Southlander and advocate Blair Vining inspired a lot of people during his cancer battle, and even after his death in 2019 he continues to do so.
He and wife Melissa's efforts to improve cancer care in the community has resulted in Invercargill’s Southland Charity Hospital, which is now being built in his memory.
But it needed insulating. So South Otago sheep and beef farmer Amy Blaikie organised Bales for Blair to get wool for the building.
“I couldn’t have foreseen the positive response. It’s fantastic from everyone from the whole sector,” she told Seven Sharp.
Growers stepped up and donated 300 bales in total.
Nicola Stokes is one of many wool growers to gift big bales of fleece to the Bales for Blair campaign.
“We lost David, my husband, a couple of years ago to cancer. For us as a family, we thought it would be a lovely thing to do to honour him to give some wool from his farm and have that keeping people warm in the Southland Charity Hospital.
“I think he’d be really pleased about that,” she said.
Mr Vining died of bowel cancer in 2019 but hundreds have pitched in to raise a million dollars for the hospital.
The wool was then sent to Timaru’s Canterbury Woolscourers for a shampoo.
General manager Tony Maurice insisted on doing it for free.
Next step in the journey for the donated wool is Terra Lana in Christchurch. There, the wool is turned into insulation for the charity hospital.
James Gallagher, co-owner Terra Lana, also insisted on donating his firm’s time and effort.
Such has been the response that there's now wool left over. Carpet maker Godfrey Hirst is buying it, with funds going to the hospital build, while Bremworth is donating the carpet.
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