Outstanding

I was the lone soldier from Bean Bags & Beyond with 40 odd filled bean bags and another 100 covers and only had to lift 3 out of 10 fingers. From dropping all the stock to Mainfreight prior to the Expo to collecting the little we had remaining on my return, not only was that so incredibly easy absolutely everything in the middle was too.

The genuine want to help from all the volunteers that came to help, and there were plenty, was like many others have said, simply humbling.

A special thanks to Pam, Gail and embarrassingly I have forgotten the name of the couple (they know who they are) that help in the stall. To be honest they sold more bean bags than me and the more breaks I had the better the sales.

To Callum who somehow organised all the freight with seamless ease - you are a dead set champion.

And to all the Hands Up Wellington team, I have no idea how you managed such an outstanding event but your rewards will be in heaven.

Many, many thanks from Nigel at Bean Bags and Beyond

Thank You 'Hands Up'!!!

The Hands Up Wellington event left us truly humbled by the selfless efforts of hundreds of Wellingtonians.

As a small business affected by the Christchurch earthquakes, we were invited to attend this expo, and “set up shop” for a weekend in your city.

Wellington and New Zealand should be proud of the Hands up Wellington board, a small group of people who spent literally months of their lives altruistically helping Christchurch businesses. We will never forget what they have done for us.

And to all the people who offered their resources, their skills, their time and their support. Thank you. It gives us strength to know that you’ve got our backs.

Jane Leighs and Maria Kay. JEMS Fashion E-Studio.

A Fashionable Thankyou!

I simply wish to extend my heart felt thanks to you all. What an amazing event you put together for us of Christchurch. Words cannot really express how grateful I feel.

It was so smooth, so easy and so well done by you all. The helpers were like angels... everyone wanted to assist and help and the kindness that flowed all weekend was simply amazing. I just want you to know from myself and all those that came up we all feel so grateful.

Thank you so, so, so much -

Angela Stone
---
http://www.angelastone.co.nz

Thank you from Art Works

Two aspects of this event impressed me greatly - the first was the attention to detail: you organisers thought of every little thing we could want.

The second was the festive atmosphere - we'll remember it most of all as a celebration rather than just as a business opportunity.

So thank you from Francine and Glyn of Art Works.

A reason to smile

Thank you so much for all your time and effort Hands Up team!! The weekend was so amazing to be part of, a slice of the chch I recognise! it reminded me again why this is what I choose to do what I do. The atmosphere was so positive in and around the weekend. I really appreciate how much work went into it, I thank you so much! I look forward to the future with many more smiles. Big warm hugs to everyone xxAilish

Many many thanks..

Wow!
Such a great weekend ...
So many people to thank -Rachelle,Heather-and all the volunteers who gave their time,and we all know time is precious.
To see so many familiar faces-customers,friends,warm wishes,support,love,hugs..
Warm fuzzies
Thanks HANDS UP :)

www.debrafallowfield.com

A HUGE THANK YOU FROM BLUE COCONUT

Thank you so much to the Hands Up team and Wellington people.
What a fantastically organised show with a wonderful atmosphere.
The Hands Up team had put so much effort into planning and managing the show that it was actually a fun and relaxing weekend for us! It was also so good to feel the positivity and support from Wellington people, as well as the camaraderie from fellow Cantabrian exhibitors.
It is times like the Hands Up expo that you really feel some good may have come from this terrible disaster. THANK YOU!

Thank you Hands up Wellington!!!

Thank you so much for giving us a hand when we needed it most! It was just tremendous how everyone chipped in to make it such a great event. We all had a great time and can't thank all the organisers and volunteers enough for all the assistance and help they gave us both before and during the show. I hope we get to do it again sometime maybe just under better cirumstances. Many thanks Wellington for giving us something to smile about and putting a spring back in our step. Thanks for your kindness, generosity and for making it all happen for us shaken cantabs.

