One of the local teams participating in the 2016 Oxfam Trailwalker event has hit the ground running in the fundraising stakes.

Team ‘Detour’ – Paula Chapman, Andrea Schuler, Yvonne Harper and Iona Cranswick – has already raised $3500 for Oxfam’s efforts to combat poverty in the Pacific region, including some $1600 generated by a charity screening of the new James Bond movie, SPECTRE, at WhakaMax on Monday night. Guests dressed in 007 or ‘Bond girl’ themes packed out Cinema One, enjoying pre-movie refreshments and vodka jellies – a pale imitation of the classic Bond Martini – and adding further support by purchasing raffle tickets.

Spokesperson Paula Chapman says the evening had “just the right amount of action, conspiracy, intrigue and passion – and the movie was great too”.

“This gives us some great momentum as we build towards the Oxfam Trailwalker in April next year. There’s still time for new teams to enter, and we’d encourage the local community to get involved in this great event, which is expected to raise close to $1 million to support Oxfam’s work in the Pacific.”

She paid particular tribute to the team’s major sponsor – the Detour Bar & Lounge – and the owners of WhakaMax for generously hosting the latest fundraising event.