North Canterbury News: June 09, 2022

NEWS
16 North Canterbury News, June 9, 2022
Trust steps up to offer hope
By BENJAMIN GRIFFITHS
Rangiora’s Hope
Community Trust is
facing arising demand
for its services in the
wake of Covid.
Demand for
counselling services has
grown 13 percent this
year, compared to 2021,
and food parcels are
supporting an even
greater number of
families.
The trust is changing
the way it promotes its
counselling services, to
better cater to agrowing
need, trust manager
Tracy Pirie says.
‘‘If Iwent up to alot of
people and ask what
would you need
cancelling for, most
people couldn’t tell you,
so what we’ve done is use
phrases that the
councillors hear all the
time.
‘‘So they can look at
these and say, actually
that could be me.
Because we’re trying to
make it real for people
and make the
advertisements relate to
them.’’
Alot of people think
that counselling is
expensive, but Hope
offers its services at a
much lower cost than
most other services and
funding may be available
for those on abenefit.
Tracy says she would
rather people who need
help to get in contact,
rather than be put off by
the cost.
‘‘We’re not just dealing
with old people, we’re
not just dealing young
people, we’re not just
dealing with families,
we’re not just dealing
with teenagers or youth,
our doors are open to
everyone, any culture,
any circumstances.
‘‘If we don’t have the
ability to help we try to
find out who can and
send them to there.’’
Counselling coordinator
Gaye White
says Hope trust engages
11 part­time counsellors,
including student
counsellors, with
sessions available in
Rangiora, and at the
Pegasus Community
Centre.
Home visits are
available for those
unable to travel to an
appointment.
Acourse is to be
offered to teenage girls
due to the growing
mental wellbeing in the
community, thanks to
support from
Soroptomists North
Canterbury.
The Hope trust gave
out 337 food parcels in
March alone, including
through the foodbank
and delivered via
‘‘Hands of Hope’’ to local
camping grounds.
Offering hope ... Hope Community Trust counselling
co­ordinator Gaye White wants the messaging to be
more accessible for those in need. PHOTO: BENJAMIN GRIFFITHS
Of those food parcels,
44 were delivered to
local schools and that
number is increasing,
Tracy says.
‘‘Unfortunately some
people don’t know how to
access foodbanks and
don’t know where to get
help,’’ she says.
Some parents had gone
without food for two days
to ensure their children
didn’t go hungry.
‘‘There no reason for
people to go without
food, as help is always
available,’’ she says.
Tracy says 170
volunteers put in 13,740
volunteer hours in 2021
to help the trust provide
its various services.
Hope Community
Trust is open to
everyone. If you would
like help you can call (03)
9283066 or go to
thehopecommunitytrust.
org.
ARangiora childhood
By SHELLEY TOPP
A‘‘Rangiora kid’’, who has
lived all of his 85 years in the
town, has written abook about
his colourful life.
The Life and Times of a
Rangiora Kid,isthe second
book Tom McLaren, has
written. His first. The History
of St John Ambulance in
Rangiora,was published in
1994 and is now out of print,
although acopy can still be
borrowed through the
Waimakariri libraries.
It took Tom two years to
write his latest book which
was self published last year. It
has been in big demand since
then and is now on its fourth
print run.
Tom decided to write The
Life and Times of aRangiora
Kid because he has always
believed that everyone should
make an effort to record some
of the more significant events
of their lives before they ‘‘fall
off the perch’’.
He also realised that so
much had happened during
his lifetime that he had a
plethora of events and
material to write about.
The book includes stories
from the 1930s up until the
present time, all told with ‘‘a
good deal of humour’’.
It also covers 1940s school
life, hunting trips in Glentui,
elephants parading down
Rangiora’s High Street and all
the significant changes and
events that have taken place
in New Zealand, and
particularly Rangiora, as well
as the many colourful
Tom McLaren
characters who have been part
of Tom's life.
Tom and his wife Norma
have been married for 62
years.
‘‘We have lived in our house
for the same length of time
and Ihave lived all my 85
years in West Belt,’’ Tom says.
‘‘We have 3sons and 7
grandchildren and enjoy an
active life in our community.’’
The couple had been hoping
to launch The Life and Times of
aRangiora Kid with atalk at
the Rangiora Library last
year, but the Covid­19
pandemic prevented this.
However atalk is planned for
Friday, June 17, in the
Rangiora Library, at 5.30pm
Copies of The Life and Times
of aRangiora Kid,cost $40 and
can be purchased from the
Waimakariri libraries, at
Rangiora, Kaiapoi and
Oxford, or by contacting
Norma and Tom (03) 313 7451
or email mclaren.
norma585@gmail.com.
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