Thanks Hands Up

We were blown away by effort and enthusiasm by all the Hands Up team. It was a very humbling experience to have so many people put their hands up and put the time and effort in for us down here in Chch. To all of you thank you so very much and you are all bloody legends down here. I hope we never have to repay you guys, but if so i'd be so happy to put my hand up..... Cheers

Massive Thank you from Bolt of Cloth

Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! We loved being in your great city for the Weekend and meeting so many supportive Wellingtonians. Your hard work and organizational skills were much appreciated, as we can imagine the work that goes into planning this type of event.

Thank you so much all your wonderful people in Wellington

 

Our story is very similar to everyone else's in regards to losing your life really. So when we heard about HandsUp and met all these absolute 'bricks' at a meeting and by phone it was initially a bit hard to get one's head around this. It all seemd so incredibly positive in comparison to our new normal of dealing with EQC, insurance companies and just making do on the domestic front.The Expo was also an eye opener with the rather diverse range of stalls, but it all sort of worked and it was worth it for us. Thank you all of your unwavering help and enthusiasm throughout the whole preparation and the actual weekend, it was apleasure working with you and we had lots of fun too
Robyne and Rudolf

Thank you Wellington!

Deanna Gracie Contemporary Jewellery

Thank you Wellington from the bottom of my heart! It was so fantastic to be able to meet and talk with clients and other business owners over the weekend, to feel productive and most importantly to feel "normal" again. After so many knock backs I had been stuck in a place of "what's the point" but I came home feeling energized, confident and ready to face the future with optimism again. The expo looked really professional and all the organizers, volunteers and sponsors worked so tirelessly and selflessly to make sure it was an event to remember. I will never forget the people of Wellington for their kindness and support.

http://www.nzjewellerydesign.com

Thankyou Wellington

Many thanks and a standing ovation to the whole 'Hands Up' team :-)
We had a wonderful weekend....it was not only successful but full of fun and love.

More than anything it was truely wonderful to see the many familiar faces that we would normally associate with the Chch CBD, faces we havnt seen since February.
Although many of them are just that 'Faces' without names, the guy at the coffee stand, the women at the bookshop, the old couple who always sit in that seat....these are the people that make a city feel alive and I look forward to the day when we have a city again for these people to return.

Special thanks to Rochel and Heather xoxo
Mickey & Ra
MisteR

www.mister.co.nz

Thank You Hands Up Wellington: WOW Wellington!

Thank You Hands Up Wellington: WOW Wellington!: "I am still blown away…THANK YOU for an incredible Hands Up experience. There are so many of you to thank here...Rochelle Jackson for you..."

thank you thank you thank you! from God Save the Queen!

After the February 22 quake destroyed my home, my shop and almost everything I had, it was pretty hard for me to have anything to look forward to except endless conversations with insurance agents and demolition experts. There were times when I found it hard to motivate myself to even get out of bed...

To keep myself going, I set up a tiny Saturday stall on the verandah of my rented cottage and tried to sell the goods I had ordered and paid for pre-earthquake which arrived post-quake, as well  some new tea towels I'd designed.  It was there that a customer told me about Hands Up Wellington - it sounded too good to be true. Other friends emailed me, urging me to go, so I tentatively sent an email enquiry off. Heather rang me the next day and told me all about it, and for the first time in weeks I felt I had something to look forward to, something to work towards, something to feel excited about.

I tried not to have too high expectations of the actual event as I knew that just having something to work towards was of huge personal emotional benefit - I figured that that was enough. But when I got to Wellington, it was so much more than I could have hoped for. To see the amount of work that so many people had gone to, was incredible. I really felt that the people of Wellington had welcomed us into their home. And I sold literally hundreds and hundreds of tea towels - I think everyone in Wellington must be drying their dishes with one of my tea towels now! And I have continued to get orders from Wellington ever since.

What I love about what all you wonderful people from Hands Up did, was that you found a really tangible hands on way to make a very significant difference to the lives of some of the people badly affected by the quake. Getting in touch with Hands Up was very much a turning point for me. I am so impressed with how much work and effort so many people put into creating this event, and I can't thank you all enough!

http://godsavethequeenlyttelton.blogspot.com/

I had the time of my life at Hands Up.

