Wānaka & Districts Lions Club has donated $10,000 to the Otago Southland Helicopter Trust after a successful fundraiser.

Over the past 12 weeks the club ran a raffle for a new crated trailer filled with firewood and 2,000 tickets were sold at five dollars each, club representative Steve Richmond said.

“We were delighted by the Wānaka community response to this fundraiser, which clearly shows huge support and appreciation for this life-saving resource,” he said.

The Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust provides a 24/7 helicopter service for critical medical care and search and rescue in South Island’s southern regions, operating from bases in Dunedin and Queenstown.

Lions and Friends of Ruby Island members visit the new Ruby Island BBQ, which features a roof shelter built by the Lions club.

“The trust is enormously grateful to the members of the Lions Club of Wānaka for their hard work on the raffle project that has resulted in a generous donation to the Trust,” Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust chair Martin Dippie told the Wānaka App.

“We have a significant annual target to fund the increasing number of missions flown by the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Service, providing a world-class response to patients who are often in desperate situations. 

“Support such as this is vital to the operation of this critical service that makes a massive difference to lives in our region every day.”

Lions members relax at one of the two tables they built at Ruby Island, one of which has a plaque in memory of club member Ashley Blair.

The Wānaka and Districts Lions Club also completed two projects at Ruby Island this month.

Members built a roof over the new Ruby Island BBQ and built two new tables.

One of the tables has a plaque in memory of club member Ashley Blair, who died suddenly, and the project was partially funded by the Blair family.

For the year ending June 2023, Wānaka & Districts Lions Club donated $70,000 to the Upper Clutha community from its fundraising efforts. Beneficiaries include: Child Cancer, Ronald McDonald House, Wānaka Police (Youth Blast Programme), Wānaka Community Workshop, Wānaka Search and Rescue, Hāwea Flat School, Aspiring Gym Sports, and the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter.

Find more information about the Wānaka and Districts Lions Club here.

PHOTOS: Supplied