Light Up the Night gets green light
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The Ashburton District Council’s 'Light Up the Night' Christmas event will go ahead as planned on December 2 after the road closure application was granted on Wednesday.
Support for the decision was underpinned by a belief among some councillors that businesses would benefit.
The council’s economic development team applied for a temporary road closure of East St (from Havelock St to Moore St and Burnett St/Tancred St) to hold the Light Up the Night ceremony that includes lighting the Christmas tree on East Street opposite the intersection with Burnett St.
The one objection was placed by Gareth and Jamie Cadogan who operate the Print Room night club and one ninety nine café within the CBD that are affected by the closure.
They said the timing and location of the event “will directly affect our trade” and they have bookings for Christmas functions on the day.
The councillors disagreed believing the event will bring people in to the town centre and boost business.
New councillor Tony Todd supported the closure.
“We need to look at the broader picture that this event is going to bring people into town anyway and those in the hospitality industry are all going to benefit from this event so I think we should be approving it.”
Mayor Neil Brown said the event “is something we should be doing”.
“It’s a great event and will bring people into town and businesses will do well out of it.”
Councillor Lynette Lovett said that after two years of disruption the community is looking for events.
“This is a great example for the town to come out, get together and start the festive season.”
The application was approved by majority.
The Ashburton Santa Parade has applied for a road closure for December 3, the day after Light Up the Night, which is being processed.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.4% Summer
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36.2% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
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