It was one of those "moments" in my life that I will never forget. The spirit of compassion was so heartening and the money came at just the right time when things were at an all-time low.

The kindness of the people of Wellington really touched my heart, everyone was so encouraging and positive. It made such a difference to my morale realising I am not in this on my own.

A special thanks to "harrys" and volunteers for making it all so easy, and for their thoughtfulness, and masses of thanks to everyone who contributed and made is so wonderful. Thank you also to NZSDA who sponsored my site and started work at 3 am Saturday morning!

It was a privelege to be involved, and I am so very grateful for everything. THANK YOU WELLINGTON!!!

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!

You guys are totally awesome! We had an absolutely fantastic weekend. Thank you sooo much for all the work you put in to making the event as excellent as possible.

The volunteers were fantastic - special thanks to Jos and Lucien, Gale and Pam, Eleanor and Greer. Maude and miller for the stall. Not to mention Heather and Rochelle - superstars of organization, Callum for hook ups in the transport arena (saved me heaps of $$ no doubt!), and Holly on the mike - MC extraordinaire fetching a very respectable number for the Quake Kabinet! Thank you!!!

Was a super busy full-on weekend. Awesome experience and great to meet so many other Chch biz owners that I would never have met otherwise.

It was really great to be a part of, and it is all thanks to the Hands Up team - my hat is off to you! Can't wait to see what you dream up next...

Simon.

www.simonjonesfurniture.com

A HUGE THANK YOU FROM MATSON’S BREWERY!!



Matson’s Brewery stumbled across this amazing event to be held in Wellington one day whilst surfing the internet. Wow some crazy Wellingtonian’s idea that would see Canterbury businesses come to Wellington for 48 hours to sell their products. I knew straight away that Matson’s Brewery would have to be part of this fantastic event. What a fantastic event it was, from the start on Friday night to the end on Sunday was so professionally run with loads of compassion, fun and excitement.

So many people have been involved in this event but special thanks need to be made to Rochelle, Heather, Janet, Natalie, Vicki, Callum, Tim, Rob from Sublimenz and his lovely brand ambassadors (tastings girls) Jordan, the entire board and all the wonderful volunteers.

I have never met so many wonderful and generous people in my life. What a privilege to be part of the Hands up Wellington – Red to the Black. I felt so humbled by everyone’s efforts.

Remember when anyone is in Christchurch next please look me up and come down for an ice cold beer and a tour of the brewery!!

Thanks Wellington!

To all the ‘Hands Up Wellington’ team,

A simple thank you doesn’t seem enough, but I want you to know how much I appreciate all the help you have given me and other Christchurch businesses. You couldn’t have been more helpful and you catered for our every need.

A special thank you also to Helen Chesterman who looked after us so well and Wishbone who sponsored my site.

My heartfelt thank you to you all. I will never forget the kindness you have shown us. With your support I know we can rebuild our city.

Lesley,

Forget Me Knots

WOW Wellington!

I am still blown away…THANK YOU for an incredible Hands Up experience. There are so many of you to thank here...Rochelle Jackson for your amazing energy putting this clever concept into action, and along with your extraordinary team! Congratulations on having created, developed and achieved an ultimately successful event to assist many Christchurch businesses at your Red to the Black Retail Expo.
I think everyone was impressed by your outstanding efforts, also the high number of committed volunteers who gave up their valuable time, the staff, contractors and suppliers who made this event possible. I feel I cannot thank you enough for your overwhelming generosity, commitment, professionalism, dedication and kind spirit.

A heartfelt thanks for offering this once in a lifetime opportunity and one that enabled me to showcase my China White teas to remind myself that yes I do have a passion for China White and a will to succeed.
I was blown away by the enthusiasm and tremendous support from my wonderful team leader Sylvie Le Bon and her team of volunteers: Stefania May, Kylie Pearce, Evan Davies and Susan Taylor.
It was a fantastic networking opportunity with many new friendships formed.

