MEDIA RELEASE

November 30, 2010

 Christmas Lights Up for CanTeen

 A Christmas Lights extravaganza will be lighting up futures as well as faces this holiday season as it raises money for CanTeen.

Howick resident Leigh Marsden has become notorious in the Farm Cove neighbourhood for her spectacular light show which raises money for charity each year.This year Mrs Marsden has chosen to donate all proceeds to CanTeen, the charity supporting young people living with cancer in New Zealand.

She started the light show seven years ago and says she got hooked right away.

“It has grown and grown and it’s just a lot of fun.”

The display in her garden includes more than 60,000 lights, which she puts up herself in the two months leading up Christmas and describes herself as “an electrician’s nightmare”.

With such an impressive display her house is always one of the highlights of the annual Professionals Real Estate Christmas Lights competition, which she is entering again this year.

The competition features houses from all over the country and visitors vote online at www.christmaslights.co.nz to select their favourite.

Mrs Marsden decided on CanTeen as her recipient charity after coming into contact with the organisation earlier in the year and being impressed with the purpose of CanTeen and all the young people involved.

Her light show will run every night at 8pm from December 4 until January 7 at 11 Fratley Ave, Farm Cove.

Visitors will have a chance to donate to CanTeen every evening.For further information or photos:

Jocelyn Rein

Star Public Relations 

09 912 7827 

021 960 933 

jocelyn@starpublicrelations.co.nz 

Editors Note:CanTeen is a New Zealand peer support organisation for young people aged 13 to 24 living with cancer. It is a place where members who might be patients, siblings or bereaved siblings, can share their experiences with other young people who know what it is like to deal with cancer. CanTeen’s mission is to support, develop and empower young people living with cancer and it does that by providing professional counseling. Development and leadership opportunities, patient resources, educational and recreational activities, self development scholarships, palliative and funeral grants. CanTeen has 13 regional branches across the country and is solely reliant on its own fundraising efforts and the generosity of individuals, the community and corporate partners, as it receives no direct government funding. www.canteen.org.nz