpting clown - so there was something for everyone. Andrew Simms Mitsubishi gave away a Chris West rally package, and New Idea put together a hamper of pampering goodies for one lucky mother.
It was a wonderful morning with $15,000 raised for Nurture, and we hope to make this an annual event. To see more photos and race results please click here.
Charity auction of Steiff teddy bears
Nurture was invited to be the beneficiary of a charity auction of twelve limited edition or collectible Stieff teddy bears in March 2008. These gorgeous bears are hand crafted in Germany and several had never been available in New Zealand before. Smith and Caughey hosted the auction in the childrenswear department and the auctioneer was Peter Webb. All twelve teddy bears were sold at auction and close to $4,000 raised for Nurture.
Nurture 'official charity' for Teddy Bears Picnic 2008
The Nurture Foundation was delighted to be the 'official charity' for the Teddy Bears Picnic in March this year. Our volunteers were selling teddy bear lollipops, collecting donations and selling Tip Top ice creams. Linda Adamson and the Love to Sing kids performed on the main stage to support Nurture, and Cafe L'Affare generously donated 30% of their coffee sales to Nurture. It was a great day enjoyed by families and teddy bear enthusiasts!
Poppet Photography supports Nurture
Poppet Photography is a new studio that specialises in pregnancy and baby portraits. With more than 20 years of professional photography experience between them, Fiona Tomlinson and Steph Cawte have recently established Poppet Photography, to capture that special bump or bubby in your life. Their passion for photographing stages of pregnancy and babies, eye for detail and use of top end equipment ensures beautiful results.
Poppet Photography is generously donating $25 from every sitting fee to The Nurture Foundation, to support research into reproductive health. Gift Certificates are now available - simply contact Steph or Fiona on 09 845 5165 to order yours or to arrange a photography session for yourself or your precious baby.
- To visit the Poppet Photography website, please click here.
Great excuse for a Girls' Night Out!
For an evening of fashion, style and sass, book your tickets to Signature Style's Summery Savvy now. Taking place at SkyCity Convention Centre in Auckland on October 18th 2007, Summer Savvy promises great speakers, great goodie bags and great advice! Grant Bettjeman on summer hair, Vic Williams on summer wine, Jackie O'Fee on summer style and designer collections from Andrea Moore, Jane Rhodes, Isakelle, Loucie Boshier and Doris de Pont. The event also supports The Nurture Foundation, with $10 from every ticket donated to Nurture.
Get a group of friends together and get in quick before this event sells out!
- For more information please click Summer Savvy.
- For more information about Signature Style, please click here.
The Nurture Foundation will be at the Parent and Child Show in Auckland this year, which takes place from 26 - 28th October 2007 at the Auckland Showgrounds. We will be on Stand 399 in the Main Hall - together with EGG Maternity. Gorgeous baby t-shirts will be for sale, with all proceeds going to Nurture. If you're looking for a special gift for a friend or family member with a new baby, our t-shirts could be just the ticket! Pink pegs and peg baskets imported from France by Leaping Frogs will also be on sale from our stand at the Parent and Child Show. We look forward to seeing you there.
- To visit the EGG Maternity website, please click here.
- For more information about Leaping Frogs' pegs and peg baskets, please click here.
Allyson Gofton, well-known food editor for Next magazine and presenter of Wattie's "Food in a Minute", has become Nurture's first Ambassador.
Allyson's association with Nurture was announced on Mother's Day 2007, with an article and photo in the Sunday Star Times. Allyson, her husband Warwick and son Jean-Luc had much to celebrate this Mother's Day with the safe arrival of gorgeous new daughter and sister, Olive-Rose on April 27th. Olive-Rose was conceived with the aid of fertility treatment and delivered by caesarean section four weeks early due to placenta previa, a condition that can cause sudden haemorrhage - increasing the risk of stillbirth, premature birth or an undernourished baby.
Allyson also experienced a difficult pregnancy leading up to the premature birth of Jean-Luc when she was hospitalised with pre-eclampsia, a condition that can seriously compromise the health of both baby and mother. Jean-Luc then spent 12 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit.
As Nurture's first Ambassador, Allyson will help to raise awareness of the prevalence of reproductive problems in New Zealand, and highlight the need for funding to support research into miscarriage, stillbirth, pregnancy complications and infertility. We're grateful for Allyson's invovlement, and believe that having such a well-known Ambassador with personal experience of reproductive problems will encourage more New Zealanders to support reproductive research by making a donation to Nurture.
Nurture 'official charity' for Teddy Bears Picnic
The 2007 Teddy Bears Picnic was a fun day out for everyone - and a great success for Nurture! Hirepool generously supported Nurture by bringing along two diggers to the Picnic. For a $5 donation, kids could ride a real digger and actually operate the arm of the digger to search for golf balls in a sand bin to win a prize. The diggers were fully occupied the entire day, with kids - and their dads - welcoming the chance to drive a real digger.
Linda Adamson and the Love to Sing choir performed on the main entertainment stage, also to support Nurture. Most families with young children own at least one Love to Sing CD or DVD, so their performance on stage was a real success. Lots of littlies were movin' and groovin' along with Linda and the choir to those well known action songs!
The Nurture Foundation would like to thank both Hirepool and Linda Adamson for generously supporting Nurture at our first big community event. We look forward to being at the Teddy Bears Picnic again next year.
Robyn and Jonathan celebrate the arrival of Arwen Sophia
If you have read the personal story about the stillbirth of Robyn and Jonathan's first son, Toby, you'll be thrilled to hear that they now have a gorgeous, healthy daughter. Arwen Sophia was born on 19 January 2007, two days before her due date. Understandably, both parents are still a little bit in disbelief.
We wish Robyn, Jonathan and Arwen all the best.
A baby for Noemi and Ding
You may have read the personal story about Noemi and Ding, who struggled for many years through the heartache of recurrent miscarriage. Noemi joined the SPIN Study earlier this year, and took aspiring and heparin throughout her pregnancy. On October 31st, Noemi and Ding's first precious baby was born - a little girl named Isabella Sophia who weighed in at 3030 grams. Isabella is the first baby born through the SPIN Study in New Zealand - and the first of many we hope!
Congratulations, Noemi and Ding.
Lauraine Jacobs fundraiser a great success
Nurture's first fundraising event was a great success - more than 150 guests gathered at La Cigale in Parnell on November 27th 2006 to be entertained by Lauraine Jacobs speaking about her new cookbook "The Confident Cook".
Lauraine signed more than 120 copies of her book, and donated $5 to Nurture with each copy sold. Many guests also took advantage of the opportunity to shop for Christmas presents from La Cigale's selection of beautiful French imports. Our thanks to La Cigale for providing a fabulous venue and French bubbles for this fundraising event, and to Lauraine Jacobs for supporting Nurture.