Initially, a friend of mine who lives in Wellington had told me about your Hands Up Retail Expo to help support Christchurch businesses, and I honestly had doubts leaving this shaken city behind – even for just a few days as I hated the thought of leaving our precious little 2 year old to deal with the fear of continuing aftershocks.
Thanks to Heather Morris with all her positive energy and enthusiasm, I realised this could be a very exciting opportunity that could help lift my spirits. How lucky was I to apply an hour or two before the closing date!

Following on from the expo, I am amazed by the number of sales and orders I have received following the expo. This includes new online customers I have gained from having the opportunity to promote my new online shop (something I had not actively marketed until Hands Up). I truly feel INSPIRED and finally my spark has come back.

UNFORGETTABLE, UNBELIEVABLE and PHENOMENAL are three words I would use to describe my Hands Up Wellington experience.

Once again, thank you for everything.

Thank you for putting your hands up!

Thank you for the fantastic idea of Red to the Black, Thank you for your outstanding organizational skills Thank you for your energy and Thank you for your support.


The Red to the Black Expo held last weekend was by far the most professional and well organized Expo I have attended/exhibited at. The huge number of people ready to offer their assistance and advice was so appreciated.


Thank you for giving us the opportunity to sell to your people for the weekend, it was lovely to meet some existing customers and to build so many new customer relationships (selling lots of stock was great too)!

It was such a fun weekend, you are all such generous and kind hearted people, although we came home with less boxes, it was great to have made new friends!


Please get in touch if you come to chch!



Belinda x
Thank you!

Wonderful Wellington

Thank you, THANK YOU, Thank You, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..

What an incredible chance to be apart of such a fantastic Expo, organised by the coolest, nicest and most oragnised bunch of people.>!

My heart swells thinking about you

a big thank you from blackbird

To the team at Handsup, words actually can't express my gratitude.....

From the moment I first viewed the Handsup video and got goosebumps I knew this event was going to be an absolute winner and it became the only small ray of hope my business could cling to. After losing the business and our house in the Feb 22nd quake, my 3 beautiful and unsettled children (5yr, 4yr and 1yr) became my number one priority. Priorities change when you go through this sort of disaster.

Handsup gave me a little bit of guilty pleasure (and sanity!) planning my stand, buying stock and feeling like a normal person again. I am absolutely blown away by the time, energy and generosity of everyone involved. I think guiltily if the roles were reversed would I be so keen to put my own hand up..........I'd like to think I would have. However, I can say without a shadow of a doubt now that I absolutely would. This experience has made me a better person. That's huge.

After the first few sales on Saturday I had a moment. The squeals of delight, the ooohs and aaaahs.........I had totally forgotten what that was like, I hadn't heard it for such a long time! The compliments, the assurance that other people actually love what you love. Giving pleasure. I was absolutely fizzing. That continued ALL weekend. What a shot for the soul.

The whole weekend. It bought home how we are living our lives so differently. How I enjoyed talking to people (other retailers, the public, the organisers etc) and being part of something social and normal! I tend to scuttle out, drop kids to school or do the groceries then scuttle home. My shop used to be the social hub of our small community. How I miss it.

This event has given me the opportunity to financially keep my head above water and given me the motivation and enthusiasm to get cracking again! I hope to launch the website in a couple of weeks and already have orders to fill. Love those Wellington gals!!!

Thanks especially to Vanessa from Magnolia Trading and our other lovely volunteers.

From Mel and Emma my trustee helper we say THANKYOU xxoo

Blackbird

www.blackbirdgifts.co.nz

Awesome Team!

We say a massive "THANKS" to all the Hands Up Wellington volunteers who helped out over the weekend. We are very grateful that you all gave up your precious time in an act of kindness and care for those of us in quaky Chch.

Heather Norris as our main point of contact did a fantastic job, and so did: Alana Superwoman Joe, Christy McCash, Jim MacAodhgain, Michael Harvey, Kim Barwell, Hamish Norton, Alaena Dixon, and Heather Norris' husband who makes a great model!

Luv that Wgtn spirit.

Our men on the ground, Rob & Daryl, had a great time selling our gear and catching up with Cactus fans both old and new. We owe you one.

Just The Tonic Hands Up Wellington.........x FEEBS

How heartening this Experience was.
As like any business in Christchurch, we all have been profoundly affeced by the fallen city. The unknown was upon us and we had to take each day step by step, not knowing if our efforts for our businesses would be enough to help us keep it all going and not losing all the work we put into build it.
Being Tired and dazed at time.........Then came Rochelle and Heather from Hands Up Wellington who extended out to businesses of Christchurch an invite....they handed us "A Rope of Hope".

From the moment I signed on I felt in the loop and arriving at CQ Hotel Wellington to a well organised meeting on the first night before the retail expo, was just the tonic to get me into the optimistic mood for the weekend.
I arrived at the TSB Area to set up my stall knowing there would be help to come, but little did I know just how much help I needed. It was from that moment of set up I became aware of just how Earth Quaked my brian had become and I could feel the strains of pulling the brain together.....and then the troops arrived!

Let me introduce my volunteers that helped me:

Ritsa - Art Centre area supervisor and display talented!
Liz - Volunteer Stall help and Sales woman extraordinaire
Tabatha - Volunteer Stall help and Sales Queen with the best smile( how could they refuse to buy a flower)
Rick - Set up and pack down volunteer. Thank you Rick for sorting all the technical things out, with EQ brain it was better I stayed away from that stuff)
Barry- Volunteer Stall help and Man who would get anything for you even super glue and a bag of fruit.
Amanda- Volunteer Stall help and a positive giving person.

From the moment Rick and Liz came to my stall space, they got into action......being so attentive to what I was needing done and offering positive suggestions to help the set up flow better.

Ritsa turned up with the TV, DVd player and the flowers I had ordered, with such a smile on her face that reflected positive feeling that would grow continuously all weekend.

Liz and Tabatha were up for the challenge to learn as much as they could about FEEBS Paua Flowers and why and how they came about. With this information at hand the generous Wellingtonians shoppers did not stand a chance. Not many who came near my flower brooches left unscathed!! I had the sales team every retailer dreams of and I can not say enough how supported I felt with their generous hearts. It was like they wrapped me up in a cuddly blanket and there was never a time I was without food or drink......someone was always there to see to my needs.

Thank you Barry for you unwavering support and being so extremely caring for us Cantanbrians.

I can not say enough about the people who helped me over those two days of retail madness.

I came feeling shattered, weary, and unsure of the future and thanks to the efforts of all who were involved in Hands Up Wellington, I left feeling injected with an infectious feeling of positivity and Hope. How heartening it is to be cared about by people from another city. With fantastic sales made I went away from the Wellington experience ready to walk forward again in what is needing to be done to pick up the pieces and move forward once again.
This has shown me just how far community can stretch within New Zealand as a country. Your 'Amazing' Wellingtonians, thank you for all your support. I met strangers and left knowing new friends.
Kia Kaha Christchurch we really do have our country behind us.

Exactly What the Retail Doctor Ordered

Well what an amazing experience that was, the support at the CBS Arena Wellington was absolutely overwhelming. To think that the organisers, sponsors and volunteers would do all of that for us is very heart-warming indeed! Must have been very hard to pull off something like that because of the diversity of exhibitors at the show. We all had different requirements, needs and requests so I can’t even imagine the pressure that put on Heather and Rochelle & the team. There were so may emails and phonecalls I lost count, but after 4 long months, they pulled it off so gracefully!

In times like these, it is very easy to lose perspective of things when sales come to a stand-still but all it takes are a few purchases to renew your faith & hope in your business. It makes you realise that it’s not your products that are the problem but the situation and the circumstances. I always try hard to keep that in mind but sometimes, you need to be reminded as a small business when paranoia kicks in. Heading northbound to new previously untouched terrain was the perfect anti-dote for the gruelling few months that had preceded us Cantabrians. It literally injected this huge amazing new energy into Matrace for me. The reaction to my clothing was off the radar. Cyclists, non-cyclists, anyone who partakes in any type of gym activity was constantly complimenting, gushing and applauding me for doing something different.  And boy did the sales come in, so much so, that the people of Wellington even refused discounts offered as they said that this was their way to support us & that they had to commit to it and do it properly. And so, they paid full price for everything at my stall!

Lana Co-Croft was absolutely amazing, working hard all week-end as an M-C, interviewing all the exhibitors and drawing lots of attention to our stalls. My volunteer and now good friend and Matrace girl Lydia, went above and beyond the call of duty for me and my business! She turned up on the morning of the second a fast and crazy ball of energy, exactly what you need at an expo. I’ll be honest and say, I didn’t know how to work a crowd at one of these things...until she came along so I watched and listened very closely as she closed sales so effortlessly. Her energy was contagious and before long, I was also a pro. I learned a lot from here, she even analysed my sales tactics after the first day of the show and gave me pointers for the next day! Of course, there were lots of other volenteers around over the two-days, always there offering their support, it was incredible. I really couldn't have done it without them all!!! Thank you Rick for making the competition box, it looked fantastic with at least 100 of my fliers taped all over it:-) And thank you Ritsa for always getting me tea and hot water:-)

The expo was heaps of fun, I met loads of lovely people, it was great for my business and has given me the impetus now to drive ahead with a brand new vision and energy for Matrace.

Once again, to the 'Hands Up' team & to 'The Hurricanes' who sponsored my stall, thanks a million, I am truly touched by your love and kindness, xxx

Matrace Cycling Clothing

THANK YOU FROM "MONSOON GIFT ITEMS"

Hard to believe that just last weekend we were in lovely Wellington selling our goodies to a great bunch of Wellingtonians.

That Saturday/Sunday was just the icing on the cake actually of an already darn good time in Wellington. When Heather asked us if we wanted to be part of the Hands Up, we did not hesitate a minute. Rochelle & Heather’s energy, kindness and genuine interest in people knows no boundaries. They have been great to us and we felt relaxed and smiling only after a few minutes in their presence. After the intense rhythm of the past 6 months we all needed to relax a bit and come up to Wellington .
We were thrilled to see the event so well organized and let us tell you, they all deserve a long line of kuddos, and "thank yous" for organizing the event so successfully. Not only did they organize the main event on the weekend but they also helped put together an extra hands-on discount on our accommodation and yes …wine!!! Thank you girls. And boys!

It does sound like a cliche but we were thrilled to see familiar faces as well as finally meet the people behind this great event. It made us even more excited to be back later in the year for a bit of R & R and we are looking forward to seeing those wonderful people maybe then again.
The weekend kicked off with a little intro at the Hotel where we were showered with attention and wine. Every one had the chance to mingle and introduce themselves as well as get all revved up for the next day's events.

Indeed, Saturday was packed. We love events such as this because there is always something to learn, something to contribute and something to walk away with whether you are a seller or a buyer. It was like a grand big family where everyone was at ease to speak & listen. The focus of the Sunday was pretty much again SHOP …SHOP ….SHOP!! We pretty much let the crowd go lose at our Monsoon stand (!) to pick a few items to style themselves.

All in all: What a breath of fresh air! It was the best 48 hours spent before the plane ride back to Christchurch. Thank you to all the people who attended Hands Up! If another Hands Up comes up again somewhere else, hurry up to be part of it. You won't regret it.

PS. We want to extend special thanks to our volunteers Rob, Natalie, Penn and Mike who came down to the Waterfront to help with the set up of our Monsoon stand! The crowd response was fantastic and we couldn’t have done it without you !!

Reto & Sari
Monsoon Gift items
“More Than Just Jewellery”

Thank you so much for an awesome event!!! My business has been stalled due the quake as our leading manufacturer was munted by the quake in Feb. For the kind people of Wellington to host and support this initiative is amazing and appreciated.

This weekend I was also at the Christchurch Home Show, and would put the numbers through the Hands Up WEL significantly higher.

Well done and if other centers choose to take the challenge to host such an event in their region, I would encourage them to do so.

Thanks Helen, Heather and the team for the care and attention you paid to our requirements. I felt so welcome and can only say thank you again.

Sincerely,

Paul Hill. Director, Cosydome Ltd. 0800 COSYDOME

Thank You Wellington

This past weekend our business had the privilege to be involved in the Hands Up event in Wellington.

Since February 22nd affected Christchurch retailers had to deal with loss of premises and stock, terminations of leases and a lost customer base, an environment of increased risk and uncertainty and have had many decisions made which greatly impacted them, of which they had no input.

The future looked a little bleak. There were two positives, both from Wellington that helped us go forward with some hope. The first being the wage subsidy which was easily accessed and not tied up in bureaucracy, allowing us to retain cherished staff. The second was an idea that started with one person with amazing energy and grew to involve a small army of dedicated volunteers and supporting businesses. They rallied to arrange a venue, a large number of generous sponsors, advertising, transport and council backing to provide an opportunity for affected Christchurch retailers to present their products to the Wellington public, all at no cost to the Christchurch retailers. This gave us all a ray of hope and something to look forward to and work towards.

The event was a huge success and Wellingtonians came in their thousands and generously supported the affected Christchurch retailers, in our case, providing sufficient funds to build a movable temporary shop, allowing us to reopen and retain our wonderful staff.

We felt humbled by all the effort put in by these wonderful people and once again say Thank you Wellington, you have made a difference.

Anthony & Karen Reid

Woodcraft Gallery

Christchurch

A BIG thank you from de Mont Pens

Wow, that was one heck of a weekend! I still can't get over how professionally the entire weekend was organised, how smoothly it flowed, and how smart it was presented. Add to that the fantastic support of the Wellington shoppers and that has to be one of life's great experiences for all of us who had stalls.

We are all extremely grateful to the Wellington volunteers who put their hands up and devoted such an unbelievable amount of unselfish time and energy (and no doubt expense) to make it such a successful Expo for us all.

WELL DONE WELLINGTON!! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Thank you from 'Follow The White Rabbit'

Hug hugs and kisses to all the Hands Up crew.  What a mammoth effort! Such an amazing thing you have done for us. Some money was made, but that wasn't the biggy - the best thing was feeling normal, productive, having something to look forward to and focus on. It was so great.

I special thank you to my helpers Amelia, Petra & Rebbecca, you were all super!
Rob popping back & forth with an infectious smile and a coffee.
Amelia my chief helper was like a guardian angel. I'm dithering around with earthquake brain and random waves of emotion, and she was all organised, calm and industrious.  There is no way I could have done without her. She was there from 7am Saturday set up to 6pm pack up on Sunday. A total God send.
Hope the feet are feeling better - what a trouper! xx

Love to you all
Vicky
Follow The White Rabbit
Vintage & Handmade

Whare Home wares

At one point I contacted Hands up to cancel my stand as my number had come up for an operation I had been on a waiting list for.The Angels at Hands up stood for Whare participating regardless and suddenly a host of talented volunteers from Magnolia Trading were on the case.Whare was there and I was not there.I am so sorry I missed out on the camaraderie and collective good time.

I acknowledge the team for being compassionate,creative and profoundly resourceful human beings.As business people I acknowledge them for having the boldness and vision to recognise the possibility of abundance in generosity and the long term benefits of forging partnerships .

So I thank the team for generating the all important revenue from the weekend and I thank those lovely Wellington punters for exchanging cash and Aroha for wonderful articles.

Hands Up made a difference today and has caused opportunity and possibility in the future where there was not before.Magic .

Sincerely,
Adele Wheeley